Jerk Salmon with Mango Salsa

So I wanted to start by announcing that this is More Than You Can Chew’s first fish dish! Yay for fish! To be honest, I don’t eat fish as much as I’d like to, hence the scarcity on this blog. Ugh, I know, but Devin is not the biggest fan and there are very few fish options whenever we go grocery shopping so It’s just not something we usually buy. But, of course, leave it to me to make my first fish recipe to have jerk somewhere involved!

Jerk seasoning originated from Jamaican when slaves fled British invasion and were forced to adapt to new surroundings. They used the plants and spices available to them and developed this incredible seasoning that became a Jamaican staple. Coming from a large West Indian family who’s had heavy influences from Latin, Caribbean and African cuisine, jerk was something that I’ve had TONS of, whether on chicken, pork, shrimp or fish, and I love it with a passion!

Jerk seasoning comes in either a dry or wet form and have a variety of spice levels from mild to very VERY hot. I’ve used both wet and dry in my recipes before, but I found it easier to make and store dry seasoning so that’s what I primarily use. I’ve included a recipe for my homemade jerk seasoning at the bottom of this post but feel free to use store bought seasoning. Either wet or dry will work for this recipe.

So now let’s talk mango salsa. Typically, restaurants that serve jerk dishes (except traditional, local Jamaican spots because ain’t nobody got time) accompany them with a sweet sauce or salsa. Usually it would have mango or pineapple involved. The sweetness of the fruit brings out the brown sugar in the jerk and it is damn good, especially if you’re eating it with fish or shrimp. Whenever I have a mango or pineapple salsa with my jerk, I like it to be extra spicy because spicy and sweet = HEAVEN!

Lastly, I like to accompany it all with either brown rice or quinoa and some greens. This is totally optional but I figured this is already healthy, might as well go full monty and add more healthy stuff! This recipe as written only includes salmon and salsa, but literally it’s not that hard to make quinoa and greens if you choose, but I wanted to make the salmon and salsa the main stars of this dish. Eating it just like this is perfectly fine!

So, what are your thoughts about jerk seasoning? Have you tried it or cooked with it before? Let me know in the comments and let me know if you tried this recipe!

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Jerk Salmon with Mango Salsa

by Jasmine Nichole Sanders

Ingredients

• 6 salmon filets, 4oz. each
• 6 tbsp. dry jerk seasoning (see below)
• 2 mangos, diced
• 1 lime
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 tbsp. cilantro, minced
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
  Instructions
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Generously season each filet with dry jerk seasoning, coating the entire piece, about 1 tablespoon each. Align salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes until salmon in thoroughly cooked.
• Meanwhile, prepare mango salsa by adding mango, onion, tomato, cilantro and juice of lime to a bowl. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne, if using. Mix until well combined.
• Remove salmon from oven and serve with mango salsa, rice or quinoa and your favorite veggie.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 6

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Jerk Seasoning

by Jasmine Nichole Sanders

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 2 tsp cayanne pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp all spice
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp salt

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Use as seasoning for chicken or pork.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 0 mins Total time: 5 mins Yield: 1/3 cup of seasoning

Mexican Street Corn Three Ways

It’s Cinco de Mayo! Time to break out the tequila, binge on tacos and celebrate a holiday that Mexican’s don’t even celebrate! Now, normally I don’t celebrate Cinco de Mayo because I honestly don’t like feeling obligated to partake in traditions that 1. I don’t identify with and 2. Is just a reason for Americans to have yet another theme party. *Ahem, St. Patty’s, ahem, Valentine’s Day, ahem, ahem*

The only reason why I’m “celebrating” today is because I have a food blog now and relevancy is important. Please note that it’s almost 3pm on Cinco de Mayo and I just got done cooking my corn and am now trying to compose this post before the day is over and the relevancy window closes. Please bear with me as I sip my margarita and conform to American society with this post.

Enough of the complaining, I actually really like this corn, though. I have been thinking about making it all week, probably due to the 5th of May approaching and I’ve always wanted to try it. It seemed quick and easy, and definitely was!

