Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

I was thinking of what to make for dinner and thought of jerk chicken- but then realized it would be something my daughter will not enjoy since it is usually quite spicy. I thought maybe I could eliminate the scotch bonnet peppers that are one of the key ingredients in jerk chicken.  Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica.  There are lots of rubs out there to try but nothing like a fresh homemade concoction.  The other key ingredient is allspice.  I happen to have it in my pantry so there wasn’t much to buy from the super market except for the chicken.  I wasn’t sure how the dish would taste without the spice, but decided to go ahead and take a chance. When I was looking at different recipes, I realized the chicken should ideally be marinated at least 24 hours- so that is what I did.  This is a good dish to marinate on a Sunday- all you have to do is grill/broil it the next day- doesn’t take long at all.  I also made a fast and fabulous mango relish to go with the chicken as well as a quick couscous dish!  I love making couscous- it takes all of five minutes to put together and the sky is the limit with the ingredients you can add- recipes of both the dishes to follow the next two days!  My daughter is quite used to eating the chicken tikkas I make- they are her favorite- so I thought the jerk chicken will be quite similar in looks if not in taste. Well, she had a very skeptical look on her face but she did end up enjoying it. She ate the whole meal including the chicken, couscous and even the mango relish!

• 1pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 big spring onions, or 3-4 regular green onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 clove, crushed
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons salt

Puree all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a food processor until smooth. Pierce the chicken with a fork to make holes. Place the chicken in a large Ziploc plastic bag and pour the marinade in. Place in refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours. Preheat grill or oven on broil. Grill chicken on each side for 5 to 6 minutes or until cooked through. If using oven, broil each side till golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes or until cooked through.

This rice dish is found in most South Indian restaurants. I grew up in North India and although we ate South Indian food once in a while, I really didn’t get exposed to most of the cuisine until I came to the US- actually probably more after I married my husband- he grew up in the South. We usually go out for South Indian food now but I have started making some of the dishes at home.  I love cooking with mustard seeds and curry leaves- they give any dish a very earthy aromatic flavor.  I make this lemon rice dish as well as a lot of meat and seafood curries that are very popular in the South .  I have stopped ordering lemon rice in restaurants now because I feel I have come up with the perfect recipe for this dish and don’t like how they make it in restaurants any more.  It took me a while and a lot of tries to come up with the perfect concoction. I love the combination of the crunchy mustard seeds, peanuts and the two dals that are sauteed with the rest of the mixture. Citrus flavor from the fresh lemon juice is balanced really well with the creamy rice.  Usually fresh coconut is grated on top as a garnish- I decided to cook the rice in coconut milk instead- as, fresh coconut is hard to get and the coconut milk flavor permeates throughout the dish making it utterly delicious.  This dish can be eaten by itself or with a curry.  I usually make toor dal , a fish curry or a chicken curry- whatever you eat it with, I can guarantee you will love it!

• 1 cup basmati rice (jasmine rice can be substituted)
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 2 teaspoons split urad dal
• 2 teaspoons channa dal
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 10-12 curry leaves
• 2-3 dried red chilies
• A pinch of asafetida
• ½ cup peanuts, roasted
• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Cook the rice with a mixture of coconut milk, water and turmeric. Cool the rice off once cooked and keep aside.
In a large wok like pan, heat the oil. Add the urad and channa dal and sauté for about 30 seconds on medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and saute for another minute. Next, add the red chilies and asafetida. Add the cooked and cooled rice. Mix well. Add the peanuts, lemon juice and salt. Mix well and serve.

A few weeks ago I had plans to go out with some friends to the local pub. It was going to be a girls evening out and the husbands were in charge of the kids. We were supposed to leave at 5 o’clock- our neighbor offered a dinner invitation(at three o’clock) to my husband and daughter since his wife was going out to the pub with the rest of the women.  The husbands and the kids planned to grill hot dogs and hamburgers outside.  At 4 o’clock I decided to bake brownies for them to enjoy with their grilled dinner.  I was able to put this dessert together and bake it within an hour.  I have to admit- the brownies were still in the oven when I left- so I gave my husband directions to take them out of the oven in five minutes, let them cool down and then cut them into squares.  Well- he did all of that – but saw that the brownies looked kind of raw and decided to just cut the sides off to take with him next door.  He called me at the pub to inform me that the brownies didn’t come out right since they were still raw.  I came home later that evening and saw that the brownies were the perfect gooey consistency we all look for!  So, I went ahead and salvaged what was left of the mess!  
These brownies are super easy to make.  I used healthy whole wheat flour and evaporated cane juice.  Both together give them a very creamy nutty flavor.  I admit there is a whole cup of melted butter- I plan to make them again and substitute a cup of extra light olive oil.  Overall they are quite healthy and extremely delicious- no reason to use a store-bought brownie mix!

• 2 cups evaporated cane juice
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1½ cups white whole-wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup walnut halves- optional

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Butter an 9 X 13 -baking dish.

In a large bowl, blend the sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla extract well. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Slowly add the dry ingredients mixing well in between. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes if you like gooey brownies- a few minutes more if you like them more cake-like.