Notes about Recipes in this book

• Rasta pasta

  • nicolepellegrini on August 14, 2020

    It's long been in the back of my mind to give this pasta recipe a try, and I finally had all the ingredients on hand (though I did substitute cauliflower for broccoli) and was in the mood for it this past week. Enjoyed it quite a bit, though I'm glad I made more pasta than the recipe called for (more like 10 oz instead of 4 oz) as it makes a LOT of sauce. Husband was skeptical at first but ended up enjoying it too. A very filling vegetarian pasta meal.

• Black bean soup

  • nicolepellegrini on September 19, 2020

    Made this today with a few variations, to clear some veggies out of my fridge (and beans in the pantry). I didn't have time to soak dried beans overnight so I used 2 cans of black beans, one drained and one with its liquid. I also cut back on the stock since I wasn't slow-cooking the beans. I then used an immersion blender to somewhat puree the soup but leave some chunks in. Flavor was surprisingly rich, even without any meat (I'm used to making bean soup with a ham hock, bacon or other pork element.) Can't wait to serve this tomorrow for my mother who always loves a good and spicy black bean soup - I'm sure she will enjoy this as much as I have today.

• Jerk swordfish and pineapple kabobs

  • nicolepellegrini on April 24, 2020

    Pretty good - not too spicy and the pineapple helped add some moisture/juiciness to the swordfish. Not sure I'd rush to make again, but it was fine for something a little different.

• Coconut and lime grilled steakfish

  • nicolepellegrini on August 15, 2020

    I've made this several times. It's a nice and flavorful marinade for kingfish, mahi mahi, tuna...pretty much any steak-y fish that runs the risk of drying out when grilled or broiled.

• Wok-seared tuna with pineapple sambal

  • nicolepellegrini on June 15, 2015

    Simple way to make grilled tuna steaks with an interesting sauce, thanks to the pineapple sambal. Very easy.

• Colombo and banana-roasted chicken

  • nicolepellegrini on September 26, 2020

    A tasty and different way to roast chicken. I made the banana and spice paste several hours in advance to let the chicken marinate in it before cooking - kept the meat nice and juicy. I also added a little chicken stock to the roasting pan as I was worried the meat might dry out otherwise. Paired excellently with the apricot-fig relish in this book.

• Bajan baked chicken

  • nicolepellegrini on August 03, 2025

    Made these with drumsticks alone; pretty good! The veggie-rich marinade made the chicken quite tender and moist.

• Asopao with black beans

  • nicolepellegrini on September 13, 2020

    Really liked this - even more than I thought we would! It did very much have a paella-like flavor and consistency but with a Puerto Rican/tropical flair. I thought it would need more seasoning but really the oregano, salt and pepper were just enough. Very filling as well. Would make again.

• Calypso steak

  • nicolepellegrini on March 10, 2015

    This is a tasty recipe for steak, something a little different that really has that Caribbean spice and flavor. I made a sauce from the marinade by thickening it on the stove with a little cornstarch.

• Stuffed roti with sweet potato and chickpea filling

  • kitchen_chick on March 26, 2017

    Made the filling, but not the roti. The filling is a solid, tasty dish even on its own, and it's very easy and quick to do. I used Penzeys sweet curry powder and added more salt and a bit more hot sauce than the recipe called for.

• Fried plantains

  • nicolepellegrini on April 24, 2020

    Wasn't quite what I was hoping for. A bit dry and I thought they needed a touch of sweetness to have the flavor I was expecting.

• Apricot-fig relish

  • nicolepellegrini on September 27, 2020

    A very tasty relish - the optional fresh mint is a must to balance the flavors out. Works great with poultry, I'd consider making this in the future as an alternative to cranberry sauce.