Baked Cauliflower 'chicken' Wings and Cumin Aioli August 10 2016, 0 Comments

I had been wanting to try these for awhile. I had to find the right moment to introduce them to my carnivorous family during BBQ season. We try to have at least 3 vegetarian meals a week and I thought this would be a good one to introduce into the rotation. 

Ingredients:

4 cups of cauliflower florets ( 1 large cauliflower)

1/2 cup of milk

1/2 cup of water

1 cup flour ( we used gluten free all purpose flour)

5 tsps of The Spice Trader's CHICKEN RUB

Pinch of Kosher salt

BBQ  sauce ( we used Diana's Rib & Chicken) - use any one you like!

1 Tbsp Butter

Directions:

Pre heat the oven at 425º

Mix milk, water, flour and spices together in a bowl. Grease a baking sheet and then dip each floret until coated and place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 mins - turning them 1/2 way through.

Meanwhile melt the butter and stir in the sauce until well blended.

Take out the florets and toss them in the sauce - then place them back on the baking sheet and bake for another 25 mins.

Use the CUMIN AIOLI as a dip! ( recipe below)

Ingredients:

1 tsp CUMIN SEEDS

2 large egg yolks

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 clove of minced garlic

1/2 cup grapeseed oil

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Heat the cumin in a skillet over medium heat for around 2 minutes - until they become fragrant (you can roasted powder if you don't have seeds). Cool and grind in a spice mill or mortar & pestle. Whisk the yolks, lemon juice and garlic in a bowl and then drizzle the grape seed oil very slowly and do the same with the olive oil until emulsified. Whisk in the cumin and 1/2 tsp of water. Season with salt and chill before serving.

JAMAICA ! July 14 2015, 0 Comments

This traditional Jamaican recipe evolved from different cultures over centuries. Mostly, jerk was cooked over fire pits, which created a smoky, spicy delicious dish. Although different spices can be found in jerk marinades and rubs, they always contain allspice and a hot chili pepper! The technique of slow cooking after marinating is the way to make an authentic tasting JERK CHICKEN.

 JAMAICA

 Jerk Chicken

(serves 4)

3 lbs of bone in chicken pieces (drum sticks, thighs and breasts)

½ cup of The Spice Trader’s Jerk Rub

8 scallions, chopped

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp lime zest (3 limes)

Lime wedges

1 Tbsp Brown sugar

6 garlic cloves, crushed

1 Tbsp rum

Kosher flake Salt

* Soak some wood chips in water infused with 2 tbsp dried thyme, 2 tbsp dried rosemary and 2 tbsp whole allspice berries.

Mix together the spice rub, soy sauce, lime zest, brown sugar, scallions, crushed garlic and rum. Transfer to a blender and pulse into a paste. Place marinade in a Ziploc bag and add the chicken. Toss to coat the chicken and marinate from 30 minutes to 24 hrs.

Place wood chips and wet spices in an aluminum foil package. Close the packages and poke holes in it. Place your homemade wood chip smoker on the grill and turn the grill to high. Wait until chips start smoking (around 15 minutes). Place marinated chicken on the grill skin side up, but on indirect heat. Cook, covered for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken to skin side down and place chicken on direct heat and wait until browned. Flip chicken again and cook until done. Let rest for 5 minutes and then serve with lime wedges.

Allspice is native to Jamaica. It is also called pimento and Jamaican pepper.