Tekesha, Author at The Eat More Food Project

Bacon and Eggs

May 23, 2014 By Tekesha 4 Comments

I know it seems ridiculous to have a recipe for bacon and eggs. However, I realized that I make my eggs, in particular, in an unusual way and thought I would share. I scramble them without completely mixing the yolk and the white, which gives them a marbled look and a unique taste.

I started making my eggs like this a couple of years ago. My husband and I were taking a road trip and I was researching low-carb restaurant options along our route. Someone warned that a lot of diners actually put pancake batter in their eggs to improve the taste and texture. Naturally, the batter is jam-packed with carbs! And they usually aren’t up-front about telling you when they do this.

We stopped at a diner and I asked the waitress if I could have some scrambled eggs with “real eggs only.” I don’t like making special food requests and I was totally prepared for her to have no idea what I was talking about and just drop it. She didn’t bat an eyelash. When she returned to the table with my scrambled eggs, she said “Just as you requested. Note the lovely yellow and white marbling so you can tell they are real eggs.” Genius! They were sooo good too! You get regular bites, bites of creamy yolk, and bites of light egg whites.

You’ll need:

4 strips of bacon
2 eggs
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp Fines Herbes Seasoning

Cook your 4 strips of bacon in a skillet on medium heat until crispy. The eggs take no more than 3 minutes to cook, so it’s best to do your bacon completely first and then tackle the eggs while the bacon cools off.

In a non-stick skillet, crack 2 eggs and toss in a tablespoon of butter.

Sprinkle over a little Fines Herbes seasoning.

Turn the heat to medium high.

Using a fork, lightly pierce the egg yolks so they start to mix with the whites.

Gently move your fork through the eggs and butter so they begin to scramble. Continue until the eggs are the texture you like and remove from the skillet to a plate.

Serve with your bacon and enjoy.

Bacon and Eggs

Prep time

1 min

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

11 mins

Rustic scrambled eggs with fines herbes and bacon.

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 1

Ingredients

4 strips of bacon
2 eggs
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp Fines Herbes Seasoning

Instructions

Cook your 4 strips of bacon in a skillet on medium heat until crispy. The eggs take no more than 3 minutes to cook, so it's best to do your bacon completely first and then tackle the eggs while the bacon cools off.
In a non-stick skillet, crack 2 eggs and toss in a tablespoon of butter.
Sprinkle over a little Fines Herbes seasoning.
Turn the heat to medium high.
Using a fork, lightly pierce the egg yolks so they start to mix with the whites.
Gently move your fork through the eggs and butter so they begin to scramble. Continue until the eggs are the texture you like and remove from the skillet to a plate.
Serve with your bacon and enjoy.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 417 Fat: 35 Carbohydrates: 1 Sugar: 1 Sodium: 909 Protein: 25

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

May 16, 2014 By Tekesha 4 Comments

You know that certain combination of flavors that you would happily eat every day for the rest of your life? This is my husband’s. I once made a version of this and he took it to work for lunch every day and ate it for dinner every night until it was finished. Then he asked me to make it again. Score!

For that version, I shredded an entire chicken into large pieces, layered it with alfredo sauce and chopped broccoli, and baked it in a loaf pan with mozzarella on top. It’s easier to slice and take to work.

This version is a little less labor-intensive and you can get really creative pairing it with sides. It’s excellent on its own or served on a baked sweet potato or over pasta or with some nice, crusty bread for dipping.

You’ll need:

1 cup of raw broccoli florets
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup butter
1 tbsp garlic paste or puree
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 block of fontina cheese, shredded
1 pint of heavy cream
1/2 cup water

In a large skillet, add your fresh broccoli, chicken breast pieces, and 1/2 cup water.

Cook on medium high heat for approximately 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked all the way through. The water should be completely evaporated, but if it isn’t, drain the chicken and broccoli. You don’t want the water to dilute your sauce.

Remove the red wax from your fontina cheese and shred. You’ll find fontina cheese in the fine cheese section of your grocery store, usually near the deli. I don’t know if they sell pre-shredded fontina cheese, but if they do, don’t use that. You need to freshly shred your cheese here for it to seamlessly melt into the sauce.

In a small pan, combine butter and garlic paste.

Cook on low heat until the butter is melted.

Add 1 cup parmesan cheese to butter mixture and stir.

Add the heavy cream and shredded fontina cheese and stir.

Cook on medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until fontina cheese is completely melted into the sauce (approximately 15 minutes).

