Jerk Pulled Pork With Caribbean Rice and Beans

Its been a long week. I had to do my National Board videos this week and everything went wrong... camera ran out of battery even when I recharged it all night, students were sick, the video didn't go long enough, etc. Then I got sick. Arrggg. Since its been a crazy week I haven't cooked that much, which has made me feel even worse because my husband doesn't cook and is very quick to suggest eating out. I hate eating out and it makes me feel disgusting for days afterwards but as we speak he's out getting a salad for me from Subway from across the street. I wanted sushi, he wanted convenience, so that's what we are getting because he is the one running out for it.

Last week, before the Super Bowl, we had people over for the Silva UFC fight. My husband texted everyone that we were having "light appetizers" but in our house that means there is a lot of food! Everyone knows us for having tons of food when they come over, so I couldn't disappoint. Here are two easy and very tasty dishes. I made these two dishes, along with some other Caribbean ones, when we had our parents over after we eloped and told them that we got married so they are near and dear to my heart. Since we were having people over I didn't get to take great pictures (they were all guys and I didn't want to have to explain why I was taking pictures of food) but you cant go wrong with the recipes.

Slower Cooker Jerk Pulled Pork

Ingredients

1 1/2 to 2 pound boneless pork shoulder roast (or 3 - 4 pound if you are using one with bone, which we prefer)

3 Tbs of Jamaican jerk seasoning

1 cup of water

2 large onions, sliced (optional)

1 Tbs of lime juice

Rub jerk seasoning evenly over roast. Place meat into slow cooker. Pour water into slow cooker. If you want to have soft onions to put onto your sandwiches put the sliced onions in the slow cooker before the pork. Cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours or high heat for 4 to 5 hours.

After cooked, remove meat from slow cooker and shred it. Skim the fat from the juices and add enough to moisten the meat. Stir in the lime juice to the meat. Place on to rolls for sandwiches or use on its own.

Caribbean Rice and Beans

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

1 15oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 of a large red onion (thinly sliced)

4 Tbs of balsamic vinegar

1 tbs of olive oil

1 white onion, finely chopped

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup of Arborio rice

3 1/2 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make it vegetarian)

1/2 cup of white wine

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp of turmeric

1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

Place the beans, onions, and vinegar in a bowl and let sit for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Use salt and pepper to season or, if you have dry jerk seasoning left from the pork, use a little to season the beans.

While beans are sitting, begin the rice. Heat the oil in a saucepan over high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent (5 min). Add rice and stir for 1 minute. Then add white wine and stir until absorbed. Add broth, bay leaves, turmeric and cayenne pepper and stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for around 25 minutes until rice is tender and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Place rice on platter. Drain the bean mixture if there is any vinegar left and then place on top of the rice.

Vegan Tamale Pie

This is the first year that I have hated winter. Previously I always liked the first two months of cold, November and December--the smell of turning on the heat for the first time, the first snow, the holidays. This year, I was tired of it from the first day of freezing weather that killed the last of my plants who were holding out. No going outside, no botanical gardens, no green... I am over it already. I need it to be March so I can look forward to my daffodils, crocuses, and irises coming out.

Here is a colorful and filling dish to make your winter a little more tolerable. I ran out of cumin and used some of the Jamaican Jerk seasoning that we brought back from our honeymoon instead. I'm not a big fan of cumin so I think Ill use jerk seasoning again when I make this next time but I'll let you know how much cumin to use if you want the traditional taste. I made this for my parent's christmas and it was a big hit as a side dish but could also be a filling main dish. My non vegan family members added sharp cheddar cheese as a topping.

Vegan Tamale Pie

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 tomatoes, chopped

1 15 oz can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 15 oz can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups of frozen corn, thawed

4 tablespoons of jerk seasoning (or 2 tablespoons of chili powder, 1 tsp of ground cumin and 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper)

2 tsp of crushed red pepper

salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 cup of coarse cornmeal

3 1/2 cups of water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Saute the onion, bell peppers, and garlic until soft. Stir in 1/2 cup of water tomatoes, beans, corn, jerk seasoning and salt to taste. Cover pot and cook for 15 minutes until the vegetables soften. Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish.

In a saucepan bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the cornmeal and 1/2 tsp of salt and whisk to combine. Return to a boil over medium heat then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until thickened. Add black pepper and more salt to taste and take off of heat.

Spread the cornmeal mixture over the bean mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.