Jerk Pork Chops, Pineapple, and Cucumbers in Sour Cream

This is a triple threat today.  A little taste of Floribbean on this 82 degree Saturday!

Jerk Pork Chops: (marinade recipe from Jamaicans.com)

2, thick cut pork chops

jerk marinade: 

 INGREDIENTS :

1/2 cup Pimenta ( allspice berries)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6-8 garlic cloves
4-6 Scotch bonnet peppers
1 tablespoon ground thyme or 2 tablespoons thyme leaves
1-2 bunches scallions (green onions)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoon soy sauce to moisten

Put content in a food processor or blender and liquefy
Pour sauce in a Jar and keep refrigerated.
The sauce will keep forever if kept refrigerated
To increase spiciness blend pepper and pimenta and add to sauce the hot peppers at any time.

Marinate the chops over night and flip once in the morning to make sure they are evenly coated.

Ideally, you would use allspice wood if you have it, if not, hickory chips work just fine.  Soak the chips in water and follow your smokebox's directions for us. Preheat your grill to high heat and place the chops on the gill, close lid for 1 minute.  Flip the chops, baste and cover for another minute.  Drop the heat to medium and continue to grill the chops for another 4 minutes.  Flip the chops, baste and close the lid and grill for another 4 minutes. Remove from grill and let stand at least 5 minutes before serving to let the meat rest.

Cucumbers in Sour Cream:

Ingredients

2 medium cucumbers, peeled, sliced thin

1 medium onion, sliced thin

1 tsp salt

Dressing:

1/4 to 1/3 C Heinz (brand is important) apple cider vinegar

1 Tbl sugar

8 oz sour cream

paprika

 

Instructions

Just before serving, drain cucumbers and onions WELL.

Blend dressing ingredients together. Add dressing to cucumbers and onions. Garnish with paprika.

Grilled Pineapple

This one couldn't be easier.  Either use a fresh pineapple, or the easiest way, a can of pineapple slices.  drain the pineapple and reserve the juice to mix with your orange juice (YUMMO).  Sprinkle both sides of the pineapple slices with a little brown sugar to help them caramelize on the grill.  Place the slices on the grill over medium heat for 4 minutes total, flipping frequently to avoid sticking/burning.  Serve immediately or over ice cream.

OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!!!  This was SOOOOOO yummy!  The cucmber recipe is from my Aunt Josie and perfectly compliments the heat from the jerk.  The pineapples were perfect and the whole meal just tasted like sunshine on a plate.  This one is going in the highly recommend pile!

*****

Caribbean Broccoli Chicken Salad

This recipe is from a Publix Apron Meal card.  I took HUGE license with it and only loosely based the salad on this recipe:


Ingredients
3–4 Deli chicken tenders (.75 lb)
1 mango
Juice of 1 lime
1 head Bibb (or iceberg) lettuce
3 tablespoons mango chutney
2 tablespoons peach preserves
3 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 (12-oz) bag broccoli slaw
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

Prep
Cut chicken tenders into thin slices.
Peel and slice mango (1 1/2 cups).
Squeeze lime for juice (1 tablespoon).
Remove lettuce core; separate individual leaves.

Steps
Prepare dressing in medium bowl by whisking chutney, preserves, and lime juice until smooth. Stir in yogurt and mayonnaise until blended.
Add slaw, chicken, mango, and raisins; toss to coat.
Arrange lettuce leaves on serving plates and top with salad; sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Serve.

CALORIES (per 1/4 recipe) 470kcal; FAT 14g; CHOL 60mg; SODIUM 700mg; CARB 61g; FIBER 6g; PROTEIN 27g; VIT A 90%; VIT C 150%; CALC 10%; IRON 10%

There were the following substitutions:I have no mango chutney nor do I like chutney so instead of the chutney and peach preserves, I used mango/passion fruit preserves.  Instead of yogurt, I used low-fat sour cream.  I couldn't find the broccoli slaw so I used cole slaw mix instead and since the hubby hates raisins, I used craisins.
I really liked this one!  It was very light and refreshing but still filling.  This would be a handy recipe to have around for those hot summer days.  I don't know how easy the ingredients are to find outside of the south, but I'd imagine you can make substitutions where necessary

***

Grilled Mahi-Mahi Sandwiches with Pasta Salad

So we've had a long, exhausting week and since the weather was gorgeous, bordering on hot (84 degrees), we thought we'd have a Florida cookout night.  We went over to my folks where my hubby grilled Mahi steaks for dinner.  The recipe tonight was for 5-6, but can easily be adapted back down to two.  This recipe lies less on steps and a lot more on availability of very fresh seafood.