Instead of just the traditional Mexican Corn, I decided to add two more recipes for this post. One being candied bacon and gorgonzola. I became obsessed over candied bacon ever since I tried Gordon Bierch’s Cheese Curds with candied bacon. Before then, somehow I never knew the incredible creation that was candied bacon and now I want to put that shit on EVERYTHINGG! Gorgonzola was added because um why not and also one of my favorite burgers is bacon/bleu cheese but gorgonzola is what I had in my fridge, so, yeah.

Next, I decided that anything Mexican and Cinco de Mayo-y needed avocado. Perhaps it’s a shallow assumption that all Mexican food MUST HAVE AVOCADO but don’t judge me, I’m on my second margarita. Anyway, this one is pretty simple. I already have a quick recipe for avocado crema here. As for the mango habanero seasoning, good luck finding that, I got mine at Walmart. If you don’t want to put in the effort to go out and get some, I won’t blame you, I’d suggest using some cayenne, or chili pepper instead.

Speaking of not putting in effort, for my traditional Mexican corn, I used feta instead of cotija cheese. I was sorta disappointed in myself for not searching for it after finding out that Walmart doesn’t have it, duh! But did I mention that I’m trying to get this post in before the end of the day? Yeah I think I did. That being said, if you can find cotija cheese more power to you!

Seriously, though this was made faster than I expected and all three were delicious! Maybe you were able to catch this post and make this recipe before the day ended, but I doubt it. If not, I want to be the one to tell you the it DOES NOT have to be Cinco de Mayo to eat tacos and binge on tequila. Just like it does not have to be St. Patty’s day to pretend your Irish or Valentines Day to show love! Just live your life and do it any day anyway!

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Mexican Street Corn Three Ways

by Jasmine Nichole Sanders

A traditional Mexican snack and my favorite alternatives

Ingredients

• 6 corn on the cob
• 1 tbsp. melted butter
  Traditional Street Corn
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional
• 1/2 lime juice
• 1/4 cup cotija or feta cheese
• 1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
  Avocado Mango Habanero
• 1/4 cup avocado crema
• 1 tsp. mango habanero seasoning
  Candied Bacon and Gorgonzola
• 3 strips bacon
• 1 tsp. raw sugar
• 1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese
• 1 tbsp. sour cream
Instructions
Brush corn with melted butter and cook on stove top grill for 15 minutes. Alternatively, heat oven to 400 degrees, wrap each cob in foil and cook for about 10 minutes.
For traditional, mix all ingredients except cheese in a bowl until well blended. Brush on corn and top with cheese and more cilantro.
For avocado, squeeze avocado crema on corn and top with mango habanero seasoning. Finish with a squeeze on lime, optional.
For bacon gorgonzola, Cook bacon in a sauté pan for 5 minutes, until well cooked an crispy. Add sugar and cook for an additional minute, making sure to coat each piece with the sugar. Remove from heat and cool. Break bacon into small pieces. Brush corn with sour cream and top with candied bacon and gorgonzola cheese.
Details
Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 35 mins Yield: 6

Thai Chicken Red Curry

This is yet another one of my favorite Asian dishes to grace this blog. Trust me there are many more to come! Red curry was probably the second Thai dish that I’ve ever tried, after Pad Thai, of course. This one is Devin’s favorite. When we lived in our tiny 450 sq. ft. apartment in Brooklyn we ordered out A LOT. Mind you, our kitchen was super small, we had no dishwasher and I wasn’t super into cooking yet. Living in Brooklyn also came with a plethora of food options so these were all valid reasons to continuously order out.

My undying love of Asian food had me always craving either sushi, Chinese or Thai, so whenever Devin gave into the Thai option, Red Curry was always his go to. I should mention that we lived in Borough Park, Brooklyn that had a large Asian population so they truly knew how to make some bomb-ass curry!

Since moving to Virginia, we definitely did not have as many good food options as we were used to. On the contrary, moving to Virginia came with more living space, a larger kitchen and, alas, a dishwasher! Thus my desire to cook the meals we were so used to ordering was born and so was this blog!

I think that’s about enough of a backstory. Let talk curry! So as always, I’m going to let you know that the veggies/meat in this recipe are not set in stone. I just used the veggies that I prefer but I’ve had many red curry dishes that used different veggies. Some alternatives would be zucchini, asparagus, green beans, snow peas and squash. I’d say any veg that has a firm consistency could be used.

