My friend’s a jerk chicken master. So when we were invited over to enjoy some of his special hot and spicy jerk chicken we didn’t hesitate. However, no amount of questioning and cajoling could pry the recipe from him. His marinade was very spicy, intense and flavorful which makes sense since he says he marinates it for two days! I left with a full belly but empty handed.

So when Sobey’s challenged food bloggers to try some of their new recipes, and their Sensations by Compliments Caribbean Jerk Marinade was on the list of foods they would send me, I jumped at the chance. Hoping it would be that easy to recreate the real thing was a bit naïve, I guess. 

The bottled sauce just did not have the kick of a real jerk but it was quite pleasant.  I’d call it Caribbean pork and enjoy it often with its smooth tingle of sour sweet. I’d even feed it to kids, it was that mild.  But for a more jerk experience, I found a few enhancements made the dish much, much better.

Cheatin’ Jerk

1/3         cup                         Sensations by Compliments Caribbean Jerk Marinade

3              tbsp                       lime juice

1              tsp                          dried thyme

1              pinch                     clove

1              pinch                     red pepper flakes

1-4          pinches                                cayenne pepper (to taste)

6                                              boneless centre cut pork chops

Mix together marinade, juice and spices. Pour over chops and refrigerate as long as you can up to 48 hours.  BBQ over med-high heat until pork reaches 160F.  Serve with salsa below.

Tropical Salsa

1              tbsp       extra virgin olive oil

1              tbsp       honey

1              tbsp       malt vinegar

1              tbsp       Sensations by Compliments Caribbean Jerk Marinade

1                              mango diced

2              tbsp       fresh mint, minced

Toss ingredients together and serve on the side.

Vacations play funny tricks with my body. Last week we did the Huron county tour of Farm to Table as we always do. I feel good about shopping along the way at the farm gate, seeing the growers and producers of my food is only natural to me and it is something that I try to carry into my real life.

In my real life, I am as aware and healthy as I can be. The workouts are regular, the meals are thoughtful and the treats are low.  On vacation, the whole thing gets flipped.  The workouts become ad hoc, the meals often from a cooler on the beach (with portions that I normally wouldn’t allow myself) and the baked goods too good to resist.  All of this means that I come home and don’t like the feeling of a waistband all of a sudden. And in just one week!

Interestingly my hubby takes the opportunity to smarten up.  Since he is under my cooking care for the whole week, he actually loses weight.  His fruits and vegetable intake increase, his meals are more regular (he is a terrible lunch skipper) and his holiday schedule (and access to the beach) allows him to exercise more often.

So which one of us has this right? Who is the smarter bear? Me with my “all healthy 51 weeks of the year” or he with his “I’ll take this week to tweak”? Well, both actually.  We are each getting what we need when we need it. 

I need a week to drop the damned ball to remember that I feel better in my regime. He to remember that my harping is helpful and that he feels better when he pays attention.  We both need the reminders of a vacation to get back on track! We just approach it from opposite ends.  And in the end, it is me taking the lead and I am already on the road to recovery. Strapping my sneakers on now and getting back to my smart breakfast. He is on his way out the door WITH his lunch.  We will both do our best to keep our health and our vacation keenly in focus knowing that it will all come out in the wash.

(No, like literally, could someone else please wash the clothes? I got the food thing covered!)

Who doesn’t like a wee drink on the patio on a hot summer’s day? In order to keep the guilt demons off my back, I try to make sure that my alcohol comes with as little sugar and as much fruits and vegetables as possible. Yes, I am a whack job but a healthy one.  There is some evidence that the existence of alcohol actually enhances the uptake of nutrients from the food. Whack job like a fox!

Imagine my glee when I got an invitation to the Mott’s Clamato Caesar making contest at StarFish Oyster Bed and Grill. New ways to work in guilt free sipping while noshing on nummy seafood? I’m in. Party Mummy was there too so I will let her go into the drink details but suffice it to say that they were pretty darned creative. 

I find the taste of most vegetable juices over the top salty and need to be mitigated in some way. My favorite of the Clamato recipes used mashed and strained cucumber juice which provided a light, refreshing twist that did the trick. It toned down the salt and added some nutrients for the alcohol to carry into my body. So I’m going to steal it. Hey, all’s fair in love and seafood.

Lemon Cucumber Gin

¼             English cucumber

¼-½        lemon

1.25 oz gin

1.25 oz  soda water

                Ice

Mash or grate cucumber into a sieve and catch juice, pour into a martini shaker.

Squeeze lemon into shaker and add gin as well as ice.

Strain into a martini glass and top with soda water.

I have a secret.  He has large doe like eyes and will be joining me at dinner tonight. He is leaner than his compatriots which means that I have to handle him differently, but if I do, the payoff is outstanding! I can’t tell you where I found him but I can tell you how and why he has become part of my life. My new fellow is a rare breed indeed.

His name is Galloway. He is an artisan breed, foraging, grass feed cow that came to me via a friend who knows that I rarely consume conventional beef. This friend is doing everything he can to protect his own health too and had stumbled across a source.  Often, the only way to obtain such a secret stash is to have a direct relationship with the farmer.  So intriguing!

Here is what I told him when he asked if/what he should order:

Yes!!!!

·         This meat is lower in fat

·         The fat that it does have is a healthier balance of omega 3:omega 6

·         It is higher in CLA (anti-cancer nutrient)

·         Also higher in important nutrients E, A and C

Cut choices and cooking methods will need to differ:

·         The meat comes frozen and therefore doesn’t bbq well so cuts must be chosen wisely.  Given that it is leaner and frozen (which toughens further) and grilled (which dries) I wouldn’t go for any “steak” cuts. Go for the cheaper “roast” cuts and plan to bake or stew with moist heat. (which also protects the animal proteins from producing carcinogenic PAH’s and HCA’s)

·         Ground beef benefits from the addition of lots of olive oil, eggs, and breadcrumbs to make a juicy burger

·         Stewing beef is the perfect foundation of a crockpot of soup

·         You can’t beat these bones for making broth or bolognaise

A short while ago this 16^th century Scottish bred animal looked more like a buffalo than the black and white spotted dairy cows that dot our North American countryside. Tonight, he looks like dinner.