Jerk chicken & Jamaican rice and peas

Over a decade ago, when we still lived in Gainesville, my husband and I used to go to this great little place (I can't remember the name) for their jerk chicken. It came on a plate of beans and rice, and it was divine.

When I was trying to figure out what to make for this week's cooking group, my husband suggested Jerk chicken. It's still a little chilly out, so I was thrilled to find that people make this in the crockpot with good results; I'm not ready to bbq. I pored over various recipes and finally decided on a marinade that sounded good. And I found a recipe for the beans and rice to go with it.

I had high hopes, but the outcome was just okay. The beans and rice could have used a little less liquid (but that was my mistake~I soaked the beans overnight, but didn't reduce the amount of liquid in the cooking recipe, which called for unsoaked beans). The chicken was moist and tasty, but since it wasn't grilled, it didn't have authenticity. If I were to redo it, I would not presoak the beans and I would probably just marinate/grill the chicken. I'll retry this summer.

On the upside, the vegan corn muffins rocked. (Vegan because my son's allergic to eggs.)

Here are the recipes.
~ Nanda

Jamaican Jerk Chicken an adapted version from Allrecipes.com

This is what it looked like in the crock pot.


(I added the soy sauce, vinegar, cinnamon, and cloves based on other recipes)

INGREDIENTS:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks 2 limes, juiced 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup vinegar 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp cloves 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 onions, chopped 3/4 cup chopped green onions 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 habanero peppers, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place chicken in a medium bowl. Cover with lime juice and water. Set aside.
2.	In a blender or food processor, place allspice, nutmeg, salt, brown sugar, thyme, ginger, black pepper and vegetable oil. Blend well, then mix in onions, green onions, garlic and habanero peppers until almost smooth.
3.	Put it all in the crock pot and cooked for 6 hrs on low. Then broil, while basting with butter/marinade until browned. For a more authentic result, I'll do this next time: 3. Pour most of the blended marinade mixture into bowl with chicken, reserving a small amount to use as a basting sauce while cooking. 4. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. 5. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat. Brush grill grate with oil. 6. Cook the chicken slowly on the preheated grill. Turn frequently, basting often with the reserved marinade.

Jamaican Rice and Peas (Red beans and rice) from Food.com

 This was our least mushy result (Anna's), perhaps because of Anna's awesome pot!
(Don't presoak the beans like I did. It'll get too mushy.)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dried red kidney beans
• 1 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 cups water
• salt, to taste
• 2 cups coconut milk
• fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1 small onions, minced (optional)
• 1 scallions, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 fresh hot pepper
• 2 cups uncooked rice

Directions

1. Combine the kidney beans, garlic, water and salt to taste in a saucepan. Cook, covered over medium heat until tender, about 2 hours.
2. Add the coconut milk, pepper to taste, scallion, onion, thyme and whole fresh pepper.
3. Bring to a boil, remove the hot pepper. Then add the rice and stir.
4. Return to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 25 minutes, or until all the liquids have been absorbed. Serve hot as a side dish.
   
   Vegan Agave Cornbread muffins from Allrecipes.com(I reduce the agave by about half because it's too much like a dessert otherwise.)
   
   INGREDIENTS:

   1/2 cup cornmeal 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt

   1/2 cup applesauce 1/2 cup soy milk 1/4 cup agave nectar 2 tablespoons canola oil

   DIRECTIONS:

   1.	Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a muffin pan.
   2.	Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; stir in the applesauce, soy milk, and agave nectar. Slowly add the oil while stirring. Pour the mixture into the muffin pan.
   3.	Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick or small knife inserted in the crown of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.