Gluten Free

Curry Chicken With Spinach.. a classic Caribbean combination (in my humble opinion). A dish which screams flavor, simple to put together and done in under 20 minutes. I’m not a huge fan of chicken breast as I much prefer the texture and flavor of darker meat, especially with bones. However, if there’s one time you can make chicken breast stand out in a curry, it’s now. Be sure to use baby spinach leaves for best results.

You’ll Need…

1 lb chicken (1 inch pieces)
3/4 lb baby spinach
1 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1 shallot (diced finely)
2 cloves garlic (sliced or crushed)
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (sliced)
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
8-10 grape tomatoes (any tomato will work)
2/3 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon black pepper

Important! If doing this dish gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the curry powder you use as some may contain flour as a filler. Also, keep in mind that you must wash your hands with soap and water after handling such hot peppers as scotch bonnets.

Season the chicken with the salt, black pepper and Caribbean Green Seasoning and set aside. No need to marinate as we want to get this tasty dish done asap. I used boneless chicken breast but you can certainly use chicken thighs. To be 100% honest, you will get better results with chicken thighs.

Wash the baby spinach with cool water and set aside to drain.

Heat the coconut oil in a wide pan over a low heat, then go in with the shallot and garlic. Allow this to cook on that low flame for 2-3 minutes, then add the slices of scotch bonnet pepper. Don’t use any of the seeds or white membrane surrounding the seeds if you’re overly concerned about the raw heat. Then add the curry powder and cook for 3-5 minutes. This step will do two things. Cook out the rawness of the curry and help to bloom the spices which makes up the curry blend.

Crank the heat up to med/high and start adding the season chicken to the pot. Mix well to coat the chicken with that curry goodness. Cook for 4-5 minutes.

Your kitchen should have the lovely aroma of a good curry being cooked. There should be no liquid in the pot and the chicken pieces properly coated with the curry. Add the washed spinach to the pot and stir well. The remaining water on the spinach leaves (from washing) will help to deglaze or release the flavor bits on the bottom of the pan.

The spinach will wilt down so after about 2 minutes you may now go in with the tomato and stir well. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Then taste for salt and adjust to your own liking. You may crank up your heat if you have a ton of liquid on the bottom of the pan. In my case it was done to my liking at this point.

Feel free to add a couple tablespoon of coconut cream if you’d like to add a bit more flavor to this curry dish. I never covered the pan if you’re wondering.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Flavorful Cabbage With Diced Ham.

May 27, 2025February 5, 20191 Comment

This is a dish mom would make for us when she had leftover ham (usually around Christmas time) as it’s was the only way she could ever make ‘cabbage’ seem attractive to us. When she didn’t have ham, show would use salted pork or tiny pieces of salted pig tails. If pork is not your thing you can always use smoked turkey or pieces of salted codfish as we did in a previous recipe.. where we also added boiled green bananas as our cousins in St Lucia would normally do.

You’ll Need…

1/2 large Cabbage (sliced)
1 small onion (diced)
1 clove of garlic
1 1/2 cups diced ham
1 carrot (julienne)
1 stalk celery (sliced)
2 pimento peppers
1 bird’s eye pepper (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the curry powder you use, as some may contain flour.

Dice the ham into 1 cm pieces and place into a heated (wide) pan over low heat. My ham was a bit fatty so I didn’t need any oil in the pan. Allow to cook (render down the fat) and go a bit golden in color. It may take a few minutes. Should you have a lot of fat in the pan, remove some and discard. Do NOT pour that fat down your kitchen sink or risk clogged pipes.

With the heat still on low, go in with the onion and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the black pepper and pimento pepper, along with the Bird’s Eye Pepper (any hot pepper will work.. providing with want some kick) and celery. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir well to incorporate the flavors.

Its now time to add the carrot and stir well. Right after you can go in with the cabbage. Heat on medium at this point please.

Here’s where you now add the salt (be mindful that the ham will add a salty element to the dish already), taste and adjust and personalize how long you want to cook the cabbage. I like it with a slight crunch, so I gave it 4-5 minutes, then the stove came off.

A quick and tasty way to put leftover ham to use.. goes great with rice, roti or as I did on this occasion.. on sandwiches.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Seafood

Bitter Melon (Carilie) With Shrimp Stir-fry.

