Quick Meals With A Caribbean Twist

Canned Corned Beef and Cabbage.

By Minna LaFortune

News Americas, New York, NY, Fri. April 6, 2016: Caribbean nationals including Caribbean chefs and cooks in the Diaspora are experts at making quick nutritious and delicious meals. This is one of my specialties.

Quick meals should take 20-40 minutes to cook. Longer methods of cooking are for Sundays, special occasions and holidays. Quick meals are the way to go Mondays through Fridays.

Making quick nutritious and delicious meals helps to allow longer face time with family members and to catch on reading, listening to music and conversing with friends.

Quick meals should provide complete nutrition and should be delicious. They should include starches, vegetables, protein and all the necessary vitamins to keep the body healthy.

Listed below are six examples of quick meals with a Caribbean flavor which will take 30-40 minutes to prepare.

Steamed Fillet of Fish or Fried Fish

Ripe or Green plantains or green bananas

Buttered steamed okra or broccoli

Avocado Preparation

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Boneless curried chicken thigh

Steamed white rice or flour dumplings

Steamed cabbage and carrots

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Peppered Steak

Steamed white rice or flour dumplings or green bananas or ripe plantains

Steamed cabbage and carrots

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Canned corned beef and cabbage or canned mackerel in tomato sauce

Steamed white rice or flour dumplings

Steamed carrots

Avocado

Preparation Time: 20 -30 minutes

Cod fish with sautéed onions and tomatoes

Steamed okra

Yam, or green bananas and flour dumplings

Steamed cabbage and carrots

Preparation Time: 30 -40 minutes

Pumpkin Soup

Protein: Boneless chicken or fish head

Yam, potatoes, dumplings, Carrots, cabbage, turnip Choyote

Recipe for Canned Corned Beef and Cabbage

Ingredients

I can of Corned Beef

I small cabbage

2 large onions

3 large tomatoes

Black pepper

Scotch bonnet pepper

1/4 coconut oil

3 sprigs of

Thyme

1/2 cup tomato paste or ketchup

Method

Open can of Corned beef.

Put in a dish to sit.

Crush corned beef with a heavy large fork.

In a heavy Dutch pot, heat coconut oil

Add seasonings to hot coconut oil

Add cabbage (after cutting in slender long pieces)

Steam cabbage until tender (10 minutes)

Add crushed corned beef

Add tomato paste or ketchup

Add black pepper and thyme

Sauté for 5 minutes until all ingredients are combined.

Serves 4 persons

Bon Appetite