Combine cheese sauce with chicken and broccoli.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

Tender chicken breasts and fresh broccoli with cheesy garlic alfredo sauce

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 cup of raw broccoli florets
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
¼ cup butter
1 tbsp garlic paste or puree
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 block of fontina cheese, shredded
1 pint of heavy cream
½ cup water

Instructions

In a large skillet, add your fresh broccoli, chicken breast pieces, and ½ cup water.
Cook on medium high heat for approximately 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked all the way through. The water should be completely evaporated, but if it isn't, drain the chicken and broccoli. You don't want the water to dilute your sauce.
Remove the red wax from fontina cheese and shred.
In a small pan, combine butter and garlic paste.
Cook on low heat until the butter is melted.
Add 1 cup parmesan cheese to butter mixture and stir.
Add heavy cream and shredded fontina cheese and stir.
Cook on medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until fontina cheese is completely melted into the sauce (approximately 15 minutes).
Combine cheese sauce with chicken and broccoli.
Serve.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 701 Fat: 61 Carbohydrates: 6 Sugar: 2 Sodium: 1016 Protein: 34

Paleo Salmon Cakes

May 9, 2014 By Tekesha 10 Comments

We like to watch a lot of food documentaries around our house and one of the best one’s we’ve seen in recent months is Hungry for Change. It follows a bunch of different people who all follow different ways of eating, but what they have in common is that they do it mindfully. I thought that was really beautiful and it completely captured what I want to convey on this website: Pay attention to what you eat, what it’s made of, and how it makes you feel.

Vegan, vegetarian, paleo, keto – the only thing that matters is that what you eat makes you feel good about the food choices you are making and makes you feel your physical best. I think if you eat mindfully, there is something valuable you can take from all those different ways of eating.

Anyhow, I saw CrossFitBrit’s Paleo Salmon Cakes and even though I don’t follow a strictly paleo diet, I had to give them a try. I was really intrigued because it uses cans of wild Alaskan salmon. I don’t know why, but I just presumed that canned salmon was some kind of frankenmeat. Imagine my surprise to see that it’s just Salmon and Salt!

I’ve adapted her recipe to add more seasonings and texture and also make a bigger batch, but it’s still paleo-compliant like the original.

You’ll need:

8 oz (1 cup) of trinity mix (minced raw onion, celery, and green pepper in equal parts)
2 14.75-oz cans of Premium Wild Alaska Pink Salmon (I use Black Top brand), drained
4 eggs
1 tbsp dried dill
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup almond flour
4 tbsp butter, ghee, or coconut oil for frying

In a skillet, sauté your trinity mix, with a little salt and pepper, in a half a cup of water on medium heat approximately 5 minutes or until the onion is slightly translucent (see-through).

Remove the trinity mixture from the stove and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine your drained salmon, eggs, dill, parsley, paprika, celery salt and almond flour. NOTE: Canned salmon includes the skin and bones. These are good for you and perfectly safe to eat. You do not need to pick out the bones, as you will not taste them in the finished dish.

Add the cooled trinity mixture to the salmon mixture and stir well.

Melt butter in a shallow frying pan.

Using a half-cup measuring cup…

portion out a scoop of the mixture with a small spoon…

and place it in the hot butter in the skillet.

Repeat this process until the skillet is full.

Cover with foil and cook the patties on medium low heat for 10 minutes and then flip gently with a spatula. If some of the egg mixture starts to form a ring around the patties, you can just use a small spoon to scrape it away. It doesn’t alter the taste, but it will make it look cuter.

Re-cover with foil and cook the other side for 10 minutes. Remove from the skillet to a plate to cool.

Repeat this process until all of the salmon mixture has been shaped into patties and cooked on both sides.

Serve with a simple squeeze of lemon…

or, if you’re not paleo, some remoulade sauce.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Paleo Salmon Cakes

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

45 mins

Paleo-friendly salmon cakes that taste just like the traditional version - full of onions, celery, peppers, and dill.

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 4

Ingredients

8 oz (1 cup) of trinity mix (minced raw onion, celery, and green pepper in equal parts)
2 14.75-oz cans of Premium Wild Alaska Pink Salmon (I use Black Top brand), drained
4 eggs
1 tbsp dried dill
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp ground ginger
½ cup almond flour
4 tbsp butter, ghee, or coconut oil for frying

Instructions

In a skillet, sauté your trinity mix, with a little salt and pepper, in a half a cup of water on medium heat approximately 5 minutes or until the onion is slightly translucent (see-through).
Remove the trinity mixture from the stove and let cool.
In a large bowl, combine your drained salmon, eggs, dill, parsley, paprika, celery salt, ground mustard and almond flour. NOTE: Canned salmon includes the skin and bones. These are good for you and perfectly safe to eat. You do not need to pick out the bones, as you will not taste them in the finished dish.
Add the cooled trinity mixture to the salmon mixture and stir well.
Melt butter in a shallow frying pan.
Using a half-cup measuring cup, portion out a scoop of the mixture with a small spoon and place it in the hot butter in the skillet.
Repeat this process until the skillet is full.
Cover with foil and cook the patties on medium low heat for 10 minutes and then flip gently with a spatula.
Re-cover with foil and cook the other side for 10 minutes.
Remove from the skillet to a plate to cool.
Repeat this process until all of the salmon mixture has been shaped into patties and cooked on both sides.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 2 patties Calories: 472 Fat: 23 Carbohydrates: 12 Sugar: 5 Sodium: 1165 Protein: 56

