Born Jamerican: Curry Chicken and Turkey Burgers

Hello all. Thanks for viewing my blog :). Looks like I'm overdue for posting some recipes. I spent Monday with my little sister and my mommy having some girl/ family time. So I did quite a bit of running around before I made it back to LA to prep dinner for the week. I was tired and really didn't feel like cooking but I knew if I didn't plan something hubby would probably eat something not so good for him at lunch and I would probably spend too much money on a meal myself. For this meal I wanted something yummy to last for the week's lunch and also when you grocery shop hungry you get a lot of ideas lol.

Since I'm Jamaican people often ask me if I know how to cook some of the food. The answer is yes but honestly I generally cook American food. I love Jamaican food like plantains, festival bread, ackee...but I can't say I cook it that often. Although I was born in Jamaica I've been living here most of my life so I have a mix of flavors that I like. If you notice though I am always adding spice to my dishes. That's the piece of Jamaica present in almost everything I cook. I NEED for almost everything to be spicy! So much so that what's too spicy for some I'm like okay this isn't hot enough lol.

One Jamaican meal that I know I am good at though is curry chicken, but of course I had to make a paleo spin to it. Generally the way my mom taught me to make it I would use chicken, onion, bell pepper, curry, spices and potatoes and put that over some white rice. With paleo I took out the potatoes and replaced with sweet potatoes and replaced the rice with cauliflower rice. I also added some shrimp and coconut milk for a kick. Like my last post I just can't do the traditional recipe break down because as with many things I create I just eye ball and put in what I want and taste so I hope this is helpful. If you guys have questions feel free to ask!

For dinner tonight the American in me was craving a burger and sweets so I made a protein style turkey burger and some Greek yogurt with berries and nuts for dessert. I made enough turkey burger patties for a couple days for dinner in case I don't want to eat the same thing I had for lunch or I want to switch it up. Always better to have options although both options for lunch and dinner are so good it's almost hard to believe I am burning fat and eating healthy. I don't know about you guys but I need more than a darn salad to keep me satisfied. One thing I learned from fasting from meat for a few weeks was that I need my protein. No offense to vegans and vegetarians but I just know its not for me. And now I'll stop rambling and move on to recipes :).

PALEO COCONUT CURRY CHICKEN AND SHRIMP WITH CURRY SPICED CAULIFLOWER RICE and MANGO SALSA

Coconut Curry Chicken and Shrimp
Ingredients:
Chicken Breast
Shrimp (peeled and d-veined)
Sweet Potato
Onion
Bell Pepper
Jamaican Curry Powder
Sea Salt
Chipotle Powder
Canned Coconut Milk
Garlic Powder
Black Pepper
Olive Oil (or Coconut oil)
Water (about 1 cup or so depending how much chicken you have)

Chop sweet potato into about 1-2inch cubes. Chop up your onions and bell pepper into somewhat large pieces. Place in bowl and season with curry powder, garlic, black pepper and chipotle powder and set to the side (remember seasoning each layer gives more flavor).

Chop up chicken into 1 inch cubes and place in a different bowl (I used two whole packs of chicken breasts to make enough for the week). Season with all seasonings including a bit of sea salt to taste. You can also marinate overnight to soak in flavor but I didn't have time to do that and still tastes yummy.

In a large pot put about 2 tablespoons of Olive oil and put on medium/high heat. Place chicken and pot and cook and turn over with a spoon until chicken is mostly cooked (when its barely not pink anymore). Add in your bowl of veggies, coconut milk and water. Keep stirring and cooking on medium high heat for about 15 minutes then cover and lower heat to medium. Keep checking and stirring in about 15-20 minute increments. Once sweet potatoes are soft enough for your spoon to cut through comfortably, add your seasoned shrimp and cook uncovered another 15 minutes or until the sauce is as thick or as thin as you desire. As the sauce cooks it will thicken as the sweet potato cooks down into it. I like my sauce kind of in between so I cooked for about an hour and a half 2 hours.

