Chopped Inspired Din Din

It is a rare thing for a Saturday night to see me at home before 8 pm doing nothing but watching tv. And on such a rare occasion, I would be equally lucky for there to be a Chopped marathon on! For those true Food Network lovers out there, a Chopped episode is never short of mystery, mishaps, near misses, drama, laughs and most importantly unique and unusual food combination/concoctions. Of all these elements, it is the unpredictability, of the mystery basket ingredients and the final 'dishes' that keeps me on the edge of my seat and tuned in. In fact seeing these chefs professional or otherwise struggle or soar, in as little as 20 minutes with an unknown set of items to create beautiful and tasty or sometimes ugly and horrid looking dishes, I got inspired to try it myself.

So with my timer set to 20 minutes, my own 'mystery basket' of ingredients, I proceeded to create my own chopped inspired Saturday night meal as quickly as possible.

Mystery ingredients were:
1 can chunk light tuna,
green beans & carrots
1 slice avocado
1 can sprite zero

Strategy:

Preheat oven to 350.

Wash and peel veggies, breaking off green bean tips and cutting carrots into thin strips. Toss veggies together with salt, pepper and mrs dash (or seasoning of choice). Place veggies on spray coated baking sheet and put in oven for 8-10 mins
Drain tuna dry and place in a cooking spray coated glass pie dish or plate seasoning with salt and pepper (or seasoning of choice). Place in oven with veggies for 5-6 mins
In a bowl, mash the avocado with 2tbsp sprite zero, 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp yellow mustard and a splash of lemon juice. Use less sprite for thicker mash.

Remove veggies and tuna at the same time from the oven. Layer veggies, then tuna, then avocado mash. Garnish with lettuce on top.

Pour remaining sprite zero with a 1 tsp lemon juice in wine glass to create a simple no calorie spritzer.  All done in 18 minutes!

Sit down and Dig in!

The Chicken & The Egg

Which one came first? To be honest, I have absolutely no idea nor am I even attempting to explore it. What I am attempting however is how to use BOTH of these clean protein sources to create a very simple yet tasty Frittata.

What is a frittata you ask? Well simply put, it is an open faced omelette. However, unlike making an omelette with the additional ingredients added to the already 'cooked' egg mixture, the frittata egg mixture includes all the necessary toppings before it is cooked. In addition, the frittata is cooked on stove top low heat only until the bottom is set (top remains runny) and then placed into an oven to be bake until completely cooked through. Another major difference: while an omelette is usually best served immediately and to 1 person per 2-3 eggs, a frittata can be made and served hot or cold to more than 1 person as slices much the same way a pizza is.

So technically a frittata is an Egg Pizza and with the most important base ingredient in hand, you can make this into a pizza you'll fight to share.

Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1/4 cup chicken (i used tuna but you can substitute with meat of choice)
1/4 cup cooked green beans & carrots chopped (substitute with veggies of choice)
1 tbsp red or yellow onions (diced)
2 tbsp tomatoes (diced)
1/2 tsp garlic
 1 tbsp evoo i.e extra virgin olive oil (olive/canola oil can be used )

Method;
In a skillet that can be used in the oven, heat evoo and add garlic and onions and cook for 1-2 mins. Heat oven 325 degrees F. Mix egg whites, tuna and all other ingredients and pour over onions until it covers base of skillet completely. Turn heat to med and let egg mixture cook by checking (with a spatula) the bottom for being 'set/firm'. Once it is set, transfer skillet to pre-heated oven for 3-5 minutes until top is set, making sure edges do not burn.

Remove from oven, let cool slightly. With a plate face down on to top of the skillet, flip to turn out frittata unto plate. Slice up and serve with your favourite salad, piece of whole grain toast or have by itself!

My very own Egg Pizza

Fish Cakes aka fritters

Salt fish fritters is one of those things, as far as I know, any Jamaican will eat by itself for a meal or even with a larger meal be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are just tasty savoury morsels that will have you licking all 10 fingers so as not to miss a greasy crumb.

Well clearly these fish cakes are NOT the classic Jamaican 'Stamp and Go'. For one, there is no oil, in which they will be emerged, nor is there any flour. It is a 'healthier' version of a classic with additional variations if this one does not appeal to you.

What you'll need:

1/2lb salt fish (soaked/boiled, cooled, flaked and seasoned)
1/2 cup steamed callaloo
1/3 cup chopped onions (red & yellow)
2tsp fresh thyme
1tsp scotch bonnet pepper
1 egg beaten
1 cup mashed sweet potato (optional)
1/3 cup ground oatmeal (flour consistency)
cooking spray

Instructions:

combine all ingredients except oatmeal. heat skillet/frying pan and coat with cooking spray. use spoon or hands to form mixture into balls, flatten and coat with oatmeal flour (lightly). place in greased skillet/pan, cooking until golden brown on one side, then flip unto other side until done. Remove from skillet and place on paper towel.