Jamaican-American Dishes And Pastries

This dish is one of my favorite when I want to change from cooking Jamaican dishes. It’s a delicious dish made with lots of garlic, celery, lemon slices and other seasoning. I used a lot of Jamaican seasoning in my cooking and incorporate it with American seasoning to get my JAmerican dishes. You can use also chicken breast legs or thighs. With the usage of the sliced lemon, you’ll get a tangy taste, something you’ll enjoy. The lemon slices is cooked with the skin on and taste like vegetable.

Recipe

This is another pound cake that is also made with cream cheese. This is a vanilla flavored cake that is topped with cream cheese and nuts. No stress, very easy to make. You can make the topping with any of your favorite nuts.

Recipe:

1 box vanilla cake mix

1 cup chopped almond

3 medium eggs

4 ozs cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp lemon juice

1 cup whipped cream

1 rich & creamy cream cheese frosting (use a portion)

Preparation

(1) Heat oven at 300-350 degree (depends how hot you oven is)

(2) Grease a 10″ bundt baking pan

(3) In a large bowl or a cake mixture blend in cream cheese and butter until creamy

(4) Mix in almond extract, vanilla and lemon juice

(5) Add eggs and mixed in well

(6) Add box cake in two portion with half of the evaporated milk each time and mix in at medium speed

(9) Add whipped cream and mixed in until mixture is smooth at low speed

(10) Pour out mixture in baking pan and bake for 25-35 minutes.

(11) Test if cake is baked by sticking a knife into, if nothing come off and knife is dry, the cake is baked.

(12) When the cake is bake, take it out of the stove and let it cool (if you turn off the stove and leave it in, the cake will dry out)

(13) When the cake is completely cool, spread the creamy cream cheese frosting over the cake

(14) When the cake is completely covered with cream cheese frosting, sprinkle chopped almond all over allowing it to stick to the cream cheese on the cake.

Here is a very delicious and moist carrot cake that is flavored with coconut and topped with cream cheese and nuts.

Recipe

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups shredded carrot

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsps baking soda (not baking powder)

1 1/2 tsps cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup oil or unsalted melted butter

3 eggs

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup evaporated milk

3/4 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup raisin or currants

Frosting

(Can also use the ready made cream cheese mix)

3 ozs of cream cheese softened

2 tbsps butter or margarine

2 tbsps evaporate milk

1/2 tsp almond extract

2-2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300-325 degrees

(1) Grease a 13×9 inches baking tin and set aside

(2) Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, almond extract and salt in a large mixing bowl or cake mixer

(3) Add oil or butter, egg, milk, lemon juice, shredded carrot and beat at low speed until all ingredients are mixed in, scraping the sides the bowl to mix everything

(4) Add shredded coconut, chopped nuts and raisins or currants and mix in

(5) Pour mixture into greased pan, put into oven and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour

(6) Insert a knife into cake to make sure it’s properly baked. Make sure knife comes out dry

(7) Remove from oven and let cake cool

(8)Bend all frosting mix together until smooth. Make sure it’s thick enough to spread over cake (to thicken add a little more confectioner sugar)

(9) Spread mixture over entire cake.

(10) Ready made cream cheese mix, just soften and apply

Note: If you want to put nuts on top of cake like above, omit chopped nuts from cake mixture. To do that, spread the frosting over the cake and then sprinkle the nuts. To get the nuts finer, beat in a clean towel.

Below is a homemade guava and cream cheese pound cake. I love the taste of guava so I combined it with the cream cheese to give a beautiful textured cake. Very easy cake to make.

Recipe:

1 box cake mix (yellow, white)

3 medium eggs

4 ozs cream cheese

4 ozs guava paste

1/4 cup butter

1 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup whipped cream or vanilla yogurt

1 tin creamy cream cheese frosting

Preparation

(1) Heat oven at 300-350 degree (depends how hot you oven is)

(2) Grease a 10″ bundt baking pan (mine is a decorated bundt pan)

(3) In a pot put cream cheese, guava paste and butter on stove with medium heat and melt, stirring until combine (Melting on stove is better because of the guava texture)

(4) Set aside to cool

(5) Put cream cheese mixture in a large bowl or cake mixer when it’s cool

(6) Mix in almond extract, vanilla and lemon juice

(7) Add eggs and mixed in

(8) Add box cake in two portion with half water each time and mix in at medium speed

(9) Add whipped cream or yogurt and mixed in until mixture is smooth at low speed

(10) Pour our mixture in baking pan and bake for 25-35 minutes.