January 23, 2019January 23, 20192 Comments

This past summer I finally got around to growing bitter melon (Carilie) successfully.. and if you’ve been a fan for a while you’ll know that it’s one of those ingredients I’ve disliked from the time I entered this world. If you’re wondering why I grew them in my garden, I guess I have two reasons. I wanted to prove I could do so in a cold climate like Canada where our growing seasoning is short and I know how much my mom and dad loves Carilie.

You’ll Need…

3 bitter melons
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/3 lb shrimp (or more)
1 teaspoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
2-3 tablespoon veg oil (divided)
1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust)
pinch of black pepper
1-5 birds eye peppers
3 cloves garlic (smashed)
ginger (sliced thin)
2 -3 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the curry powder you use as some may contain flour.

Peel, devin and wash the shrimp. Pat dry and season with the Caribbean Green Seasoning, curry powder and black pepper.

Heat a pan (I used a wok) on a medium flame and add 1/2 of the veg oil. Followed by the seasoned shrimp when the oil is hot. Stir for just over a minute then remove from the pan and set aside. We don’t want to overcook the shrimp.

With the flame now on low add the remaining oil, then go in with the bird’s eye peppers (give them a slice if you want to release some heat – see the video below). Cook on low for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and ginger. Stir well and cook for 30 seconds, so we don’t burn the garlic.

It’s now time to raise the heat to medium/low and add the prepped bitter melon. Basically you’ll trim off the ends, then cut it down the center length-wise. Then using a teaspoon you’ll scrape out the insides where there are the seeds etc and discard. Wash with cool water and slice into strips. (see the video below for the demo).

Add the pieces to the pan and give it a good stir to pick on the flavors already in the pan, followed by the salt and water.

The idea with the water is to help get the bitter melon tender. Cook on med/low for about 10 minutes or until tender. You can certainly adjust the cooking time if you want more crunchy or if you want it cooked softer. Taste for salt/adjust and if needed crank up the heat a bit if there’s still liquid at the bottom of the pan. The final thing you’ve got to do is add back the shrimp and brown sugar to the pan and cook for a minute, then you’re done.

Feel free to add a bit of chopped tomato if you’re concerned about the “bitterness” of the Carilie or you can do as I showed you all in a previous recipe – salt the Carilie after you slice them and allow to sit in the salt for about 30 minutes. Then squeeze and rinse off all the salt.

My dad is a diabetic and bitter melon is supposed to be a superfood for such illness. He also makes “tea” with the ‘bush’ (leaves/vines) of the plant. So with the abundance of both the vegetable and vines, he was in his own little word this summer, when they would come over on the weekends.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Vegan

Traditional Curry Pigeon Peas (fresh from the garden). #vegan

May 28, 2025December 18, 2018Leave a Comment

Last Spring I had the opportunity to be “home” in the Caribbean during Pigeon peas season and luckily I had my camera with me so I was able to document my mom and dad making curry pigeon peas, to share with you. This is traditional as it gets, so even though I’ve shared a similar recipe in the past I felt it was important to show you this version as well. This is what I grew up enjoying as a young fella on the islands.

You’ll Need…

5-6 cups shelled pigeon peas
3 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon amchar massala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon roasted cumin (ground geera)
1 medium onion
5 cloves garlic (grated)
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper
1/2 cup water (for cooking curry)
4-5 cups boiling water
1 large tannia (2 potatoes will work)
1 teaspoon salt (adjust accordingly)
2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
3 tablespoon veg oil

Important: If doing this recipe gluten free please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the Curry powder you use as some may contain flour as a filler/thickener.

Fresh off the trees, the pigeon peas were shelled by my dad.. something which was my chore along with my brother and sisters (I hated doing). Then washed with cool water and set aside for cooking. The sort of skin or shell the peas were in could be used for feeding cows, goats and pigs.

In a heavy pot on a medium/low heat add the veg oil, followed by the curry powder and cook for about 3-4 minutes. The curry will go dark and you’ll be able to smell the scent of all the spices which makes up the curry blend. Then add the water (1/2 cup) and cook off the ‘raw’ taste of the curry. After-which you may go in with the onion, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper. Stir well and cook for a couple minutes.

You may now go in with the Cumin, amchar masala, turmeric and Caribbean Green Seasoning and stir well. Cook another 2 minutes or so.

Peel and slice the tannia and add it to the pot and stir well to completely coat with the curry base we’ve created.

