This is meal #6 in my personal challenge to eat one meal from every country in the world. Sea, salt, sand, balmy, breezy, beautiful. Nope. I woke up to 40F and overcast (with the closest beach a full day’s drive away). Not exactly the best weather or locale for Caribbean picnic food. And, just think, we had had 70 degree weather a few days earlier. Darn. Refusing to be brought down by ol’ man winter, I got dressed up to my smile and chanted the old mantra “mind over matter, mind over matter.” By meal time I was still dragging a little (I kept glancing out at the clouds, looking for some piece of blue sky – only to be dissapointed). I’ll tell you what – one bite into my sandwich and the dreary weather was far from my mind. The delicious flavors of the Caribbean uplifted me! (Perhaps I should be chanting “food over mood, food over mood” from now on). The meal just oozed spring sunshine (coconut rum, anyone???). So much so that, after eating, I invited our guests to bring their daughter Abigail out back …
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Serves: 4 This chicken salad is incredible. The intense curry melds with the grilled chicken, while sweet bursts of pineapple and raisin leave you begging for more. For the best flavor, serve on a rustic baguette brushed with olive oil and toasted on the grill. YUM! Ingredients: 3 cups of grilled boneless chicken breasts, shredded (about 4 chicken breasts. Grilling the chicken just adds more flavor.) 1/2 cup raisins 16 oz pineapple tidbits 1/2 cup mayonnaise 3 Tbsp mango chutney 1 Tbsp curry powder 2 lemons, juiced salt pepper 1 head red boston lettuce 1-2 rustic baguette – depending on your appetite! (a rustic baguette is wider than a traditional baguette – holds more filling) Method: 1. In a large bowl, combine chicken with raisins and pineapple. 2. In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, chutney, curry, and lemon juice. 3. Pour over chicken and stir to combine. While you can enjoy the chicken salad right away, it’s great to let flavors meld for an hour in the refrigerator. 4. Slice baguette(s) in half long-ways and brush the inside with olive oil. …
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Serves: 4 Baked bananas are delicious in brown sugar and butter. Serve hot over ice cream, making sure everyone gets a little of the sauce. NOTE: not all rum will light. I had coconut rum on hand and it does not flambe (however, it did add great flavor to the bananas). You will need to buy Bacardi 151 for this. Also try Benin’s Baby Bananas in Orange Sauce. Ingredients: 6 ripe bananas peeled 1/2 cup brown sugar 4 Tbsp melted butter 2 ounces coconut rum 1 ounce bacardi 151 (to light it on fire) Vanilla ice cream Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 350F. 2. Lay bananas in a casserole dish. In a small bowl combine brown sugar with butter. Spoon mixture over bananas. 3. Bake for 20 minutes (longer if bananas are firmer). 4. Transfer bananas to a serving dish. Pour rum over the bananas and carefully light on fire. CAUTION: You can burn yourself. Don’t do that! 5. Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream. Baked Brown Sugar Bananas Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: …
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Serves 4 Take a sip of this sweet drink and you’ll think you’re on the beach in Antigua. Use fresh squeezed juices if possible. Serve with sugar cane swizzle sticks for an added festivity. Please drink in moderation. No drinky and drivey. Ingredients: 1 cup grapefruit juice 1 cup pineapple juice 1 cup coconut rum 1/4 cup grenadine 1/3 cup lime juice 3 cups Jamaican Ting (carbonated grapefruit soda, available at Whole Foods) Optional Ingredients: sugar cane swizzle sticks (available at Whole Foods) pineapple rings, for garnish Method: 1. In a large pitcher combine grapefruit juice, pineapple juice, rum, grenadine, and lime juice. Chill thoroughly. 2. Immediately before serving, add Ting and stir to combine. 3. Serve chilled. With your feet in the sand, if possible. Sparkling Grapefruit Breeze Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe Take a sip of this sweet drink and you’ll think you’re on the beach in Antigua. Use fresh squeezed juices if possible. Serve with sugar cane swizzle sticks for an added festivity. Please drink in moderation. CourseDrinks LifestylePotluck Friendly, Vegan, Vegetarian Food …