(11) Test if baked by sticking a knife into the cake, if nothing come of and knife is dry, the cake is baked.

(12) When cake is bake, take it out of the stove and let it cool (if you turn off the stove and leave it in, cake will dry out)

(13) Before cake is completely cool, spread the creamy cream cheese frosting over, it will melt and dribble down the sides

One of my favorite pastry. I love to use guava and at times combine it with cream cheese. This pastry is so yummy and is made with a soft crust. This is not a very hard pastry to make as the puff sheets are already made.

Recipe:

1 box ready to bake pastry puff sheets

guava paste (found in your supermarket)

cream cheese ( should be solid to slice)

Preparation

(1) Cut Cream into 2 inch long pieces by 1/2 thick

(2) Slice guava paste into 2 inch long by 1/2 thick

(3) Set aside in refrigerator until pasty sheet is prepared

(4) Heat oven to 350 degree

(5) Lightly grease two baking sheets

(6) Thaw out pastry sheet, pastry should be cold and solid

(7) Unfold Pastry on lightly floured surface

(8) Remove parchment paper (if pastry crack when unfolding, sprinkle the crack with water and press edges together to seal)

(9) If pastry is thawed out too much and is sticky, put back in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes or freezer for 5 minutes

(10) Cut our circular shapes about 8-9 inches in circumference and a about 1/4 thick

(11) Gather all waste pieces, make in a ball and roll out and cut again until not much waste is left

(12) Take guava and cheese out refrigerator

(13) Put a piece of guava and a piece of cream cheese on top of each other in the middle of each pastry circles

(14) Fold over each circles to cover guava and cream cheese until edges meet

(15) Take a fork and crush around each half circles

(16) Put them into grease pan, 1 inch apart, put in oven

(17) Bake for 18 to 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown

(18) Remove from oven and allow to cool

That’s it, now you are ready to enjoy!

Note: You can make these for a party! Just buy few more puff pastry sheets. A tin of guava paste make a whole lot along with 2 packs of cream cheese

Jamaican Famous Christmas Black CakeThis is a quick easy meal, when you don’t want to go heavy on meat but more heavy on your vegetables. This dish is combine with peanuts, pasta and mixed vegetable dust with parmesan cheese.

Recipe

1 small box spaghetti

1 1/2 cups broccoli (brake apart)

1 1/2 cups cauliflower (not too big pieces)

1/2 cup peanut

romain lettuce

1 large tomatoes cut up (not sliced), set aside

1 medium cucumber sliced (set aside)

1 tsp all purpose season

1/2 tsp Jamaican jerk powder or jerk sauce (optional)

1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil

1/4 cup parmesan grated cheese

1/4 cup vinegar

Preparation

(1) Boil spaghetti (don’t overcooked), pour off water

(2) Wash all vegetable and soak in vinegar water for about 5 minutes (you’ll taste a little sourish flavor on your vegetable)

(3) Pour water off vegetable and make into a salad

(4) Put back spaghetti on low heat for about 5 minutes, mix in jerk powder, all purpose season and vegetable oil

(6) Dish spaghetti unto plates, put salad to the side of spaghetti, then add peanuts, and sprinkle over with parmesan grated cheese 

Optional: Add extra olive oil or vegetable oil on salad if needed on each plate.

This a very nutritious salad that made with Organic Black Soybean Spaghetti Pasta, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, sweet pepper, and peanuts.

Recipe

1/2 box organic black soybean spaghetti

1 cup broccoli (brake apart)

1 cup cauliflower (not too big pieces)

1/2 peanuts

2 medium sweet pepper sliced (different colors) cut in pieces

1 large union sliced sliced

3 cloves garlic chopped

1/2 tsp all purpose season

1/2 tsp Jamaican jerk powder or jerk sauce 

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil

1/4 cup parmesan grated cheese

Preparation

(1) Boil organic soybean spaghetti for 8 minutes (don’t overcooked), keep warm.

(2) In a pot heat oil to medium, add sweet pepper, onion slices, chopped garlic, all purpose season, jerk powder or sauce, black pepper, cauliflower and broccoli

(3) Steam all ingredients for about 6 minutes (don’t over cooked)

(4) Turn off stove and combine spaghetti with steamed ingredients

(5) Tossed until all is mixed in

(6) Dish spaghetti unto plates, add peanuts, and cover over with parmesan grated cheese

Optional: Add an extra table spoon of olive or your favorite dressing if needed on each plate

Note: You can also add corn, mushroom or any other vegetable that you like to the ingredients that is steamed.

