Vegetarian

Due to the massive demand for Vegan, Vegetarian and Ital recipes, I launched a new series on YouTube, I call #MeatFreeMondays In doing so, I had to find a simple way to make Cauliflower tasty and stand out. Now… If you follow me on Instagram you would have already seen me bash Cauliflower as being the lamest vegetable on the planet. I have no love for this vegetable.. NONE! I’m much more of a fan of it’s cousin, Broccoli.

You’ll Need…

1 large cauliflower
1/2 – 3/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt (divided)

Note – use smoked paprika instead of the curry powder should you want a different flavor profile. 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.

Preheat the oven to 425 F

Then wash and cut the cauliflower into large pieces (I did 1/4s).

In a bowl, mix the olive oil, black pepper, 1/2 the salt, curry powder and green seasoning. Mix that well.. you now have a simple but marvelous marinade/dressing for the cauliflower pieces.

Place the cauliflower onto a baking tray and brush it with the dressing. Be generous on all sides.

Sprinkle on the remaining salt, then into the oven on the middle rack. (reminder 425 f).

35 minutes later and you’re done. However, for more of a golden/roasted color, you can keep it in for a bit longer. Remember to use the oil on the pan to brush the cauliflower after 15 minutes into roasting.

Note. Depending on how large the pieces of cauliflower you use are, it may take longer to fully cook.

Simple and delicious.. even for someone who regularly hates on cauliflower on Instagram. Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Vegetarian

Cassava (manioc or yuca ) Oil-Down.

July 23, 2021July 23, 20211 Comment

Here’s another ingredient (Cassava) I disliked with a passion as a kid on the islands, but can’t get enough of it as an adult. To be honest, the only thing made with Cassava I enjoyed as a kid was probably Cassava Pone. And if I were completely honest, I’d say it was because of the plump raisins in it and the fact that it was a sweet treat.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs cassava
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 medium onion (diced)
4-5 cloves garlic (smashed)
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
4 sprigs thyme
2 + 1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
3/4 teaspoon black peppers (divided)
1/2 medium carrot (sliced thin – wheels)
2 scallions (chopped)
3 pimento peppers (diced finely)

Note! I used frozen Cassava in making this dish, as it’s what I can easily find available here in Canada, plus I love the way it cooks quickly and it’s guaranteed to be soft. I usually get it in the frozen food section at local grocery stores, including West Indian, Latin and Asian markets.

Cook the cassava according to the package instructions. In my case I placed the frozen cassava in a pot covered with water and the salt, brought that up to a boil and allowed it to cook on a rolling boil for about 7 minutes. It’s NOT fully soft (cooked). Drain. and set aside to cool.

In a saucepan heat the butter (2 tablespoon) on a medium/low flame, followed by the onion, garlic, thyme, parsley, scallions and pimento peppers. Stir well and cook on low now.

As this gently simmers, it’s time to handle and prep the cassava. You may want to watch the video below. Remove the woody sort of string that runs down the center of the cassava (discard). Then cut the cassava into bitesize pieces.

Back to the sauce pan.. hit it with the black pepper and stir again. TIP You may use coconut oil at the start instead of the butter we opted for.

Now add the carrot (just cleaning out the fridge) and coconut milk. Bring to a boil (raise the heat), and allow it to simmer for 3-4 minutes (reduce the heat after it comes to a boil).

It’s now time to add the cassava back to the pot and finish cooking it all the way through. The cassava will now start absorbing all that goodness in the pot and the coconut milk will start to reduce down. Lid On.

Five minutes later and you’re done! Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. Finish with more black pepper and the remaining butter.

Such a tasty dish for something so simple… I can guarantee you that you and your family will want this on the dinner table quite often.

BTW, should you want to add some boiled sweet potato or green cooking banana to the mix, feel free to do so (adjust the salt and add a bit more butter). Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Gluten Free Side Dishes Vegetarian

Heirloom Tomato & Watermelon Salad.

May 27, 2025June 21, 20211 Comment

While one may say this is not a “Caribbean” salad, I have to question why not? Have you ever had sun ripened tomatoes or watermelon straight from the farmer’s field? I have and it was when I was a lil fella on the islands and that farm was our family kitchen garden in Trinidad and Tobago. The feta and balsamic are definitely not “Caribbean” but you can now find those ingredients at many of the bigger grocery stores across the Caribbean island chain.