Sauteed Cabbage

May 2, 2014 By Tekesha 2 Comments

There was a period of several years that I couldn’t go anywhere near cabbage. A friend and I decided to go on this cabbage soup diet. We got a ton of ingredients and I made this giant vat of cabbage soup for us to split. Day One is always “Oh my God, this is sooooooo good!!!!111one! I can’t believe I can have as much of this as I want and that it is a diet! nomnomnom.” By Day Three, you’d rather have each and every one of your teeth pulled out with rusty pliers than look at another bowl. And of course, if you even THINK about eating regular food, you put on 10 additional pounds, so it was all a big waste of time anyway!

Anyhow, when I finally returned to eating cabbage, I returned to the cabbage dish of my youth. I don’t know if this is exactly the way my mother makes it, but the ingredients sound about right and the taste is spot on. We would traditionally eat this for breakfast with meat and some other sides, but it also goes really well with grilled chicken or Kalua Pig.

1 head of cabbage, sliced
1/2 cup matchstick carrots
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 tomato
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 scotch bonnet pepper, minced
2 stalks of scallion, minced
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
3/4 cup water
salt and pepper

Chop your onion, scotch bonnet pepper, bell pepper, scallion and carrots.

Add 1/4 cup butter to a large skillet and add your chopped veggies.

Sauté on medium high heat for approximately 5 minutes. You just want everything coated with butter and slightly browned.

Chop your tomato and cabbage.

Add tomato and cabbage to the skillet, along with sugar, water, salt, and pepper.

Cover and cook on medium high heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender, but still slightly crunchy.

Serve on its own…

… or with some Kalua Pig and a squeeze of sriracha!

Sauteed Cabbage

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

40 mins

Cabbage sauteed with hot and sweet peppers, onions, tomatoes and little bit of sugar.

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 head of cabbage, sliced
½ cup matchstick carrots
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 tomato
1 tbsp. sugar
¼ cup butter
1 scotch bonnet pepper, minced
2 stalks of scallion, minced
½ yellow onion, sliced
¾ cup water
salt and pepper

Instructions

Chop your onion, scotch bonnet pepper, bell pepper, scallion and carrots.
Add ¼ cup butter to a large skillet and add your chopped veggies.
Sauté on medium high heat for approximately 5 minutes. You just want everything coated with butter and slightly browned.
Chop your tomato and cabbage.
Add tomato and cabbage to the skillet, along with sugar, water, salt, and pepper.
Cover and cook on medium high heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender, but still slightly crunchy.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 200 Fat: 12 Carbohydrates: 22 Sugar: 13 Sodium: 127 Protein: 5

Chicken with Spring Veggies

April 25, 2014 By Tekesha 2 Comments

I got this recipe from Framed Cooks’s Braised Chicken with Spring Vegetables and it’s one of our favorite dinners. As soon as it starts to warm up after a chilly winter, this is one of the first things I make. It just tastes like spring!

Don’t be intimidated if you have never cooked with radishes before. My first time eating radishes was when I made this recipe. They are hard and sort of bitter when raw, but when you cook them like this in sweet chicken broth, they soak up all the flavors and taste a lot like potatoes.

4 chicken thighs, cut in half
1 tbsp oil
Small bag of radishes (6 oz.)
Small bag of baby carrots (6 oz.)
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1 14.5oz can of chicken broth
1 tsp sugar
Salt and Pepper

First, grab your chicken thighs. I cut mine in half (one half has the bone and the other half is boneless) because I think the chicken goes further that way, but you can leave yours in tact if you wish. Salt and pepper each side of your chicken thighs.

Put some oil in a skillet.

Now prepare your veggies. Cut both ends off your radishes and cut each one in half. Chop up your chives. Set out your baby carrots.

In a skillet on medium high heat, cook chicken thighs skin side down for 8 minutes. You just want to brown the skin, not cook it all the way through. Remove chicken thighs from pan and use a spoon to get rid of the oil and grease left in the pan.

Pour your chicken broth and sugar into the pan.

Bring the mixture to a boil and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits of chicken or skin stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Add your radishes and carrots to the skillet.

Snuggle your chicken thighs back into the skillet between the veggies.

Drop the heat down to medium, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. The chicken broth and sugar mixture will reduce into a nice thick glaze.

Sprinkle with fresh chives and serve.

Chicken with Spring Veggies

Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

38 mins

Total time

40 mins

Braised chicken thighs with fresh spring vegetables in a light, flavorful broth.