In terms of alternatives, the same goes for meat. You can make this completely vegetarian by just leaving out the chicken. It will also cut 10 minutes of your cook time! But if you’re like Devin and MUST HAVE MEAT, shrimp is a great alternative to chicken. Fish could work as well but be aware, it may break apart in the sauce.

As for flavor, we’ve tried a lot of different seasoning variations from takeout. Some were sweet, some were spicy, some were more savory. Our favorites were on the sweet and spicy side. The amount of sugar used in this recipe was perfect for OUR liking. So I’d suggest to start with less and gradually add more as you taste. Fish sauce is what will make it more savory/salty. It also adds a distinct flavor that you may or may not like so add this gradually as well, or opt for using salt instead.

How do you love your red curry? Sweet? Savory? Spicy? All the things? Let me know in the comments below!

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Thai Chicken Red Curry

by Jasmine Nichole Sanders

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes and seasoned
• 1 small onion, diced in large chunks
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 red or green pepper, diced in large chunks
• 7 oz. shitake mushroom, sliced
• 14 oz. can bamboo shoots, drained
• 0.5 oz. package Thai basil
• 4 tbsp. red curry paste
• 2 13.5 oz. can coconut milk
• 2 tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp. raw sugar
• 1 tbsp. sriracha (optional)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups Jasmine rice

Instructions

Bring water and rice to boil in a medium pot. Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté onions, garlic, ginger and peppers for 1 minute. Add in sliced mushrooms, bamboo shoots, basil and red curry paste and cook for an additional minute making sure to fully coat all veggies in curry paste.

Add coconut milk to skillet and stir. Season with fish sauce and sugar one tablespoon at a time. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning to your liking, whether you prefer it more sweet or more savory. Add sriracha for some heat, if you like. Bring to a boil.

Add in chicken, turn stove to low, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes until chicken is fully cooked.

Remove from heat and serve over rice.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 4-6

Nana's Carrot Cake

This recipe one that is very close to my heart. I’ve mentioned before how much of an influence my Nana has been on my cooking journey. She’s the rock of our family and has always, and still does, throw down in the kitchen for every one who comes to visit.

I come from a very large Panamanian family. My grandfather is the oldest of seven siblings and despite being over a decade older than his closest sibling in age, they’ve all been very close. Every year, for nearly every holiday we’ve celebrated together, the seven siblings with their spouses, children and children’s children. We’d have typical potlock-style parties where everyone would cook one or two meals and bring it to Tia Marcia’s place because she was the only one who had a house big enough for all of us.

Because there were so many of us there was always a LOT of food. Good food, but a lot of it. The best part was that everyone got to go home with a week’s worth of leftovers! All of the Tia’s had their signature dish, Tia Sandra brought the baked Ziti, Tia Felicia had roast beef, Tia Marcia made rice and peas and greens. My Nana’s signature dish was this carrot cake. She brought it to a party one year and every one loved it! They would ask again and again for her to make carrot cake and it often ended up being the only desert at the parties, this delicious, simple carrot cake.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve eaten this cake. Although I’m not much of a baker, it’s one of the first recipes that I’ve ever learned and probably the one I’ve made the most. I’m sure there are thousands of carrot cake recipes out there but I refuse to try any other!

I’ve added the cream cheese frosting to this recipe because apparently it’s a “thing”. Growing up, I never had it with the frosting; it just didn’t need it. I actually prefer the cake without it. Sometimes we’d just dust a little bit of powdered sugar on top to make it look pretty. It would last about 5 seconds then dissolve into the cake because it’s so freaking moist! But if cream cheese frosting is a must for your carrot cake needs then go right ahead. I won’t stop you!

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Nana's Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

by Jasmine Nichole Sanders

A classic recipe favorite

Ingredients

Cake
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp all spice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 1/2 cup orange juice
  Frosting
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place a sieve in a large mixing bowl. Add in all dry ingredients to the bowl and sift through the sieve. Set aside.

Beat eggs, sugars, oil and vanilla in a separate bowl until well combined. Gradually add in dry ingredients to wet mixture and beat well. Stir in orange juice then fold in grated carrots.

Pour cake mix into a greased bunt pan or two 10-inch pans and bake for 45 mins. Stick a knife near the center the cake to make sure its dry inside. If not, cook an additional three minutes at a time until dry.