Curry Spiced Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients:
4 Cauliflower
Jamaican Curry Powder (doesn't have to be Jamaican but tastes the best to me :))
Chipotle Powder (or you can use red pepper flakes or Paprika)
Black Pepper
Sea Salt
1 Red Bell Pepper
Olive Oil
Ms Dash

Cut cauliflower into about 2 or 3 inch pieces or small enough to fit in your food processor. Take handfuls and put in food processor until broken down into smaller "rice-like"pieces. Transfer each batch into a large bowl. Once you finish grinding up all that cauliflower (WARNING VERY MESSY AND ANNOYING), chop up your bell pepper into very small pieces and add to the bowl. Add your seasonings to taste. I put about two large capfuls of curry powder in mine because I really hate the taste of it alone but if you don't like curry too much you can either put one capful or a little bit less but it will need that curry for flavor. I put a lot of spice in mine as well and about 2 tablespoons of sea salt.

Mix all ingredients together with a spoon and drizzle some olive oil on top and mix some more. You want to try and coat the mixture as much as possible although it will absorb the olive oil pretty fast. Take a baking sheet and spread your mixture evenly. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Check about every 20 minutes or so for the top layer to be browned. Once browned turn the mixture over several times with your spoon so that the whole thing will get a chance to brown. Put back in the oven and repeat this turning over until your "rice" turns from white to brown. Cook for about an hour or less depending on how much roasted flavor you want for your rice. See the two pictures below from when the rice was first put in the oven to when taken out.You want it to look lightly browned and almost like couscous.

Mango Salsa 
Ingredients:
2 Mangos
1 Red Bell Pepper
1/4 Cup Cliantro
1/2 Lemon juiced
3 chives

Chop mango and bell pepper into small cubes and place in a bowl. Chop cilantro and chives very finely and add to bowl. Juice 1/2 lemon and squeeze over into bowl. Stir with a spoon. Use to top over your curry coconut chicken and shrimp! This salsa also tastes good over chicken chili or with some fish or simple grilled shrimp. Yum.

This is what my prep looked like. Pictured below from left to right is chicken curry and vegetables, shrimp seasoned with curry, mango salsa, and prep for cauliflower rice.

This is what it cooks down to. Delicious pot of yum and a nicely browned tray of roasted cauliflower rice. I just had to take a taste before I went to bed!

Finished product topped with mango salsa and meal prep for me and hubby for the week's lunch. TIP: you can package the "rice" separately so it doesn't get too soggy with the curry mixture over it and also the salsa so its fresh and cold on top for garnish or you can pack everything together. Either way still yummy and all the flavors go really well together.

AVOCADO BACON TURKEY BURGER WITH SWEET POTATO AND TARO CHIPS

Ingredients:
Ground Turkey (or premolded turkey patties)
Black Pepper
Chipotle Powder (you see??? I put this in everything!)
Garlic Powder
Spicy Mustard (optional)
Lettuce (you can use any but the head lettuce holds the burger better)
Tomato
Onion
Bacon (of course! )
Avocado
Olive Oil
Store bought sweet potato chips and taro chips (These are veggie chips that can be found at Trader Joes or Ralphs)

Season your molded turkey patties with your favorite seasonings or the ones I suggested above. I also did a little dollop of spicy mustard and brushed on each side. Cook in a skillet on medium/ high heat and turn over once browned. After each side is browned cover and let cook another 5 minutes to get the juices and flavor in your burger.

Prepare your lettuce on each side of your plate like you would a bun. Place your tomato onion avocado and bacon on one side and you can add one more small squeeze of spicy mustard if you like (check the label for preservatives before you buy if you do this option). Place burger patty on top and cover with other half of your lettuce. Mold your lettuce around firmly and you can place in a sandwich zip lock bag or use some plastic wrap to keep the thing together while you devour it! Otherwise all that lettuce and veggies and burger juice will be dripping everywhere. Unless you eat it in 2.5 seconds like I did lol. Place your chips on your plate and eat a long side so you can forget about eating fries (<===me :-P) or just eat the burger without any sides. As Rachel Ray would say...Yummo!

GREEK YOGURT BERRY GOODNESS

Ingredients:
1 container of honey flavored greek yogurt ( I recommend not getting the low fat or fat free version... not as yummy in my opinion)
1 handful of blueberries
4 or more raspberries (or you can use strawberries or blackberries whatever you like)
1 handful of honey roasted almonds (you may also use regular sliced almonds and just drizzle some honey over the whole desert on top)
Cinnamon

Do I really need to describe how to make this?? lol. Put everything in a bowl then put all of it in your belly! (minus the bowl of course)


THE END... typos? sorrynotsorry :)

Again thanks for the support, kind words, and the read. Message me, subscribe, share!