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs, cut in half
1 tbsp oil
Small bag of radishes (6 oz.)
Small bag of baby carrots (6 oz.)
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1 14.5oz can of chicken broth
1 tsp sugar
Salt and Pepper

Instructions

Cut chicken thighs in half and salt and pepper each side.
Put some oil in a pan.
Cut both ends off your radishes and cut each one in half.
Chop up your chives.
In a skillet on medium high heat, cook chicken thighs skin side down for 8 minutes. You just want to brown the skin, not cook it all the way through.
Remove chicken thighs from pan and use a spoon to get rid of the oil left in the pan.
Pour your chicken broth and sugar into the pan.
Bring the mixture to a boil and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits of chicken stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Add your radishes and carrots to the skillet.
Snuggle your chicken thighs back into the skillet between the veggies.
Drop the heat down to medium, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with fresh chives and serve.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 179 Fat: 10 Carbohydrates: 6 Sugar: 4 Sodium: 803 Protein: 15

Kalua Pig

April 18, 2014 By Tekesha 9 Comments

I would often tell my husband about our neighbors in Miami who would dig a pit in the backyard and roast an entire pig. Imagine my surprise when I learned they do something very similar in Hawaii, where my sister-in-law and my good friend from college come from! (Hi Anneke! Hi Liz!) If I started digging a huge pit behind my apartment with a huge pig carcass, the cops would surely haul me away, so the next best thing, according to Pineapple and Coconut’s Hawaiian Style Kalua Pork Recipe is a slow cooker and some liquid smoke.

I once watched Alton Brown make liquid smoke from scratch. About 10 hours and a billion dollars later, he had about a half teaspoon of liquid smoke. I decided right then that I was fine buying liquid smoke from the grocery store.

You can get the pink alaea sea salt from Cost Plus World Market or Whole Foods if you are on the mainland. I assume you can find it everywhere in Hawaii. If you can’t find it, coarse sea salt will also work.

You’ll need

4 lbs Pork Shoulder
1 tbsp Liquid Smoke, Hickory flavor (mesquite flavor is also okay)
1 tbsp Alaea sea salt or coarse sea salt

Pierce the pork all over with a fork so the flavor gets deep inside the meat and salt it with the Alaea sea salt.

Pour half an tablespoon of liquid smoke into the crockpot.

Place your salted pork into the crockpot.

Pour the remaining half a tablespoon of liquid smoke over the top of the pork.

Cook on low for 6 hours. My whole apartment smelled like the most delicious bacon.

Using two forks, shred the pork into large chunks right there inside of your crockpot so the meat gets coated in the gravy.

Serve.

Unless you have a big family, 4 pounds of shredded pork can seem like a lot of meat to have kicking around the house. Luckily, there are a ton of ways you can use it. First, it’s perfectly fine to freeze a portion of it in a freezer-safe ziploc bag once it has cooled down. Make sure to put a little of the cooking liquid into the bag with the pork, so that when you reheat it (in a crockpot or in the oven), it will not dry out. Second, you can top it with coleslaw or pickled red cabbage and turn it into a sandwich. Third, mix up a few eggs, some pickled jalapenos, cheddar cheese, and some pork and heat in a skillet until cooked through to make a nice breakfast frittata. The list is endless!

Kalua Pig

Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

6 hours

Total time

6 hours 2 mins

Hawaiian-style salted, smoked pork cooked in the crockpot.

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 8

Ingredients

4 lbs Pork Shoulder
1 tbsp Liquid Smoke, Hickory flavor (mesquite flavor is also okay)
1 tbsp Alaea sea salt or coarse sea salt

Instructions

Pierce the pork all over with a fork so the flavor gets deep inside the meat.
Salt it with the Alaea sea salt.
Pour half an tablespoon of liquid smoke into the crockpot.
Place your salted pork into the crockpot.
Pour the remaining half a tablespoon of liquid smoke over the top of the pork.
Cook on low for 6 hours.
Using two forks, shred the pork into large chunks right there inside of your crockpot so the meat gets coated in the gravy.
Serve.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 535 Fat: 41 Carbohydrates: 0 Sugar: 0 Sodium: 1036 Protein: 39

Chile Lime Chicken Wings

April 11, 2014 By Tekesha 6 Comments

I have a complicated relationship with wings. They tend to betray me when I eat them in public. Shortly after I started my first real job, a partner knocked on my door to invite me out to lunch. I had just gotten back from this place across the street and was digging into a styrofoam container of particularly good bbq wings when he opened the door. Now when I say “digging into,” I don’t mean some kind of very appropriate, lady-like nibble, I mean shoes-kicked-off, sauce-at-the-side-of-my-lips, GETTIN-MY-GRUB-ON type of “digging in.” I was mortified. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. And yet, I could not put the wings down. I just sort of stared at him. And then back down at the wings. And then back up at him. “It’s fine,” he said quietly as he closed the door. “I can see you are busy.” D’oh!

This is very minimally adapted from Nom Nom Paleo’s Chile Lime Chicken Wings and you will surely want to eat these in total privacy because Jesus Christ himself could knock on your door and you STILL would not be able to put these wings down. The first time I made these, we just stood at the stove eating. They did not even make it out of the kitchen.