This is a Vegan Dish made up with fried crushed half ripe plantains and seasoned mushroom. I am not a everyday vegan person but at times I like to skip meat and fish and just use vegetables or beans as a replacement. This is a simple dish to make and very low cost. You can also use green plantain for this dish also.

Recipe

Mushroom Ingredients

3 cups chopped mushrooms

2 medium sweet pepper sliced (different colors)

1 large union sliced

2 medium tomatoes chopped or (1 large)

6 cloves garlic chopped

1/2 tsp all purpose season

1/2 tsp Jamaican jerk powder or jerk sauce 

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil

Fried Plantain Ingredients

1 green plantain or half ripe plantain (half ripe plantain is when the green plantain is just turning yellow)

1/4 oil for frying

Preparation

Mushroom

(1) Properly washed mushroom and boil water for 8 minutes

(2)When mushroom is cooked, drain water off and set aside

(3) Hot oil in pot and add onion, tomato, garlic, all purpose season and black pepper, Jamaican jerk powder or sauce, sautéed for 3 minutes

(4) Pour in mushroom in pot with ingredients and mixed together, cooking for another 5 minutes (do not overcook seasoning)

Plantain

(5) Hot oil in pot on medium heat

(6) Cut plantain in 2 haves and then each half cut into two length wise

(7) Gently put the 4 pieces of plain in pot and let in fry on both sides.

(8) Take each piece of plantain out of oil and crush with paper towel and put back in oil to continue frying until it’s crispy and cooked

(9) When cooked take out of oil and drain on napkin, must be serves hot

Now you can serve yourself a filling dish of plantain and mushroom with a cup of coffee

This is a vegan dish that is made up with mushrooms, mixed with beans and served with rice and peas with vegetables. This is another of my dishes that I like when I want to stay away from meat or fish.

Recipe

Serve 6- 8 Depends

1 cup dried kidney beans

3 cups chopped mushrooms

2 medium sweet pepper sliced (different colors)

1 large union sliced

2 medium tomatoes chopped or (1 large)

6 cloves garlic chopped

1/2 tsp all purpose season

1/2 tsp jerk powder or jerk sauce

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil or vegetable oil

Preparation

(1)Wash and soak kidney beans for about 1 hr.

(2) Cook kidney beans until soft but solid (not mushy)

(3) When beans are cooked season with jerk powder or jerk sauce and set aside

(4) Properly washed mushroom and boil water for 8 minutes

(5) When mushroom is cooked, drain water off and set aside

(6) Hot oil in pot and add onion, tomatoes, garlic, all purpose season and black pepper ( sautéed for 3 minutes)

(7) Pour in mushroom and beans in pot with seasoning and mixed together, let it simmer for another 8 more minutes (do not overcook seasoning)

Your Dish is ready!

I know a lot of people like to go Vegan and this is one of the side dishes that can be made without any form of meat. Cabbage should not be cook for more than 8-10 minutes and should be crunchy when eating to keep the nutrients in. Cabbage has a lot of fibre in it, so if you are on a fibre rich diet, this is one dish you can add to your meal.

Recipe:

Cabbage

1 medium size cabbage cut in four (cut up cabbage as in the picture above)

1 medium size tomato (take seeds out) then chopped 

1 medium size onion chopped 

2 mini bell peppers (take seeds out) then chopped

1//2 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves of garlic 

1/2 teaspoon jerk season powder (skip if you have none)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil (no olive oil, use what cooking oil you have)

Green Plantain or Plantains

1 or more green or half ripe plantains (1 plantain in four pieces)

Oil for frying (plantain or plantains should have enough oil to fry crispy on both sides)

Preparation:

Steam Cabbage

(1) Wash and cut up cabbage

(2) In a container pour in your cabbage, and all additional seasoning

(3) Mixed in all seasoning, pour in a pot and put on the stove

(4) Add oil and mixed in, stirring occasionally

(5) Cover pot and let cabbage simmers for a bout 8-10 minutes (don’t overcook cabbage, it should be a little crunchy)

Plantain

(6) Hot oil in pot on medium heat

(7) Peel and cut plantain in 2 haves and then each half cut into two length wise 

(8) Gently put the 4 pieces of plain in pot and let in fry on both sides. 

(9) Take each piece of plantain out of oil and crush with paper towel and put back in oil to continue frying until it’s crispy and cooked

(10) When cooked, take out of oil and drain on napkin, must be serves hot