Mahi Sandwiches:
Fresh Mahi steak, 6oz steak for each sandwich
Fish marinade of choice (we used Grills Seafood Restaurant Tuna Marinade)
Kaiser rolls
Lettuce
Tomato
Mayo

About an hour before grilling, place steaks in a sealed container such as a tupperware container.  Put enough marinade in to cover the steaks. Seal and chill in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour. Turn container over and let rest in fridge for last 1/2 hour.

Cover rack of grill with aluminum foil and spray foil with non stick cooking spray.  Heat grill to medium.  Place steaks on grill and cook for about 7 minutes each side depending on thickness of steaks.  After turning, brush more marinade on steaks.  Remove steaks from grill and toast kaiser rolls.

Serve with aioli **, lettuce and tomato.

**For aioli : combine 1/4 C mayo with 1 Tbsp of chosen marinade.

Pasta Salad:

Ingredients
-8 oz pkg seashell or elbow macaroni
-1/2 can tuna, drained
-Miracle Whip or Mayo
-1 tsp mustard
-Salt & Pepper
-Shredded lettuce, 1/4 head
-1 tomato, diced
-1 tsp sweet relish
 
Instructions
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain. Add tuna, mustard, relish and salt and pepper to taste. Add Mayo to moisten.  Fold in lettuce and tomato.  
Chill and serve.

There was no way to go wrong with this one! Hubby got the Mahi-Mahi fresh caught, never frozen just this afternoon.  The dinner was very, very yummy and just perfect for sitting out on the patio with a small breeze.

*****

German Beef Salad

This is actually a diet and microwave recipe.  This is from the Better Homes and Gardens Quick and Easy Diet Recipes circa 1989 page 116:

3/4 lb beef top round steak
1/2 C frozen, diced onion
2Tbl cooking oil
1 Tbl sugar
1 Tbl cornstarch
1 tsp instant beef bouillon granules
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/2 C water
1/4 C vinegar
1 16oz can sliced potatoes
6 oz fresh spinach

Trim fat from beef.  Thinly slice meat across the grain into bite-sized strips.  In a 2-quart microwave-safe casserole combine meat and frozen onion.  Microwave, covered, on 100% power for 3-5 minutes or until meat is done, stirring every 2 minutes.  Drain off liquid.  Set meat aside

For dressing, in the same dish stir together next 5 ingredients.  Then stir in water and vinegar.  Cook, uncovered, on 100% for 3-4 minutes until thickened and bubbly, stirring after every minute.

Drain potatoes.  Add potatoes and meat to dressing.  Then cook, covered, on high 1-2 minutes or until heated through.  Meanwhile, clean and tear spinachto make about 5 cups.  Place in a large salad bowl.

Add hot potato-meat mixture to spinach and toss lightly until coated.  Serve immediately, Serves 4.

I halved the recipe and instead of fresh spinach, I used the other half of the frozen spinach from last night. This was OK, but sort of bland.  I even used a little salt and pepper that wasn't in the recipe.  Like I said, this was OK but I probably won't be making it again.  I did like the fact it was prepared entirely with the microwave so I didn't have to heat up the house.

***

Grilled Jerk Shrimp and Crab Skewers with 3 Bean Salad

This was perfect for a lovely, warm afternoon.  The Skewers are pretty much straightforward (no recipe but by memory) and the 3 bean salad recipe is from Allrecipes.com :


Skewers:
about 18 shrimp
lumps of crab or lobster meat


peel and devein shrimp.  Layer 3 lumps of crab and 3 shrimp on each skewer.  Sprinkle both sides with jerk seasoning and grill over a medium-high grill, turning once.



3 Bean Salad:
Ingredients

1/8 (15 ounce) can green beans
2 ounces wax beans
1/8 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/8 onion, sliced into thin rings
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon celery seed

Mix together green beans, wax beans, kidney beans, onion, sugar, vinegar, vegetable oil, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Let set in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

This was just perfect and refreshing!

*****