These wings are just soooo good! Michelle of Nom Nom Paleo makes hers on the grill and uses soy substitutes to make the recipe paleo-compliant, but my version is made in the oven and uses traditional soy-based ingredients.

Gather:

3 pounds Chicken Wings
½ medium Onion, roughly chopped
2 Jalapeno Peppers, seeds removed
3 Garlic cloves, peeled
Zest and Juice from 2 Limes
½ bunch Cilantro
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp Fish Sauce
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Olive Oil

Put 3 pounds of wings in a big ziploc bag.

Coarsely chop half an onion, de-seed 2 jalapeno peppers, pull out 3 cloves of garlic, zest and juice 2 limes, and break 1/2 a bunch of cilantro into smaller pieces.

Combine salt and pepper, fish sauce, soy sauce and oil in a blender.

Toss in your onion, jalapeno, garlic, lime zest and juice, and cilantro.

Blend until it’s all mixed into a smooth puree.

Pour the mix over your chicken.

Close the bag, and squish the chicken around so each piece is coated with the marinade.

Let marinate for 30 minutes.

Use this time to preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Remove the wings from the bag and place on a wire rack. If you don’t have a wire rack, put the wings right on the foil. They won’t be as crispy as if they were on a rack, but they will still taste delicious.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Flip them over. You can use any extra marinade to baste the wings once you’ve turned them over.

Bake for another 30 minutes and serve. We like ours with sriracha and ranch dressing (pictured below).

Chile Lime Chicken Wings

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

Chicken wings marinated in lime, cilantro, and spices and baked in the oven until crispy.

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 4

Ingredients

3 pounds Chicken Wings
½ medium Onion, roughly chopped
2 Jalapeno Peppers, seeds removed
3 Garlic cloves, peeled
Zest and Juice from 2 Limes
½ bunch Cilantro
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp Fish Sauce
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions

Put 3 pounds of wings in a big ziploc bag.
Coarsely chop half an onion, de-seed 2 jalapeno peppers, pull out 3 cloves of garlic, zest and juice 2 limes, and break ½ a bunch of cilantro into smaller pieces.
Combine salt and pepper, fish sauce, soy sauce and oil in a blender.
Toss in your onion, jalapeno, garlic, lime zest and juice, and cilantro.
Blend until it's all mixed into a smooth puree.
Pour the mix over your chicken, close the bag, and squish the chicken around so each piece is coated with the marinade.
Let marinate for 30 minutes.
Use this time to preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with foil. Remove the wings from the bag and place on a wire rack. If you don't have a wire rack, put the wings right on the foil. They won't be as crispy as if they were on a rack, but they will still taste delicious.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Flip them over. You can use any extra marinade to baste the wings once you've turned them over.
Bake for another 30 minutes and serve.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 600 Fat: 43 Carbohydrates: 6 Sugar: 2 Sodium: 1294 Protein: 47

Latin Braised Chicken (Pollo Guisado)

April 4, 2014 By Tekesha 33 Comments

I spent most of my childhood in Miami, Florida. Because of my time in Miami, cooking Latin food makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and reminds me of my youth.

In elementary school, all of us girls were obsessed with “the bar” – a long, u-shaped bar on the playground. We would sit on top of it, grip the bar with our hands behind us, and swing forward. We would dangle there, upside down, talking about our days and what new slap bracelets were out.

One time, a friend and I rushed out to the bar and as we sat on top, we had the bright idea that instead of placing our hands behind us to grip the bar, we would place them next to us, facing forward. This, we thought, would be a truly athletic move. If we swung ourselves fast enough, the momentum would keep us from falling off the bar and we would have perfected a special, secret move no one else could do. The more we talked, the better the idea sounded, and at last we were ready to give it a try.

We sat there, side by side, hands at our sides, and on the count of three we launched ourselves forward with all of our might. Immediately, we face-planted onto the ground. Naturally, the placement of hands did nothing to keep us secure to the bar. If anyone was watching us, they would’ve thought two dim-witted girls climbed onto some playground equipment, made the world’s most ridiculous suicide pact, and then launched themselves with great force straight into the ground. What a ridiculous idea! With dirt all over our faces and sore noses, we picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off, and climbed on top of the bar the usual way and never spoke of our experiment. Ahhh, youth.

This recipe is far from the disaster my bar experiment was! It reminds me of going to my friends’ houses and watching Sabado Gigante, of seeing whole pigs roasted in a backyard, and of eating 12 grapes on New Year’s Eve. It’s one of those recipes that makes me want to turn up the music and dance around the kitchen as I cook.

It’s actually a Dominican recipe (Dominican Flavor’s Pollo Guisado, pronounced poy-yo gwee-SAH-doh) with my own Cuban twist.

