Coconut rice and peppered gizzard

Coconut milk is made from a brew of coconut meat and water. But don’t confuse it with lower-calorie coconut water. Rich and thick and more like cream than milk, coconut milk packs an eye-opening 445 calories and 48 grams of fat (43 grams saturated) per cup. According to www.eating well.com, coconut milk helps to trim roughly two-thirds the fat and calories without sacrificing flavor. For coconut water, it is a great hydrator for light workouts, as a cup serves up more than 10 percent of your daily dose of potassium—an electrolyte you lose through sweat.

Coconut rice

Ingredients

Two cups rice

Two tomatoes

One onion

One red bell pepper

One Scotch bonnet pepper

200 g coconut cream

Two cups chicken stock

One seasoning cube

Handful basil (finely chopped)

Salt (to taste)

Two tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

 Step 1: In a pot, parboil the rice with two cups of water. When the water is almost completely dry, remove the rice from the fire. Wash it under fresh cold water and strain.

 Step 2

Blend the tomatoes, onions, red bell pepper, garlic and Scotch bonnet until they form a puree.

 Step 3

In a pot, boil the puree for at least 10-15 minutes until it is a dry paste and not too liquid.

 Step 4

In a clean pot, add the olive oil. Once hot, add the tomato puree and allow to fry for three minutes on medium heat, stirring so it does not get burned.

 Step 5

Add seasoning cube, salt coconut cream and one cup of stock and allow to boil for five minutes.

 Step 6

Add the par boiled rice and stir once. Cover the pot and allow to boil for 20 minutes checking often to make sure the rice is soft and dry. If the rice is still hard, add more stock until soft. Rice is ready when it is soft to bite.

 Step 7

Add the basil and lightly stir into the rice to give it a nice fragrant scent.

 Step 8

To serve, sprinkle with some lightly toasted coconut flakes

Peppered gizzard

 Ingredients

One pound cleaned Chicken Gizzards

Two red bell peppers

Four atarodo/Habanero peppers

One medium red onion

Two cloves garlic

One fresh ginger finger

Half cup cooking oil

Two seasoning cubes

Salt to taste

Preparation

 Step 1:

Rinse gizzards and place in a pot with 1/2 chopped onions, salt and one seasoning cube. Cover with just enough water

 Step 2:

Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until gizzards are tender.

 Step 3:

In a blender, combine red bell peppers, half onion, habanero peppers, ginger and garlic. Blend till mixture is a puree consistency. Set aside.

 Step 4:

In a small pan, add cooking oil and pan sear gizzards till they have a fried texture. Add pepper mixture and fry together for 10 minutes.  Add one seasoning cube and stir.

 Step 5:

Add broth from the boiled gizzard if it is too thick and continue to stir. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Boil for additional 10 minutes on medium heat to ensure it does not burn.

 Serve alone or as a side dish to any rice dish. Enjoy!

Punch