Turn up the heat to high and add the pigeon peas, along with the salt and stir well. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. It will spring it’s own natural liquid. At this point you will reduce the heat a bit and allow to cook for about 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes uncover the pot and burn off any remaining liquid.. there shouldn’t be any/much. This step is to infuse the pigeon peas with that lovely curry flavor. Heat back on high, add the boiling water to the pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce to a rolling boil and cook until the peas are tender. This will take between 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

After an hour and half this was fully cooked in our case, so mom went in with her swizzle stick and gave it a working to crush some of the peas the thicken the gravy. You may use a potato masher if you don’t have a swizzle stick. You’re basically done at this point.

Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. And there you go, a traditional technique Pigeon peas straight out of my dad’s garden. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten free.. and TASTY!

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

Fresh Pineapple Salsa Recipe.

May 28, 2025December 12, 20181 Comment

Most people tend to associate a freshly made Salsa with the summertime and hanging out in the back yard with friends, sipping cocktails (and beer) while patiently waiting for the stuff off the grill. However this holiday season there’s no reason to not make this quick and simple Pineapple Salsa to add a bit of the warm tropics to your party. I guess the same can be said for when it’s the height of winter and you’re engaged in supporting your favorite sporting team on television.

You’ll Need…

1 small ripe pineapple (abt 1 1/2 cups | ripe)
2 cups diced tomatoes (diced)
1/2 cup cilantro (chopped finely)
1 clove garlic
1 med red onion (diced)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 lime (juice)
1 jalapeno pepper (diced)

How To Peel & Trim A Pineapple << Click to watch the demo video!

When shopping for a pineapple please try to get one that’s not green in color (should be a mixture of green and yellow or all yellow). With no blemishes or rotting top leaves and there must a fragrant scent if you were to hold it up to your nose. Make sure it’s also firm.

This is so simple you really don’t need a recipe, plus it’s a shame more people don’t make their own but resort to paying those expensive prices the local grocery stores charge for the pre-made stuff. Crush the garlic, finely chop the cilantro and try to dice the other ingredients the same size. Yes it may take a little effort, but it’s worth it.

Place everything in a large bowl then go in with the salt, black pepper and lime juice and give it all a good stir. Adjust the salt if you find it a bit tart and you can certainly add a bit of finely diced habanero or scotch bonnet pepper if you want a more pronounced kick.

If you want you can substitute lemon juice for the lime juice or add a bit of both. Allow the salsa to marinate in the fridge for an hr or so before serving and give it a final toss before bringing it out to your guests. If you find that the pineapple is a bit tart you can add a teaspoon of brown sugar or honey to the mix.

If you wanted to add some diced mango to the salsa I’m sure your family and guests will approve.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Side Dishes Vegetarian

Outstanding Kale Salad.

May 27, 2025December 9, 2018Leave a Comment

Lately I’ve been doing a series on YouTube called #MeatFreeMondays and it’s been an overwhelming success with fans, though some of the recipes are not necessarily “Caribbean”. The following Kale Salad is one of those demos I shared a while back… which in my humble opinion is one of the best ways to put Kale to use. Kale can be somewhat tough, so by bruising the leaves it breaks down some of the fiber and makes it much more delicious. Especially with the quick vinaigrette we’ll dress it with.

You’ll Need…

1 bunch Kale (about 1 – 1 1/2 lbs)
1/2 small red Cabbage
1 avocado (cubed)
1 small shallot (diced fine)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 heaping teaspoon sugar (white)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 lemon

1 cup nuts (mixed)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon curry powder

Important! If doing this recipe Gluten Free please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet your specific Gluten Free dietary requirements.

Trim the Kale (remove the tough ribs and discard), then rip into bite-sized pieces and wash well with cool water.

Cut the cabbage into strips and add to the Kale.

In a bowl whisk the shallot, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, vinegar and sugar together. Then pour over the cabbage/kale combo. If you wanted to add some dried pepper flakes or some freshly diced Birds Eye pepper to the dressing, feel free to do so.

Mix well, then go in with your hands and be rough – squeeze the kale and cabbage as to bruise the leaves. Try you best to really break down the Kale so it’s easier to enjoy in the salad.

Heat the olive oil in a wide pan (or a dry pan if you wish) on low heat and toast the nuts to warm them through and to help bring out a bit of the ‘nutty’ flavor in them. Toss in the curry powder (optional) and cook for a few minutes. I used a variety of nuts, but you can stick to one of your faves. Now top the salad with the diced avocado and nuts… dig in.

In under ten minutes you’ll be enjoying one of the best kale salads you’ve ever had- guaranteed! But be sure to be rough with the kale leaves when you work in the dressing or you’ll find it a bit chewy.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2