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Serves: 4-6 My husband said he would never order this on a menu but when he tried it, he bacame a believer. Sweet mango, buttery avocado, tart lime juice, and spicy jalepeno make a wonderful summertime salad. Make sure your fruit is juicy and ripe! Ingredients: 2 large mango, cubed 2 large avocado, cubed 2 limes, juiced 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion 1-2 Tbsp minced jalepeno (mild-hot) salt pepper Method: 1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper. Serve room temperature or slightly chilled – the flavors are more intense at room temperature. Spicy Mango and Avocado Salad Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe My husband said he would never order this on a menu but when he tried it, he became a believer. Sweet mango, buttery avocado, tart lime juice, and spicy jalapeno make a wonderful summertime salad. Make sure your fruit is juicy and ripe! CourseSides & Salads Lifestyle5-ingredients or less, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian Food TypeFruit, Sasha’s Favorite Recipes, Spicy, Vegetables Servings 4-6 people Servings 4-6 …
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Although I could not find a lot of information on Antigua and Barbuda, I still learned many interesting things this week (and had particular fun learning about Rodonda). 1. The National Fruit is the black pineapple, a small sweet pineapple that is grown on the main island. 2. The National Weed is the “widdy widdy.” The widdy widdy was eaten by slaves in a dish called Popololo. The high protein weed becomes slimy when cooked and is a known laxative. 3. Antigua was used for sugar cane cultivation, while soil impoverished Barbuda was used for cattle rearing. 4. The two main islands are a few hours apart by boat. 5. Theycall bananas… figs 6. Food related sayings from Antigua Museums: Back can wait, but not belly. Bellyful bruk pot. Bellyful man tell hungry man ‘Keep heart buddy’ Better man belly bus’ than good food waste. Buy you’ own n’yam (food), n’yam according to you’ pocket. Every day a fishing day,but no other day a catching day(Tings not always bright) Every good fungi no meet good pepperpot (Not every person meets a …
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Books and web sites agree, “Fungi(e) is a popular Caribbean dish.” Huh? What? How? Wait a minute! Was I looking at the wrong region? I swear I just read about this stiff cornmeal porridge last week when I was in Angola! Sources told me that Fungi(e) is served throughout many African countries with soups and stews. Yet, here I was reading how popular the porridge is in the Caribbean. Well, the sources are correct. Turns out Fungi(e) was brought to the caribbean by African slaves. Years later, the dish remains a popular meal foundation, similar to rice and pasta. Sometimes it is eaten in porridge form, however it is also rolled into balls. Even though I am doing picnic fare this week, I thought you would enjoy learning about Fungi(e). If you would like to try your hand at making fungi(e), check out this recipe.
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Since Oklahoma is experiencing spring (hurrah!), this week’s Global Table is Antiguan inspired picnic fare. Still stuck in winter? Lay out your blanket indoors and bask in sunny smiles! Sparkling Grapefruit Breeze [Recipe] Mixed drink made with Jamaican Ting soda, fresh grapefruit and pineapple juices. So good the rum is optional. Tropical Curried Chicken on Baguette [Recipe] Curry, mango chutney, pineapple, and raisins make this chicken sandwich a refreshing treat. Spicy Mango and Avocado Salad [Recipe] Mango and avocado bite back when tossed with thinly sliced red onion and jalapeno. Baked Brown Sugar Bananas with Vanilla Ice Cream [Recipe] Light these bananas on fire with coconut rum and your stomach will smile.
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Call me a sucker, but I like to root for the underdog. This week her name is Redonda. That’s right. The microstate “Antigua and Barbuda” is actually made up of three islands: Antigua, Barbuda, and Redonda. The combined population is nearly 86,000, with Redonda contributing zero. I guess this is why Redonda gets left out of the name. Since I feel bad for Redonda I spent an inordinate amount of time looking up information on her. First fact: Redonda is about 500 hundred acres large. That’s less than a square mile. Here’s a picture: As you can see, the island is totally uninhabitable. The steep cliffs and total lack of freshwater make that a done deal. But… can’t you just see the Little Prince vacationing here with his rose? What I find incredibly funny is that Redonda, population zero, is under dispute by at least four kings who claim the island as their own. The story is summarized in Wikipedia for anyone who is interested in the silly details. I guess I am not the only one who wished more for Redonda. With some regret, I will …
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