You’ll Need…

2-3 lbs heirloom tomatoes
1/2 small watermelon
8-12 mint leaves
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup feta cheese
3-4 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper (divided)

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Heirlooms are seed varieties that are at least 50 years old, and you can save these seeds and plant them year after year. Heirlooms are never hybrids or GMOs. … GMOs are Genetically Modified seeds.

Every Spring I try my best to get Heirloom tomato plants for my garden as I find them to be the most sweet, juicy and interesting (no two are the same shape or color) tomatoes one can eat. While I’d love to say these tomatoes were from my back yard, I must confess that they were from a local grocery store.

Wash and chop the tomatoes (remove the core + stems and discard) into different shapes/slices to give the salad some texture and make it more eye-appealing. Please try to use heirloom tomatoes as the flavor and texture is unlike the greenhouse (nor GMO) stuff you get in the supermarket. Place it in a large bowl.

Cube the watermelon (remove any seeds if you don’t have the seedless variety). Then add it to the bowl, along with the Feta and Mint leaves (If the mint leaves are large, give them a quick chop).

Sprinkle the salt (especially over the tomato pieces) and half of the black pepper over everything.. you’ll get better flavor with fresh cracked black pepper IMHO. You can add some Scotch Bonnet Pepper Flakes if you want a KICK to the finished salad.

Note. watch the serving tip in the video below.

Make the dressing by whisking the olive oil, balsamic, honey and remaining black pepper together.

When you’re ready to serve the salad, pour the dressing (whisked) over the top and gently mix. I used my hands as I found it to be most effective this way.

Add more Feta or any cheese you like, should you like a lot of cheese in your salad. And you can always substitute Basil for the Mint if mint is not your fav herb.

I’d recommend placing the finished salad (not dressed) in the fridge to chill a bit before serving, especially on those hot summer days when you want something light and cool for lunch or dinner. Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Gluten Free Side Dishes Vegetarian

Smashed Cucumber Chow.

May 28, 2025June 15, 20212 Comments

After sharing this video on YouTube, the comments were very interesting. From “Why?”, to “Only a man would do this”, and “brilliant on it’s own or on the side of grilled salmon”. Chow is basically a quick spicy pickle we make in the Caribbean. Usually made with tart fruit (like green mango or Pommecythere aka golden apple ) and enjoyed as a snack by both kids and adults alike. Except adults tend to enjoy it better when there’s beer and cocktails involved. Note! typically the cucumber is cut into slices or wedges when this chow is done the traditional way.

You’ll Need…

2 Medium English Cucumbers (any cucumber will work)
1 tablespoon sea salt (divided)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 Wiri Wiri Peppers (any spicy pepper will work)
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon Shado Beni (chopped) * Cilantro will work too
2 shallots (or a small red onion – sliced thin)
1 lemon (juice)
1 tablespoon Korean pepper paste (Gochujang)

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. If you cannot source Wiri Wiri (coffee) Peppers, any spicy pepper will work.

Wash the cucumbers, then smash then using a rolling pin or as in my case, my wooden pestle. It will get messy! Then give the pieces a rough chop. Finally, add the pieces to a bowl and toss them with 1/2 the salt mentioned above.

The salt will do two things for us. It will help to pull out some of the water or tart juice from the cucumbers and two, in doing so allow the cucumbers to absorb the flavors we’ll add later.

As this sit in the salt, place the remaining salt, garlic and Wiri Wiri peppers in your mortar and crush to a paste. After 30 minutes, drain the cucumber to get rid of the liquid which will naturally sprout.

Now top the drained cucumber with that crushed pepper/garlic paste.

Basically all you have to do after is add all the other ingredients mentioned and give it a good toss.

The Korean pepper paste (Gochujang) is NOT traditional to this recipe (nor the shallots), but ever since our trip to Seoul a few years back I just enjoy adding it to this type of chow. There’s a deep fermented (almost smoky too) flavor it adds to the finished chow, that takes it to different level (IMHO).

I like placing it in a container with a lid and allow it to chill in the fridge before I tuck in. As a snack or a spicy salad, there’s no denying that it’s refreshing and an excellent way to make use of cucumbers.

Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Gluten Free Rice & One-Pot Dishes Vegetarian

Comforting Stewed Lentils (slow cooker).

