No Worries, Mon!

I'm freeeeeee!

Yes, ladies and gents, I have officially completed my undergraduate degree. It hasn't completely sunk in yet and I'm still worried that I'm forgetting to study or complete an assignment.

For now, the plan is to watch copious amounts of Criminal Minds and get to the gym more consistently. One of these two will be very difficult.

So, in honor of my freedom from the chains of college, I present to you a island-worthy recipe that will make you feel like you're on the beach basking in the sun.

This Coconut Rice & Jamaican Jerk Chicken will blow you away.

Serious. 

This recipe comes from Iowa Girl Eats.  Her blog is amazing and every single recipe is out of this world. When I saw this recipe on her page, I knew it had to happen.

And it did.

There are a lot of different components to this marinade, but it's so worth it.

First you'll take allspice, thyme, sugar, sage, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cayenne and combine in a bowl. 

Then you'll add vinegar, orange juice, olive oil, soy sauce, lime juice, green onion, onion and garlic.

Mix it all together and allow the chicken breasts to thaw and marinate. 
 

Because I'm crazy and can't leave anything alone, I would stab and turn the chicken with a fork every 45 minutes or so. You don't have to do that.

I let them marinate for pretty much all day. I left them on the counter because they were frozen. If the chicken you are using is already thawed then stick it in the refrigerator. 

When the chicken is ready to cook, you can either grill them or broil them. I broiled them and they turned out fine, but you can do whatever you want.

While the chicken is cooking, go ahead and make the rice.

In a large pot, heat coconut oil.




Add garlic, green onion and thyme and cook for a few minutes.


Then throw in kidney beans, water, and coconut milk and bring to a boil.

When it's ready, throw in the rice and salt.

Turn the heat down and let it simmer for roughly 20 minutes.

You may feel the urge to taste the rice. This urge is completely normal. However, once you taste it, you won't stop eating it. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I don't have any specifics on the cooking time for the chicken. Just cook it until it's done. That concludes my advice for the night.

Coconut Rice & Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Recipe adapted from Iowa Girl Eats 
*serves 6

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 tbsp allspice
• 1 1/2 tbsp thyme
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp sage
• 1 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 3/8 tsp cayenne 
• 1 1/8 cup vinegar
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 3/8 cup olive oil
• 3/8 cup soy sauce
• Juice of 1 1/2 limes
• 3 green onions
• 1 1/2 onion
• 7 1/2 cloves of garlic

1. Combine all the ingredients and marinate the chicken for at least 4 hours.

2. Grill or broil chicken until done.

Coconut Rice

• 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 1/2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 green onion
• 3/8 tsp thyme
• 1 can kidney beans (drained, rinsed)
• 1 1/2 water
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cup long grain rice
• 3/4 tsp salt

1. Heat coconut oil in large pot. Add garlic, green onion and thyme. Cook for a few minutes.

2. Add drained and rinsed kidney beans, water and coconut milk. Bring to boil.

3. Add in rice and salt. Turn heat down to medium to low, cover and simmer for roughly 20 minutes.

***

Guys, this dinner was fantastic. The rice was creamy and so flavorful. The chicken was moist and bursting with so many different flavors.

I put barbeque sauce on my chicken. You don't have to but I think it took it over the top!

I could eat this rice every single day. The coconut flavor isn't overwhelming, in case you were worried. 

It's so creamy and I love that the kidney beans add a little extra protein.

This dish is so easy and perfect. There was a little bit of rice leftover and I ate it for lunch the next day and I'm pretty sure it tasted better the second day.

Next time, I may or may not double the recipe.

Enjoy!

Kaci

Grillin' Like A Villian

In a previous post, I talked about my love for football. Even during the off season, it's not unusual to find me watching the NFL Network, waiting for any updates on the Green Bay Packers, or any team in general. 

Weird, I know. Whatever.

Even though I miss football, I love the warmer weather that spring brings. It's not unbearably hot (I'm looking at you Oklahoma summer) and the evenings are always so nice.

And that is why I love grilling and spring food. It's so fresh and delicious.

This recipe I'm about to share with you is a perfect addition to any grilled meat. It's easy to pull together and tastes delicious.

Plus, it's just so pretty. 




















All you have to do is cook up some pasta, pour it in a colander and let it cool.
















While it's cooking and cooling, make the pesto. You can use store bought pesto, but where is the fun in that? I followed this recipe for the pesto.

Then, I drained and chopped up a jar of roasted red peppers.

While I was chopping up the peppers, I drained some black olives in a colander

Then I mixed the cool pasta, red peppers and olives together in a large bowl.

In a smaller bowl, I took 1/3 cup of the pesto and 1/3 cup of Newman's Own Olive Oil & Vinegar dressing and whisked it together.

Next I poured the pesto and dressing mixture over my pasta and stirred it all together.

At this point, I went ahead and took a few bites. It needed more salt, so I sprinkled some kosher salt. I also added a few more spoonfuls of pesto. You don't have to. I just love pesto.

Next, put in in a pretty bowl, cover and in saran wrap and pop it in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Right before you serve it, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top.

Pesto Pasta Salad

Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

• 12 oz. Quinoa pasta
• 2 cans of sliced black olives
• 1 jar of roasted red peppers
• 1/3 cup pesto
• 1/3 cup Newman's Own Olive Oil & Vinegar Dressing
• Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package. Drain and let cool

2. While pasta is cooking, make pesto

2. Drain sliced black olives

3. Drain and chop up roasted red peppers

4. Add black olives and red peppers to cooled pasta. Mix

5. In a separate bowl, whisk together pesto and dressing

6. Pour pesto mix over pasta and stir. Adjust salt and pesto to taste

7. Cover and store in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours.

8. Right before serving, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

***

We had this pasta salad with some grilled pork chops. We really enjoyed it. However, I made the salad too early so it sat in the refrigerator for 6 hours. That was a little too long, so I would definitely keep it around 1-3 hours. 

This would be good with grilled steak, chicken, fish, etc. It was really light and fresh.

You can also use whatever pasta you'd like. It doesn't have to be gluten-free.

Another great thing about this pasta is that you can put whatever you'd like in it. Tomatoes would be a great addition. My dad said he would like green olives in it. Whatever you want to add would probably be really good.

Enjoy!

Kaci