Belize

Belize Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken
1/2 cup red recado
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 Habanero, optional
a splash fresh lime juice or vinegar to taste (I omitted)

Method:

1. Marinate chicken in red recado overnight (or for at least 1 hour)

2. Heat up oil in a pot over medium. Add chicken and brown in batches as necessary.

3. Remove chicken and add bell pepper and onion and cook until soft.

4. Return chicken to the pot. Toss in optional Habanero (whole). Add about 2 cups water.  Cover and cook for at least one hour on low.

5. Stew chicken until meat is falling apart.  If there’s too much liquid, uncover and reduce.  Add a splash of lime juice or vinegar to brighten up the flavor. Adjust seasonings as necessary.

Serve hot on top of Johnny Cakes or with Rice and Beans. Fried plantains make a quick and easy side dish.

Ginger Salad Dressing

½ cup minced onion

½ cup olive oil

1/3 cup vinegar

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp minced ginger

2 tbsp minced celery

2 tbsp catsup

4 tsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

Place all ingredients into a blender on high for 30 seconds.

Belize Rice & Beans

1 large can

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic (crushed or diced)

1 medium onion (sliced)

1 dried coconut (grated)(to give 1 cup milk)

2 lbs rice

salted beef (optional, trim fat, as a substitute for the pig's feet in the original recipe)

6-8 cups water

Boil beans until tender with garlic, onion, and pig’s tail. (Or use pressure cooker)
Season beans with black pepper, thyme, and salt.
Add coconut milk. Stir and taste. Let boil.
Clean rice. (This step is usually not needed in developed countries, where rice is pre-cleaned and usually enriched. Washing enriched rice will remove all the enrichment! Additionally, wetting the rice will upset its moisture balance and cause unwanted results if using a rice cooker.)
6 Add clean rice to seasoned beans. Stir, then cover. Cook until water is absorb or rice is tender. If necessary, add more water gradually until rice is tender.

Coconut Puffs

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Margarine

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar or White Sugar

1/2 Cup Raisins

2 Tsp Baking Powder

2 Medium Eggs

1 Tsp Vanilla

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tsp Nutmeg

1/2 Cup Coconut Milk or Evaporated Milk

1 Cup Shredded Fresh Coconut (not sweetened)

Sift the 2 Cups of Flour and add the Margarine, mixing by hand until the mixture is crumbly.

Add in dry ingredients: Sugar, Raisins, Spices, Baking Powder, and ground Coconut.

Beat Eggs, Vanilla, and Coconut Milk. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients slowly. Final dough is moist and sticky. Use a spoon to drop large spoonfuls on a well-greased baking sheet and sprinkle generously with course brown sugar.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 370 degrees or until golden brown.