May 28, 2025April 28, 20211 Comment

Mom never owned a slow cooker (and we’ve talked about her and her dislike for pressure cookers – that she passed on to us), so the lentils she would make about 2 times a month, was slow-cooked on the stove top. That recipe I’ll share with you another day. For now, here’s my take on what I believe is one of the simplest ways to prepare comforting lentils from scratch.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs dried lentils
1 large carrot (cubed)
2 cups butternut squash (cubed)
3 stalks celery (diced)
1 medium onion (diced)
2 scallions (chopped)
4-6 sprigs thyme
4 tablespoon parsley (divided)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
4 cups vegetable stock
3-4 cups water
3 pimento peppers (chopped)
1 tablespoon Molasses
2-3 tablespoon Maple syrup
1 tablespoon Caribbean browning
2 thick slices ginger
1/2 teaspoon Scorch Bonnet pepper flakes (optional)
6 cloves garlic (whole)
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

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 Caribbean Browning, vegetable stock and Worcestershire sauce you use. This will be a MASSIVE pot of lentils, so be prepared to freeze and reheat on a later date or make when you’re having a large crowd over for dinner.

Wash and soak the lentils in warm water for 15 minutes. There’s no need to soak overnight as we’re slow cooking.

Place the lentils (drained) in the slow cooker, followed by the pimento peppers, ginger, scallions, celery, 1/2 of the parsley, black pepper.. basically everything in the ingredients list.

Later on we’ll adjust the salt. If you’re doing this vegan, keep and eye on the ingredients in the Worcestershire sauce as you may have to avoid it.

With the carrot and butternut squash, I like putting in bigger cubes as it will maintian a bit of texture later on as we slow cook this.

Stir well and place the lid on. Setting on high.

You can walk away form it at this point.

6 hours later (watch the video below) and this should be tender, tasty and thick! Don’t forget to fish out the thyme sprigs and ginger and toss before serving. Yea, taste for salt too and adjust to your liking.

Top with the remainder of the parsley and enjoy. NOTE! For a more grainy lentil, cook for less time and cut back the water by 3/4 cup. Yes you can use Veg (or Chicken) stock instead of water, but be mindful of the sodium content as it will affect how salty the final dish is.

Freeze the remainder for another night you feel like having a comforting side or bowl of lentils you made from scratch.

Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Gluten Free Side Dishes Vegetarian

25 Minutes Red Lentil Dhal.

May 28, 2025February 9, 20213 Comments

I LOVE Dhal.. that rich and thick yellow split peas soup we make in the Caribbean, based on recipes brought to our shores by Indentured Laborer’s from India almost 200 years ago. However, since I dislike using a pressure cooker, I find that I don’t have the patience to wait the 1.5 hours needed. This brings us to Red Lentils, if you enjoy the taste and texture of yellow split peas Dhal, but want in in under 30 minutes.. stay tuned.

You’ll Need…

3 cups red lentils
1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
9 -11 cups water
2 small scallion (chopped)
3/4 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8-10 cloves garlic (smashed – divided)
1/2 medium onion (diced)
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon geera (cumin) seeds

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.

Bring the water to a boil in a deep pot on a high heat.

In the meantime wash the lentils by rinsing in cool water, drain and repeat until the water runs clear.

As the water comes to a boil, add the washed lentils, followed by the tumeric and bring back to a boil.

When you got that bubble going, skim off that froth at the top and discard.

Reduce to a rolling boil and add the black pepper, scallions (adds a lovely touch), salt, onion, scotch bonnet pepper (optional or any spicy pepper you like or have access to) and 5 cloves of the garlic.

It will cook on that rolling boil for 20 minutes with the lid slightly ajar… or until the lentils are falling apart.

I used a traditional swizzle stick (see image), but you can use a whisk or stick blender and get it smooth and silky. If using a stick blender, I’d recommend that you pulse or if you go continuous it will go frothy. BTW, I turned off the stove at this point as it was fully cooked.

Once smooth, taste for salt and adjust to your liking, then it’s time to chunkay (temper) the dhal to give it that finishing layer of flavor.

Heat the oil in a small pan on a medium flame, add the garlic and cumin seeds. Heat until the garlic burns (yes the only time I’ll recommend burning garlic) and you see smoke from the hot oil

All you have to do now is pour that oily mixture into the pot with the dhal, then stir. You’re done. Quick right?

An amazing side to rice and curry dishes or as I normally do.. as a cup of soup that warms my soul. I always make a big batch and freeze into containers for those nights I get my Dhal craving.

Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/