The olives, capers, and citrus give the sauce a nice tang. If you like anything with a slightly pickled flavor (like Brats with Sauerkraut, Jamaican Escovitch Fish or Fillipino Chicken Adobo), you will love this dish. The flavors remind me of Miami and put a smile on my face.

You’ll need:

1 whole Chicken, cut into pieces
Salt and Pepper
1 tbsp Cumin
1 tbsp Oregano
1/4 cup of Olive Oil (for marinade)
1 tsp Turmeric
1 cup Sliced Green Olives and Pimientos
1/4 cup Capers
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
5 cloves of Garlic, minced
Juice of 1 Orange
Juice of 1 Lemon
Juice of 1 Lime
1 Onion, chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1/2 bunch of Cilantro, minced
1/4 cup of Olive Oil (for cooking)
1 tbsp Sugar
1 8-oz can of Tomato Sauce
1 cup of Water (you can fill the can of tomato sauce with water as 8 oz is 1 cup)

Get a really big bowl and toss your chicken into it.

Add a big pinch of salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano (about a tablespoon of each).

Add a 1/4 cup of olive oil and turmeric.

Rub the chicken all over. This step gives the chicken a deep yellow color. We eat with our eyes, too!

Add the olives and pimiento, capers, and Worcestershire sauce to the bowl.

Prepare your garlic, orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, onion, green bell pepper, and cilantro….

and add them to the bowl.

Give everything a good squish with your hands and leave this to marinate for anywhere between 15 minutes to 24 hours (beyond 24 hours, the lime juice will start to break down the chicken and change it’s texture).

Add a little olive oil to a large pot on medium high heat.

Sprinkle in the sugar.

Use a wooden spoon or swirl the pan around to make sure the sugar and the oil are well-mixed.

Let the sugar mixture slightly caramelize (turn light brown) and start to bead. This step will give the chicken a slightly sweet crust. You won’t be able to taste the sugar in the finished dish, but your guests will wonder why the skin tastes so good. It’s such a simple step, but it creates such a depth of flavor.

Fish the chicken out of the bowl and place it into the pot, skin-side down. (Don’t throw away the marinade and all the onions, peppers, etc! Set it aside for now.)

Don’t touch the chicken for 4 minutes. This will ensure the chicken gets a nice sear.

Drop the heat down to medium. Flip the chicken over, cover the pot and let it cook for about 10 minutes.

Remove the cover and dump all the yummy marinade contents…..

…and the tomato sauce into the pot, along with 1 cup of water. You can use the same can the tomato sauce was in since 8 ounces equals 1 cup. If you have picky eaters who will not go near chunks of green peppers and onions and olives, toss the marinade in a blender with the tomato sauce and water until smooth and add that to the pot.

Give it a good stir, cover and cook for another 30 minutes.

5.0 from 4 reviews

Latin Braised Chicken (Pollo Guisado)

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

55 mins

Latin fusion braised chicken with blend of citrus juices, olives, pimientos, capers, peppers, onions and savory tomato sauce

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 whole Chicken, cut into pieces
Salt and Pepper
1 tbsp Cumin
1 tbsp Oregano
¼ cup of Olive Oil (for marinade)
1 tsp Turmeric
1 cup Sliced Green Olives and Pimientos
¼ cup Capers
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
5 cloves of Garlic, minced
Juice of 1 Orange
Juice of 1 Lemon
Juice of 1 Lime
1 Onion, chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
½ bunch of Cilantro, minced
¼ cup of Olive Oil (for cooking)
1 tbsp Sugar
1 8-oz can of Tomato Sauce
1 cup of Water (you can fill the can of tomato sauce with water as 8 oz is 1 cup)

Instructions

Get a really big bowl toss your chicken into it.
Add a big pinch of salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano (about a tablespoon of each).
Add a ¼ cup of olive oil and turmeric and rub the chicken all over.
Add the olives and pimiento, capers, and Worcestershire sauce to the bowl.
Then add your garlic, orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, onion, green bell pepper, and cilantro to the bowl.
Give everything a good squish with your hands and leave this to marinate for anywhere between 15 minutes to 24 hours (beyond 24 hours, the lime juice will start to break down the chicken and change it's texture).
Add a ¼ cup olive oil to a large pot on medium high heat.
Sprinkle in 1 tbsp of sugar.
Use a wooden spoon or swirl the pan around to make sure the sugar and the oil are well-mixed.
Let the sugar mixture slightly caramelize (turn light brown) and start to bead.
Fish the chicken out of the bowl and place it into the pot, skin-side down (don't throw away the marinade and all the onions, peppers, etc! Set it aside for now).
Don't touch the chicken for 4 minutes. This will ensure the chicken gets a nice sear.
Drop the heat down to medium.
Flip the chicken over, cover the pot and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
Remove the cover and dump all the yummy marinade contents and the tomato sauce into the pot, along with 1 cup of water. You can use the same can the tomato sauce was in since 8 ounces equals 1 cup. NOTE: If you have picky eaters who will not go near chunks of green peppers and onions and olives, toss the marinade in a blender with the tomato sauce and water until smooth and add that to the pot.
Give it a good stir, cover and cook for another 30 minutes.
Serve.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 670 Fat: 58 Carbohydrates: 21 Sugar: 11 Sodium: 3274 Protein: 33

French Onion Deviled Eggs

March 28, 2014 By Tekesha 6 Comments

My mother makes the best deviled eggs. What I like about them is the filling is always jam-packed with scallion. I love the flavor of onion!