Happy New Year!!! Get Ready and Stay Ready

**POST UPDATED WITH LUNCH AND DINNER AT THE BOTTOM**

Okay guys. This is the first official recipe post for those of you who are ready to start. Was hoping to post this last night but got caught up with New Years festivities!

NOTE: IF YOU ARE DOING THE CHALLENGE PLEASE TAKE PICTURES OF EVERY MEAL TO KEEP YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE 30 DAYS. You can post the photos here and share recipes you liked with everyone, post on facebook, instagram, twitter, or wherever. But at least take a picture for yourself so you have a photo diary of foods you made and enjoyed and would like to make again hopefully :). I'm sure I annoyed several people with all the food photos I've taken but hey it's helped me so who cares!

Hopefully you all have gone grocery shopping already but if not make sure you stay on the outer aisles for the most part. Paleo diet consists of mostly Fruit, Veggies, Nuts, Meats, and no processed foods. Here is what my shopping trip looked like yesterday. From left to right veggies, fruit, coconut water, lean meats, unsalted seasonings, plantain chips etc...

Read the labels and do your best! As I said I will post breakfast lunch and dinner at least once a week maybe more depending on how much time I have but if you read the post before this one I have given several links that will help you get ideas for recipes. If you have any requests from pictures of foods I've posted on Facebook or Instagram please let me know and I will post. Some things you try you will love some things you try you will hate. For me if I didn't like what I experimented with I just didn't make it again or I made it a different way with different flavors. So here we go. If you have any questions or comments please leave them on here in case someone has a similar question. As for those of you wondering what kind of snacks you can eat... please read the previous post and also think about trying Larabars.

They have tons of flavors and are super yummy! My favorite flavor is Cherry Pie. Made with all natural ingredients (usually dates, nuts, and other fruit).  Just don't get the peanut ones because peanuts are not paleo.


BREAKFAST:

Almond Butter Banana Pancakes with Fruit and Greek Yogurt Drizzle

Pancake Recipe:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/almond-banana-pancakes/#axzz26SuD2trR

I enjoyed these very much but hubby and little sister said they could take it or leave it so I say make one serving and see if you like it. If you don't next time try something else. I have also seen recipes for pancakes made using almond flour and coconut flour. I have yet to try but they all look delicious. Or if you like you can use these same ingredients and add a little almond flour or coconut flour. as the recipe says fry in butter but make sure its unsalted butter but if you prefer you can use olive oil or coconut oil.  

Fruit and Greek Yogurt Drizzle:
Gather some blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries (or berries of your choice) and honey flavored Greek yogurt. Take some of the fruit and mash out the juice. If using frozen fruit microwave for about a minute and then mash it with a spoon I get some juice use that to top your pancakes with fresh fruit. Use some of that mashed fruit and combine with Greek yogurt in a blender or food processor to make the drizzle. Place mashed fruit on pancake then drizzle your topping over it if you wanna get funky add some almond slices on top. Yum!

Fast and Easy Egg Scramble with Bacon and Avocado

For those of you looking for an easier more traditional breakfast that's fast or you aren't feeling the ingredients in the pancakes, scramble up some eggs or egg whites with veggies of your choice. I love mushrooms spinach and tomatoes together. Fry up a couple slices of uncured bacon and add some avocado slices to the side. If you choose this option make sure you have a serving of fruit on the side to go with your protein. I usually have a smoothie or a couple clementines and a banana or whatever fruit I have on hand to go along with my eggs and bacon addiction lol. Let me just say bacon is probably one of the best things on earth. Honestly you aren't supposed consume as much bacon a I do but hey it's so darn good and its paleo. My guilty pleasure :). Pictured is one of the breakfasts I made with mushrooms and onions and a side of sliced banana and apple sprinkled with cinnamon and a very LIGHT drizzle of honey.

LUNCH:

This one is simple and doesn't require a lot of prep work. This is a nice go to meal that you can make a lot of ahead of time and just warm up when you are ready. Not a lot of stirring or mixing or watching. The George Foreman and the oven are my friends when I don't want to do a lot on the stove. The combination of cinnamon, chipolte, and butter make this taste amazing. Chrisbert (the husband) really enjoyed this meal yesterday for lunch.

