This is one of those recipes that came from a Rastafarian on Dominica- a version of his recipe was printed in the book “The Spice Necklace.”  I gave it a try the other day and both Marty and I really liked it.  It’s an easy recipe and doesn’t make a lot of mess which Marty really appreciates since he is the one who washes most of the dishes!  Sorry there isn’t a picture- I completely forgot to take one and then all of our stew was
gone!

What you’ll need:
-2 fairly large yams or potatoes- or 3-4 smaller ones (peeled & cut in ½ inch cubes)
-2 fairly large sweet potatoes- or 3-4 smaller ones (peeled & cut in ½ inch cubes)
-1 green plantain (sliced in about ¼ inch thick rounds)
-3/4 cup sliced carrots
-1 cup sugar snap peas
-1/2 green bell pepper (chopped)
-2 ½ cups spinach leaves
-1 green onion (chopped)
-1/2 Veg. bouillon cube
-1 cup coconut milk
-4 fresh thyme sprigs (and/or other herbs)
-1/2 tsp. cumin
-1/4 tsp. cayenne  

What’s Next:
-In a large pot boil yams or potatoes in 4 cups of water for 10 minutes
-Add sweet potato, plantain, and carrots and cook 5 more minutes
-Stir in bouillon cube
-Add peas & peppers and cook 5 more minutes
-Stir in spinach, green onion, thyme, cumin, cayenne, and coconut milk and cook 5 minutes
-With a hand masher, mash a few of the yams/potatoes to thicken
-Remove the thyme sprigs before serving
-Serve in bowls as a soup/stew or you can put it over rice

*Feeds 4 Martys*

This is a cake that I’ve made a bunch of times.  It’s super easy and doesn’t require a bunch of clean up :)!  I whipped it up the other night when we had an unplanned dinner with our friends from “Zero to Cruising.”  Rebecca doesn’t really like things too sweet and this turned out to be a great dessert for her!

Another cruiser brought a version of this to a potluck and asked her for the recipe so I could vegan-ize it and give it a touch of island!

What you’ll need:
-2 cups flour
-3 smallish/medium apples
-1 cup canola oil
-3/4 cup sugar (I use the natural cane kind)
-1 cup natural un-sweetened applesauce
-6 tbls. Water
-3 tsp. baking powder
-1 tsp. vanilla
-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
-1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 


What’s Next:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Chop apples, either with or without peels- as you wish! Set aside
-Toss all the ingredients (except apples) into the same bowl and blend (really, no drama here)
-Lightly flour a baking pan- I use an 8x8 but you can use up to a 9x11.
-Place half the batter in the pan and spread around to evenly distribute
-Place half the cut up apples on top the batter
-Pour the other half of the batter on top and lightly shake or spread to distribute evenly
-Place the rest of the apples on top
-Bake for about 30 minutes or until slightly golden brown and toothpick comes clean from center.
-Serve hot or cooled, it’s great both ways.

That’s all!  Enjoy!

I've been getting into Grenada’s local cooking culture and this dish was an experiment that was the result of talking to a few locals (on separate occasions) about their favorite vegetables and ways to prepare them.  The outcome was very tasty, even good enough for “Marty’s Picks” list :)!  

I should disclose that while I was cooking I hardly measured anything which means that if you wing it too it should still come out great!  From start to eating prep and cooking time was about an hour.

What you’ll need (for the Eggplant):
-1 Eggplant (mine was about 8 inches long and 6 inches around)
-2 tbls. Oil for frying
-1/2 cup flour
-2 tsp. egg replacer
-3/4 cup panko bread crumbs 

What’s Next:
-Slice the eggplant long ways in about ¼ - ½ inch slices
-Heat frying oil in a pan over medium heat
-In 3 separate bowls place the floor, bread crumbs, and prepared egg replacer (2 tsp. egg replacer mixed with 4 tbls. Warm water and stired)
-Flour both sides of each eggplant strip, dip immediately in egg replacer (both sides), then coat in panko bread crumbs
-Gently place the eggplant strips in the pan, let cook for 5 minutes then flip and cook for 5 minutes. 
-The eggplant should be crispy, not soggy and you may find that they need to be cooked longer.
-When done remove the eggplant from the pan and place on a paper towel 

What you’ll need (for the “gravy”-don’t panic, it’s not that bad):

-2 cups lightly packed callaloo (or spinach if you have no idea what callaloo is!)
-1/2 cup coconut milk
-1/4 cup water
-1 cup uncooked quinoa
-1/2 cup chopped green onion
-1 medium/large tomato, chopped
-1 tbls. Curry powder
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. cumin
-1/2 tsp. ground ginger 
-1/4 tsp. cayenne 
-1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
-3/4 cup water
-2 ½  tbls. Tomato paste
-1 tbls. Agave nectar
-1 cup julienne cut carrots
-1 medium red bell pepper, sliced thin
-1 cup broccoli heads

What’s Next:

-In a pan bring the coconut milk and water to boil.  Add callaloo (or spinach) and let simmer with lid closed for 15 minutes (less time for spinach.) All the liquid will absorb. Set aside in a separate bowl.
-While callaloo is cooking, make quinoa according to package directions. Set aside when done.
-Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan and add chopped green onions. Cook for a couple minutes
-Add the tomatoes, cook for a minute or two.
-Blend all the spices together in a small bowl and add to the pan. Cook 2 minutes or so.
-Stir in ¾ cup water, tomato paste, and agave nectar.  Let simmer for 2 minutes or so, add bits of water if sauce starts to thicken.
-Add sliced carrots, red pepper, and cooked callaloo.  Continue simmering 2 minutes.
-Add broccoli, turn off heat and cover for a minute or two to let the broccoli steam.
-Serve immediately over quinoa and fried eggplant 

*Feeds 4 Martys*