chicken and sausage creole

Tastes like jambalaya to me!  I've always loved jambalaya.  Reminds me of the beginning of the ride Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland- the beautiful bayou.

chicken and sausage creole (skinnytaste)
1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
11 ounces chicken Andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped carrots (I used shredded)
1 green pepper seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
3 ounces tomato paste
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
3 scallions, chopped, for garnish
3 cups cooked rice for serving (I used brown basmati)

Place all of the ingredients in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Shred chicken and add it back to the slow cooker.  Divide into 6 bowls and top each with green onions.  Serve over brown rice.

chicken thighs with shallots in red wine vinegar

Delicious!  I didn't know what I was going to make for dinner tonight but I had chicken thighs and I know Skinnytaste has a lot of recipes that use chicken thighs so that's where I looked for a recipe.  I picked a winner tonight.

chicken thighs with shallots in red wine vinegar (slightly adapted from skinnytaste)
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 
salt and pepper
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup chicken broth, divided
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon butter
3/4 cup sliced green onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced carrots, optional
2 tablespoons light sour cream

Season chicken with salt and pepper.
In medium saucepan combine vinegar, honey, 3/4 cup chicken broth and tomato paste.  Boil 5 minutes until it reduces down to 3/4 cup.
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat and add chicken.  Cook on both sides until brown, 6-8 minutes.  Remove chicken and set aside.  Add the garlic and green onions and sliced carrots (optional).  Cook on low until soft about 5 minutes.
Pour the juice over the chicken, add 1/4 cup chicken broth, salt and pepper.  Cook and simmer about 20 minutes until tender.  
Remove the chicken, add sour cream and stir into the sauce.  Boil a few minutes.  Return chicken to the skillet.

dutch west indian chicken kebabs

My family loved these.  Truthfully I wasn't sure how they'd like them so I was pleasantly surprised.  Not one morsel of chicken or sauce was left over.  This Global Kitchen cookbook is knocking my socks off.  Every recipe has been delightful.

dutch west indian chicken kebabs (Cooking Light's Global Cookbook)
1/4 cup kejap manis or 2 tablespoons soy sauce plus 2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons grated fresh peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sambal oelek or Thai chili paste
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips

1/3 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped seeded tomato
2 tablespoons minced green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fish sauce (I omitted)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced seeded Thai chile (I used a jalapeno)
1 teaspoon honey
1 garlic clove, minced

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.
Combine broth and peanut butter in a small saucepan; cook over low heat 5 minutes or until smooth, stirring with a whisk.  Pour peanut butter mixture into a bowl; stir in tomato and next 8 ingredients (through garlic).
Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
Remove chicken from bag, and discard marinade.  Thread chicken strips onto 18 skewers.
Place kebabs on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 2 minutes on each side or until done.  Serve with peanut butter sauce.  Serves 6.

haitian pork

From the Caribbean (which I really think is heaven on earth), comes this super delicious dish.  My family loved it.  It's worth the extra time and effort.

Note: When I taught my little cooking camp this summer I told the kids to always read through a recipe before you make it.  I should have listened to that wise advice before I thought I could make this and serve it up for dinner the same day.  It requires marinating 12-24 hours!  So keep that in mind before you decide to have this for dinner...tonight! :)

haitian pork (Cooking Light's Global Kitchen Cookbook, which is an excellent cookbook!!!)
1 habanero pepper
3/4 cup fresh orange juice (about 3 large oranges)
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
3 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons salt
4 fresh thyme sprigs
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (for less fat I used pork sirloin roasts)
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (I used green onion)
1 teaspoon cider vinegar (oops I think I used a tablespoon)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil

Cut habanero pepper in half.  Seed one half of pepper, and leave seeds in the other half.  Mince both pepper halves.  Combine minced habanero, orange juice, 1/4 cup lime juice, minced shallots, and next 5 ingredients (through thyme) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.  Add pork; toss to coat.  Cover and marinate in refrigerator 12 to 24 hours.
Place pork and marinade in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add broth; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.  Remove pork from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking liquid.  Strain cooking liquid through a sieve into a saucepan.  Set 1/2 cup cooking liquid aside.
Place saucepan with cooking liquid over medium-high heat; bring to a boil.  Cook 20 minutes or until reduced to about 1 cup.  Add sliced shallots, vinegar, black pepper and 1 tablespoon lime juice.  Cover and keep warm.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add pork; cook 10 minutes, turning to brown well on all sides.  Add reserved 1/2 cup cooking liquid and remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice.  Increase heat to medium-high; cook 4 minutes or until liquid nearly evaporates, stirring occasionally.  Place pork in a bowl; pour sauce over pork.  Serves 10.

jamaican jerk pork tenderloin

This was sooo good and very different from what I expected.  My family visited Jamaica last spring.  Jamaica is gorgeous and the people were wonderful.  However, I have never been much of a fan of jerk chicken.  Something about the sweetness of the cinnamon with the chicken?  I'm not sure.  This sauce was different and I really, really enjoyed it.

Note:  I grilled the tenderloin as the recipe called for but the center wasn't cooking properly so I sliced the tenderloin and put it back on the grill.  Next time I'll slice the tenderloin and marinade it sliced.  I enjoyed the marinade/sauce so much that this will allow me to taste more of it.

jamaican jerk pork tenderloin (Cooking Light's Global Cookbook)
2 cups coarsely chopped green onions
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice (I didn't have any!)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 4 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, seeded and chopped (I used Jalapeno)
2 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
cooking spray

Place first 15 ingredients in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.
Combine pork and green onion mixure in a dish or large zip-top plastic bag.  Cover or seal; marinate in refrigerator 3 to 24 hours.  Remove pork from dish or bag; discard remaining marinade.
Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side or until meat thermometer registers 160 degrees (slightly pink).  Serves 6

puruvian beef kebabs

My husband declared this dish Hall of Fame!  The rest of us agreed.  We thought the kebabs were really good but the sauce took them over the top.  Who knew we'd like Peruvian food so much?  Now I've got to look up other dishes to try.

peruvian beef kebabs (Cooking Light's Global Kitchen Cookbook)
1 1/2 pounds boneless sirloin steak, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 teaspoons hot paprika, divided (I used smoked paprika)
1 3/4 teaspoons black pepper, divided
1 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons ground turmeric, divided
1 large yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Combine steak, vinegar, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric in a large bowl; toss well.  Cover and chill 3 hours.
Preheat broiler.
Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise, discarding seeds and membranes.  Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand.  Broil 15 minutes or until blackened.  Place in a paper bag, and fold to close tightly.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Peel and coarsely chop.  Place bell pepper, green onions, white vinegar, 1 tablespoon water, olive oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt and garlic in a blender; process until smooth.  Set aside.
Combine rub: parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon turmeric.
Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
Remove beef from bowl; thread beef onto each of 6 skewers.  Press rub onto beef.  Place kebabs on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning once.  Serve with sauce.  Serves 6.