While the cake is baking, prepare frosting by beating soften butter and cream cheese in a bowl until creamy. Stir in vanilla, water and powdered sugar

Once cake is cooled, about 15 minutes, place a plate on top of the bunt pan and flip over. Drizzle cream cheese icing on top.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 1 hourYield: 8-10
Skill Level: Easy

Bacon, Mushroom & Mozzarella Chicken Roll Ups

Let me tell you why I so excited about this recipe. Well for starters, I genuinely did not expect it to come out as good as it did! I’ve made a version of this a while back, you know, before blogging, and it turned out just okay. I can’t pinpoint what went wrong the last time but it just was not the same. Wait no, I know exactly what it was, there wasn’t any bacon! Seriously the bacon makes this dish everything!

The other thing about this recipe is that it was easy AF to put together! I would say one of the key components was beating the shit out of that chicken breast. Not only does it make it very easy to roll, but it was legit a fun time! You also have the option of buying pre-sliced chicken that are perfectly thin enough for rolling but it takes all the fun out of it! Just slice a regular chicken breast in half and go to town! Just remember to cover it with plastic wrap first otherwise you’ll end up with a massacred chicken mess.

After you punish the chicken, you have to layer your filling. We, well mostly Devin, decided to use mozzarella, mushroom and, of course, bacon. I threw in the spinach for some color. I really doesn’t matter what you decide to fill with, but we found that this flavor combination was too good to pass on. One tip is that you should try to use the “creamy” shredded mozzarella. Kraft has a “creamy shredded mozzarella” that has cream cheese in it and it unbelievable! This is in no way sponsored or anything, I truly believe this!

Rolling the chicken is much easier than it may seem at first. The trick is to roll pretty tight so that the filing doesn’t fall out and all the flavors can fuse together. Secure the end with the toothpick and that’s it! Jus make sure to take them out when it’s done cooking!

Now on to the panko coating. This is optional but I really do think it makes a difference. The last time I made these roll ups, I didn’t coat them in any type of breadcrumbs, and it was seriously lacking. Most recipes online will say to dip the rolls in milk before breading them. But I once read a comment on one of the recipes I saw and it said that instead of milk, she used yellow mustard. I thought that was so genius! However, Instead of yellow mustard, I used Dijon because I’m bougie and not sorry about it! But anyway, the mustard gives it another added layer of flavor while also helping the breadcrumbs to stick perfectly.

This isn’t specifically stated in the recipe, but I also season the panko crumbs with salt, pepper, oregano and thyme. This may seem like an obvious thing to do, but if it didn’t seem obvious to you then it’s your reward for actually reading the blog post! I am truly thankful for that! So, now you’re ready to pop these bad boys in the oven and wait. I’d use this time to make your side dish. This particular time I made goat cheese mash potatoes. And I promise I will post a recipe for this because it was on point!!

Once the chicken is done go ahead and slice them. Not only does this show all the goodness inside but also helps to remind you that there are toothpicks still in them! Please take those out! Now that you’ve avoided being attacked by your dinner, it's time to eat!

Let me know in the comments if you thought this recipe was as damn good as I did! Did you follow the recipe to a tee or try anything different? Let me know!

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Bacon, Mushroom & Mozzarella Chicken Roll Ups

by Jasmine Nichole Sanders

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breast halves
• 4 slices of bacon
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 4 oz. portabella mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup baby spinach
• 1 tbsp. butter (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 6-8 toothpicks
  Instructions
• Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Heat a skillet on medium heat and cook bacon until well done. Break bacon into large pieces. Cook mushrooms in bacon grease or in one tablespoon of butter in a clean skillet. Cook for 4 mins then set aside.
• Lay chicken breast on a cutting board and cover with a layer of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, beat chicken until flatten to about 1/4 inch. Remove plastic wrap layer and season with salt, pepper, thyme and oregano. One chicken breast at a time, layer bacon pieces, cheese, mushrooms then spinach on top of chicken. Begin to roll chicken tightly, starting from the thinner side. Secure end with 1-2 toothpicks.
• Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Brush chicken rolls with Dijon mustard and coat each with panko crumbs. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30 mins.
• When chicken is done baking, cool for 5 minutes then slice 1/2 inch thick slices. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 1 hour 5 mins Yield: 4