I went to a dinner party once where the hostess served baked mushrooms as an appetizer. I could not stop gobbling them down and had to ask for the recipe. She told me it was sour cream and a packet of French onion dip mixed together, stuffed in each mushroom cap, and then baked until brown. I’ve made that appetizer for nearly everyone I know, with great success.

When I was coming up with this recipe, I wanted to see if I could combine my mother’s excellent deviled eggs with that French onion filling, without using a packet of French onion dip.

I think I’ve succeeded. In addition, substituting sour cream for the traditional mayonnaise makes these super light!

Don’t be intimidated by the use of Beau Monde Seasoning. The first time I heard of that ingredient, I thought it was going to be something incredibly expensive and only stocked in specialty shops. Nope. It was right there in my local grocery store and most likely, it’s in yours too, but you weren’t looking for it before. If you can’t find it, just mix celery salt and onion powder.

If you want the filing to take on a more “ranch dressing” type of flavor, add a teaspoon of dill to the filling.

6 eggs
1 tbsp Dried Minced Onion
1 tbsp Beau Monde Seasoning
4 tbsp Sour Cream
Salt and Pepper
1 stalk of scallion, minced
1 tsp dried dill (optional)

Hard-boil the eggs and let cool. Once they’re cool, remove the egg shells.

Cut each egg in half.

Place the yolks in a bowl with the dried minced onion, beau monde seasoning, sour cream, dried dill (optional), and salt and pepper.

Mix until smooth and creamy.

Let the mixture sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, so that the dried onion will soak in the sauce and become tender. If you don’t do this, the minced onion in the filling will be hard and crunchy and very unpleasant.

Spoon mixture into each egg half. Sprinkle with scallion and serve.

5.0 from 1 reviews

French Onion Deviled Eggs

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

A lighter version of traditional deviled eggs with a french onion flavor twist

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 4

Ingredients

6 eggs
1 tbsp Dried Minced Onion
1 tbsp Beau Monde Seasoning
4 tbsp Sour Cream
Salt and Pepper
1 stalk of Scallion, minced
1 tsp Dried Dill (optional)

Instructions

Hard-boil the eggs and let cool.
Remove the egg shells.
Cut each egg in half and place the yolks in a bowl.
Add the dried minced onion, beau monde seasoning, sour cream, dried dill (optional), and salt and pepper to the bowl with the yolks.
Mix until smooth and creamy.
Let the mixture sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, so that the dried onion will soak in the sauce and become tender.
Spoon mixture into each egg half.
Sprinkle with scallion and serve.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 145 Fat: 10 Carbohydrates: 2 Sugar: 2 Sodium: 563 Protein: 10

Jerk Pork Tenderloin

March 22, 2014 By Tekesha 13 Comments

I have a habit of ticking off my husband with my oven usage. It’s not on purpose, it just tends to work out that way.

The first time was when there was a huge summer storm approaching and we were expected to lose power for a few days. We had had some problems with our air conditioning not cooling the place down enough, but I was preoccupied with getting ready for the storm. I loaded up on all manner of convenience foods that I could cook in our gas oven or were ready-to-eat. Right before the storm hit, I made a big pan of baked spaghetti. This required me to use two burners and then the oven for 45 minutes. Almost as soon as I finished, the power went out. Naturally, so did the air conditioner. The temperature in our small apartment quickly soared in the Atlanta heat. As I dished out the spaghetti by candlelight (oh lawd, the additional heat!!), I could feel a pair of eyes staring at me. I looked over at my husband, who was dripping with sweat and annoyance. “Didn’t I say it was a bad idea to fool with the oven when it was already hot in the apartment and the power was going to go out?!” Woops!

On another occasion, he had a very early morning job interview. Naturally, it was very, very important that he get a proper night’s sleep. I thought it might be nice if I had a huge breakfast prepared when he got up, so he could start the day on the right foot. I decided to make bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches with some sliced fruit and coffee. As I was quietly buzzing around the kitchen, I had the bright idea to cook bacon in the oven, to free up some stove-top space. Only, my baking tray was old and cheap (learn from my mistakes!). It quickly warped in the hot oven, bacon grease went splashing over the side, smoke came pouring out of the oven, and the smoke detector went off immediately. Beep, Beep, BEEEEEP! Beep, Beep, BEEEEEP! I was desperately waving a dish towel at the smoke detector when I could see a figure out of the corner of my eye, standing in the bedroom doorway in complete disbelief. Without a word, he turned off the smoke detector and returned to bed. I opened the oven door to take out the (now charred) bacon and the smoke detector immediately went off again. Ha! Thank goodness we are able to laugh about these things now!