Grilled Chicken and Baked Chipotle Cinnamon Sweet Potato

Ingredients: 

Chicken Breast

Sweet Potato

Avaocado

Fresh and Easy Ground Chipotle Seasoning (you can sub with ground chili or any spice you want like Cumin)

Cinnamon 

Unsalted Butter (optional)

Fresh Parsley

Black Pepper

Sea Salt 

Your Favorite unsalted Seasoning (ie Mrs. Dash)

Directions:

Chicken

Season Chicken with Black Pepper and Mrs. Dash (or any other unsalted seasoning). Grill for a about 10 minutes or so. If you don't have a grill you can bake in the oven or cook in a skillet.Once cooked sprinkle some fresh chopped parsley on top

 Sweet Potato:

Wrap tightly in foil and put oven on about 400 degrees. Bake about 30 minutes or so depending on your oven or until the sweet potato feels soft. Be careful as it bakes some of the juice may come out of the foil so make sure your oven has a piece of foil underneath in case anything drips. Once finished in the oven carefully cut off the skin by putting a single slit down the middle. Take a small amount of unsalted butter and put down the middle (goes great with the cinammon). Sprinkle with cinnamon and Chipotle spice (or whatever spice you have on hand), sprinkle with a dash of sea salt. Sprinkle some fresh chopped Parsley on top. 

Avocado:

Just cut into cubes and add on the side for a delicious dish!

 

DINNER:

Paleo Meatball Veggie Soup

This meal is great for this freakishly cold weather. If you don't want to use red meat you can use ground turkey, ground chicken, or whatever meat you want and make it your own but I was craving beef when I made this and it came out yummy. Also feel free to sub out the veggies I used for the ones you like more.

Ingredients:

Ground Beef (the leanest cut you can find)
Purple Onion
Garlic (I like my breath to stink obviously so I used 5)
Parsnips
Sweet Potato
Butternut Squash
1 box Free range chicken broth (use low sodium if you cant find)
1 can diced unsalted tomatoes
Mrs. Dash
Ground Chipotle (or red pepper flakes will do the trick)
Cumin
Ground Thyme
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Kale
Olive Oil

Directions:
Chop up your Onion garlic parsnips butternut squash and sweet potato (use as much or as little as you like. there is really no measurement here guys I just took some veggies and threw them in. try one servings worth of each veggie). Season with Mrs. Dash, Cumin, Ground Thyme Black Pepper, and a bit of Sea Salt (you wont need very much). Warm a pot with about two table spoons or so of olive oil on medium heat. Once warm sautee the veggies and stir frequently.

There are two options for the Kale. You can either chop and toss in olive oil and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes on low and throw in last or you can chop it up with the rest of the veggies above and saute together. If you want to use less dishes I say do the later. I just toasted mine to be fancy...lol.

While all your veggies are cooking down take your meat and season with all the seasonings mentioned above and roll into small balls about 1inch circumfrence or less. Warm a skillet on medium heat and place the meatballs in one by one being careful not to turn them so that they get a nice brown coat. Once they start to brown turn them each with a fork. The trick is to season both your meat and your veggies. When you season in layers you get more flavor.

When the meatballs are done continue watching and stirring your veggies and take out the meatballs and place to the side. In the same skillet you had your meat add the chicken broth and stir to get some of the flavor off. Add the can of tomatoes to the veggie mixture and stir.

After about 5 minutes or so of warming the broth transfer it to the same pot that you have the veggies in along with the meatballs. Stir all ingredients together. Let cook together on medium/ high for another 15 minutes or so uncovered then cover and let cook on low for an hour or more to marinate all of the flavors. This should make a few servings for you to have for the next couple of days. You can alternate this for lunch and dinner with the chicken sweet potato recipe. 

Good luck guys! Also make sure you have at least two snacks in between meals like a handful of nuts or a larabar or smoothie to keep you from getting hungry and making bad choices. Remember to please post any questions on here instead of Facebook so everyone can see please. Click to subscribe to my blog so you can see all the updates without having to check. (umm... I am actually not sure how you do that still haha. Still figuring out this tricky blogger).

OK I LIED... ONE MORE UPDATE!
A couple new snacks I tried! One was from last night the other just now. Monique I think you will love the gluten free flax "Cereal". First picture is just tomato avocado lots of black pepper and some fancy pork belly stuff from fresh and easy that tastes like prosciutto eaten with plantain chips instead of crackers. Second is this cereal I bought from fresh and easy said it was gluten wheat and soy free so I decided to try it after googling if I could eat flax seeds. There is some debate but for the most part it's a yes so I bought it. Added cinnamon banana sliced almonds a drizzle of honey and had with some almond milk.