A Complete Meal courtesy Jannishal

I was not in the mood for cooking today so I decided to make some simple, easy and quick recipes where the oven will do most of the cooking. The dish above is what I call the complete meal. It's no fuss and I really added my very own touch to it making the most of the ingredients I had in my Pantry. First up was my Assortment of Baked Vegetables. This is a recipe that is close to my heart because my family love vegetables so much and it's completely low fat and full of fiber. Next is my Pimento Bean Stew and below is the pimentos that is totally indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago. Yum! I really love pimento peppers, they are so flavourful and adds a delightful taste to rice, meats and sauces. My last dish was Oven Fried Chicken. I used only breast pieces aka white meat. The wonderful thing about this meal is that you get your carbs, protein, fiber,vegetables ie. a balanced meal all in one.

Assortment of Baked Vegetables

6 half cooked medium sized potatoes cubed
2 medium sized sweet peppers cubed
5 cucumbers cut in circles
1/2 cabbage head rough chopped(see picture below)
1/2 purple cabbage head rough chopped
2 carrots cut in small quarters
1/2 patchoi rough chopped(white part only)
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp of dried oregano (my favorite herb)
1-2 tsps of chili powder
2 tsps salt (it all depends on your taste)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients in a large greased baking dish.

Mix throughly(see pic below), and bake in oven.

It should take about 30-45 minutes, vegetables should still have a little crunch when bitten, al dente, and potatoes should be well done(tender).

Okay we're done, it's that simple.

NOTE: If you want more spice and tastiness you can add spices of your own that you like. If you want less you can add just salt. It's all up to you, that's the beauty and flexibility of recipes, you can change them to suit you.

Oven Fried Chicken

8 pieces of pre-marinated chicken breast boned or deboned
( You can use the dark meat pieces,thigh and leg, if you prefer those, it's all up to you)

Coating:

1 cup of Flour
1 cup of Seasoned Breadcrumbs
1 cup of Milk (I added my Mom's Pepper Sauce, which I discussed in an earlier post, to the milk)
1 tsp of Chili powder
1 egg
3 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare baking sheet pan. I used rectangular baking sheet.

Create an assembly line. One container with flour, another with seasoned bread crumbs and a third with the milk.

Add chili powder and egg to the milk and stir till well blended.

Coat chicken breast with flour, then dip in milk/egg mixture and then coat with seasoned breadcrumbs.

Place on baking sheet.

Continue with this procedure for the rest of the chicken.

Sprinkle extra virgin olive oil on each chicken piece. See picture below.

Place in oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until crust is golden and the chicken are just done and tender.

Note: Remember breast meat do not take long to cook so make sure to check and test after 30 minutes. If you are using thigh and legs it will take longer for the meat to cook about 40 to 45 minutes.

Completely Delicious

Well my Pimento Bean Stew will have to be posted another time because I really want to re test the recipe but you can use any peas and bean sauce you like with these recipes.

Serves 8

Bon Apetite
Jannishal

And Please give credit where credit is due. If you want to post these recipes elsewhere please don't say it's yours. At least have the common courtesy to refer to my blog site. Much appreciated.

My Mom's Pepper Sauce(The Ingredients are all Secret)

I'm sorry, but I can't reveal the ingredients of my mom's pepper sauce but at least I can post some pictures of her delicious sauce. It is completely original and is made up of a variety of hot peppers, vegetables and other ingredients. She has been making this for years and I have to say it's the best hot pepper sauce I've tasted in my life, literally. It's out of this World. I put it in almost everything I eat. All her friends love it and her family consumes it like water. My family just love HOT PEPPER.

Absolutely Delicious!

Jannishal

Mom's Fried Rice

This is a recipe that I wanted to post for a long time. Now in my family we have a tradition. Every Sunday we have a large family lunch compliments of my mom. And one of the highlights is her famous Fried Rice which absolutely tastes divine. Now fried rice is a local dish in Trinidad and Tobago. There are so many variations of it and the dish is influenced by the Chinese culture in Trinidad and Tobago. Many people in Trinidad know how to make this dish which is usually made on special occasions. In my family we make it every Sunday. My mom has her own twist to this rice dish that it is so unique and different from the usual fried rice recipes.

First of all one of the secrets that makes the taste of this fried rice unique is the use of extra virgin olive oil to cook this dish. Extra Virgin Olive oil has a wonderful flavour that blends with vegetables and any kind of dish.My mom also use a combination of herbs and vegetables which is really unique in her recipe. In my family we love to eat lots of fruits and vegetables so we enjoy adding lots of veggies to our fried rice.

The procedure that my Mom use is really quick. Instead of chopping all the ingredients below. She chops sweet peppers, carrots, pimentos, onion, garlic, parsley and chive in a food processor together. Saute all these ingredients with the olive oil in a large pot until tender, about 3 minutes. The next steps must be done quickly to avoid overcooking the rice. Add the rice, Mix well. Add sesame oil, then add soya sauce and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix until an even colour is achieved (You can continue to mix with the fire turn off). Do not overcook the rice, it must be just done.

3 cups of cooked Uncle Ben's Brown rice

5 pimento peppers ( I love the taste of pimento so I would definitely add more)

2 carrots diced finely

3 medium sized sweet peppers diced finely

1 onion chopped finely (This is optional, one tip concerning onions; once you cook a recipe with onions such as rice or pasta make sure to place the extra in the fridge within 4 hrs after cooking to prevent spoilage of food).

1/4 cup of olive oil (you can use more or less if necessary)

1 tbsp of sesame seed oil ( really brings out the Chinese flavour in the fried rice)

1/2 cup of chopped parsley

1tbsp of chopped chive ( You can add more if you love the flavour of chive.)

3 cloves of garlic chopped

salt and pepper to taste ( We love to add fried rice seasoning to this dish but it is optional, you can use whatever flavourings you prefer.)

aprox. 2-3 tbsps or less of Chinese Soya sauce ( We use the dark soya sauce, and we don't really measure. After making the recipe for years we just automatically know the colour of the rice we desire.)

You can also added 1 tbsp of grated ginger, it gives a nice flavour to the rice but it is optional.
My mom rarely use it in her fried rice recipe. Some people also add egg to their fried rice.

Enjoy
Jannishal