Naturally, when I told my husband about this recipe, his eyes nearly rolled out of his head. You’ll see why in a minute.

It’s almost criminal to call this a recipe because it’s so simple. Just two ingredients and a screaming hot oven! This is the easiest way I’ve found so far to get really moist, juicy tenderloin.

You can replace the jerk seasoning with anything that doesn’t have a high sugar content (the sugar will burn in such a hot oven), like low-sugar BBQ sauce or even a dry rub like Montreal Steak Seasoning. The key is to follow the baking instructions exactly.

You’ll need:

3 lbs Pork Tenderloin
2 tbsp Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning*

Jerk Pork Tenderloin

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. That’s right, 500 degrees.

Line a baking tray with foil and place your tenderloins on the tray. If you have a baking rack, place the pork on top of that. It will help the pork get an nice outside crust on the underside because it won’t be sitting in the cooking juices. If you don’t have a baking rack, just place your pork straight on top of on the foil. I’ve done it both ways, and it is delicious either way!

Place a tablespoon of jerk seasoning on each tenderloin and rub all over. This jerk seasoning is incredibly spicy, so while it seems like a small amount to use on so much pork, a little goes a long way!

Jerk Pork Tenderloin

Now, this is the part that requires extra careful attention.

Make sure your oven has fully preheated to 500 degrees. It MUST be at 500 degrees.

Place your pork in the oven and cook for exactly 6 minutes per pound. Because this tenderloin was 3 pounds, it roasted for 18 minutes. Look at the price label on the package to figure out how many pounds your tenderloin is.

At the end of the proper cooking time (18 minutes in this case), turn your oven OFF.

Let the tenderloin continue to cook in the residual oven heat for 45 minutes.

DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR DURING THIS TIME.

Go for a jog. Or make a stove-top side dish. Or jump in the shower. Whatever you do, resist the temptation to open that oven door.

The first time I made pork this way, I think I sat at the oven window for 30 of the 45 minutes looking at the pork and wondering how on earth this thing was going to properly cook in a turned off oven. I could picture the emergency room nurses laughing.

Another tip is to set a timer for the 45 minutes that the tenderloin is sitting in the oven. On a couple of occasions, I’ve gotten preoccupied with things and left the tenderloin in the oven for a few hours (yikes!). The longer you leave it in the oven, the more it will dry out.

When your 45 minutes is up, take your tenderloin out of the oven, BUT DON’T SLICE IT!

Jerk Pork Tenderloin

If you slice it up now, all the juicy goodness inside will run right out onto the cutting board.

Leave the tenderloin to rest for at least 15 minutes, but preferably 30 minutes. If I make this while my husband is at home, he is hovering over it with a knife inside of 5 minutes and I have to keep him distracted.

So after 18 minutes of roasting, 45 minutes of baking in residual heat, and 30 minutes of resting, it’s time to slice…

Jerk Pork Tenderloin

Do you SEE how juicy this is? Even with my terrible camera work??

Jerk Pork Tenderloin

Dunk it in some Strawberry Ginger Mayo….

Jerk Pork Tenderloin

and take a huge bite!

Jerk Pork Tenderloin

Forget about popcorn, this is the perfect snack for watching tv on a lazy Sunday.

Jerk Pork Tenderloin

* Walkerswood Jerk seasoning consists of scallions, scotch bonnet peppers, salt, black pepper, all spice, nutmeg, citric acid, cane sugar, and thyme leaves. The small amount of citric acid is used to give it a hint of tart flavor. Most believe this is not a harmful ingredient. You can read more here at Livestrong’s Is Citric Acid Bad For You. If you would rather avoid citric acid or you can’t find Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning, Caribbean Pot’s Jerk Marinade Recipe is also super easy (throw everything in a blender!), all natural, and very good.

5.0 from 4 reviews

Jerk Pork Tenderloin

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

Tender, juicy jerk pork tenderloin roasted and then cooked with residual heat.

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 4

Ingredients

3 lbs pork tenderloin
2 tbsp Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning

Instructions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. That's right, 500 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with foil and a baking rack (if you have one), and place the tenderloin on top.
Roast the tenderloin for 6 minutes per pound. If you use a 3-lb tenderloin, that is 18 minutes total roasting time.
Turn OFF the oven and let the tenderloin bake in the oven's residual heat for 45 minutes.
DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DURING THIS TIME.
Remove tenderloin from oven and let rest for 15-30 minutes.
Slice and enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 464 Fat: 19 Carbohydrates: 1 Sugar: 0 Sodium: 302 Protein: 70

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