Julie

A couple years ago my husband and I met a couple staying at a bed and breakfast near our home.  My husband and I were having coffee and they asked to join us.  Our simple cup of coffee turned into a day of adventure.  They were from the Caribbean and in California for a vacation.  It was so fun getting to know them and doing things we do all the time with a set of fresh eyes.

After meeting, we kept in contact through Facebook in case we were ever in the same area again.  They came back to California this past week for a business conference and we opened up our home to them.  It was great seeing them again, and as a thank you they cooked us their favorite dinner.

Caribbean food is so delicious.  After dinner I begged to get the recipe, it was so good.  They were kind enough to share their favorite recipes with us so we will be able to transform our meals into a paradise.

Here are two of the Caribbean recipes they shared, and I promise they are to die for.


Creole Rice Pilaf

Ingredients-

• 1 ½ tsp. olive oil
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1/3 cup minced shallots
• ½ cup sliced scallions
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 ¼ cup diced plum tomatoes
• 1 ½ cup short-grain brown rice
• 3 ½ cup vegetable broth, boiling
• ½ cup chopped fresh coriander
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 tsp. Bragg liquid Aminos

Instructions-

• Heat oil and crushed red pepper in a saucepan on medium heat for 1 minute.  Add the shallots, scallions, and celery and cook for about 3 minutes until adding the mushrooms and tomatoes, and cook 2 minutes before adding rice.  The entire mixture for 2 minutes while stirring.

• Add the boiling broth, coriander and thyme into the saucepan and bring to boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for about 45 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.  Stir in the liquid aminos and enjoy!

Caribbean Style Sofrito- this makes 6 servings, they like to feed a crowd! :D



Ingredients-

• 1 green bell pepper, cut into ¼ inch cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼ inch cubes
• ½ orange bell pepper, cut into ¼ inch cubes
• ½ yellow bell pepper, cut into ¼ inch cubes
• 5 tomatoes, cored and chopped
• ½ bunch of green onions, chopped
• ¾ bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 fresh tomatillos, husks removed
• ½ cup chopped garlic

Instructions-
• Put the green, red, orange, and yellow peppers, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, tomatillos, and garlic into a food processor or blender and pulse or blend to make the your desired consistency, either chunky or smooth. Season lightly with salt.

• Enjoy!
Hope these recipes can transport you to a Caribbean escape in your kitchen!

Go green and stay keen,

Julie

I have been slacking about posting my Kids Cook Monday Meals.



We have been keeping up with it and participating since my first post.  My mind just goes to other topics when I sit down to write.  I have had way too many other good topics to share with you guys :)

Good news is I remembered tonight! My kids and husband helped cook dinner tonight! It was so wonderful.

We made Confetti Stuffed Bell Peppers and Chilled Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies for desert.

We had so much fun cooking and our meal tasted delicious.  I think we spent the entire time cooking, laughing at Liam, he had a comment for everything; silly kid!

Here are the recipes that we used!

We actually found the Confetti Stuffed Bell Pepper recipe at the Kids Cook Monday website.

Confetti Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients-

• 4 large bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
• 1 bag (12 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables, cooked according to the package directions
• 1 bag (10 oz.) whole grain brown rice, cooked according to package directions
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper

Instructions-

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Lightly grease a 9x13-inch shallow baking dish with nonstick cooking spray
• Combine mixed vegetables, brown rice, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, tomato sauce and black pepper in a large bowl.
• Arrange peppers in prepared pan and spoon mixture into peppers.
• Pour ¼ cup water into pan around the peppers. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, until peppers are tender.
• Remove foil and evenly sprinkle peppers with remaining cheeses.  Bake uncovered 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• Enjoy!

For dessert we made no-bake, Chilled Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients-

• 2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• ¼ cup chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
• 3 cups corn flakes, lightly crushed

Instructions-

• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a small skillet add cocoanut and toast for about 3 minutes then let cool.
• In a medium sauce pan combine honey, corn syrup, and peanut butter on medium heat.  Keep stirring until mixture begins to bubble.  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and cocoa.  Stir the mixture until the chocolate chips have melted and then add the cereal and toasted coconut and stir until coated.
• Spoon balls of mixture on to parchment paper and refrigerate until hardened, about 15 minutes.
• Enjoy!



It ended up being a fantastic kid’s cook Monday!  We were so full after our meal we went on a walk around the neighborhood to digest it all.  The meal and the walk put the kids right to bed.  When we got back they sat on the couch for 15 minutes and went straight to bed.  Great end to a great evening.
Go Green and Staying Keen,

Julie