Crunchy Bacon Salad

"Summer salads are all the rage so we have to keep it interesting, tasty and cute. heres a simple bacon salad recipe sure to fill you up while keeping your diet in check."

Ingredients

• Streaky bacon
• Spinach Leaves
• Croutons 
• Cherry tomatoes 
• Avocado (Jamaican Pear)
• Cucumber 
• Beet root 
• Radish
• Green Multi leaf Lettuce
• Red Multi Leaf Lettuce 

Method:
1. To a frying pan add 2 tablespoons of oil. (I've used olive oil). Heat your oil and fry off you bacon strips until crispy. One. Fried, remove your bacon strips and place one some kitchen paper to remove excess oil.
2. Next lay these onto a chopping board and with a sharp knife chip each bacon strip roughly into 4 or 5 pieces.

3. Now chop your cherry tomatoes into halves (I've left a few of them whole).

4. Slice your avocado into half and de-seed. Then slice each half into quarters and chop roughly. 

5. Wash your radish & beetroot and slice thinly.( I like to chop my radish into batons or thin strips.
6. To a bowl add your green & red multi leaf lettuce,your spinach leaves and your other chopped veg. Lightly toss your leafy salad before adding your croutons & Tossing once more. Lastly you will add your chopped crispy bacon cuts and give your salad one final toss.
7. Garnish with light salad dressing if you choose or eat straight from the bowl.

*Tip you can add some sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, or dried pumpkin seeds to your salad during the tossing stage to add an extra crunch.

*Tip: Serve this salad with some baked & sliced chicken breast for a complete, colourful & healthy meal.

(Great for picnics, post gym meals or just of everyday salad lovers.)

Don't forget to #cookinglessonswithpurse so i can see what everyone's cooking up.

x

Crispy Chicken Strips

You always have those lazy days when you eat something simple, quick and tasty, and we all know homemade is best made. these quick and easy fried chicken strips will have your mouth watering in no time.

Ingredients:
 •4 boneless chicken breasts
 •Plain flour
 •Garlic powder
 •Black pepper 
 •Meat seasoning 
 •Chicken seasoning 
 •1 garlic clove
 •2 eggs 
 •Bbq sauce 
 • Cornmeal

You'll also need:
 •A food bag or a clean plastic bag
Method:
 • First wash your chicken breast with some vinegar, lime juice or lemon juice. Then place on a chopping board and slice roughly 1cm thick. (Don't measure a centimetre, just approximately)
 • Once chopped place your chicken breast back into your bowl. You will now finely chip 1 garlic clove and add to your chicken.
 • To your bowl now add Chicken seasoning, Meat seasoning, Garlic powder & Black pepper.
 • With clean hands, gently rub your seasoning into your chicken and leave to the side.
 • Now place your pot on the stove and add oil. ( just enough to cover your chicken strips) leave this to heat up whilst you prepare your coating.
 • in a food bag or clean plastic bag, add 2 cups of plain flour, 5 table spoons of cornmeal, 1 teaspoon of black pepper & 1 table spoon of all purpose seasoning. Use a fork to slowly mix these spices together inside the bag to create a tasty coating for your chicken pieces.
 • In a separate bowl, crack two eggs, removing the egg eye and whisk with either a fork or a hand whisk. To the eggs add a pinch a black pepper (this is to cut rawness).
 • Once fully whisked, pour the egg mixture over your chicken and gently mix this together. Making sure all your strips are covered.
 • Few by few place your strips into the flour mixture, slowly shaking the bag as you go along. (Tip: shaking the bag slowly keeps the mixture loose, gets everything coated and stops the meat from sticking)
 • Now all your meat has been placed into your mixture. And coated it's time to fry.
 • One by one add your chicken to your oil slowly. Place just enough inside the pot to ensure all your pieces cook evenly, turning once to ensure the golden coating all over.

*Tip: covering your chicken inside the pot for the first 45 seconds allows them to cook thoroughly. After that, remove the lid and let them open fry.

  •One the strips are completely golden brown, remove them and place on some grease proof paper, let them cool and then enjoy.

* For variation I have used some of "Purse's Likkle BBQ Sauce to coat some of my strips. BBQ SAUCE RECIPE COMING SOON......

Happy Cooking, Purse x

Classic Jerk Pork

  I know everyone loves the some jerk pork, and I know even more so we all wish we could get some of that authentic Jamaican jerk pork from the island....but we cant always be in paradise sipping cocktails and eating amazing food.

    But... just because were not on the island, that doesn't mean we cant enjoy all its amazing-ness in food form...Forget the drum pan & coal, I'm going to show you just how to make that fiery, finger licking  jerk pork at home....

You will need:

• 2 kilograms of pork belly & pork shoulder.
• 4 table spoons of jerk sauce (Dunns River Jerk Seasoning)
• 1 white onion
• 1 shallot
• 1 spring onion
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• A small piece of fresh ginger
• 4 slices of scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 7 pimento seeds
• 5 table spoons of soy sauce
• 2 table spoons of all purpose seasoning
• 2 table spoons of meat seasoning
• 1 tea spoon of jerk powder
• garlic powder
• 1 lime/ lemon

Preparation:

First things first, wash and set aside all your veg and seasoning that will be added to your jerk pork. lay put a chopping board and a sharp knife that will be used to prepare your seasoning also(an organised cook is a great cook).

Method:

1. Chop your onions, scotch bonnet, garlic, spring onion, thyme & ginger into 'smallish' pieces (these do not need to be perfect as the will nearly liquidise as they cook). Once these are all cut wash them and place them in a bowl to be added later.

2. Place all your meat into a bowl and squeeze over some lime juice and rub this in. wash your meat with cool water to remove any gunk left from the butcher.

3. Once washed and ready put all your chopped seasoning onto the meat. Add your all purpose, meat seasoning, garlic powder,  pimento seeds, jerk powder, soy sauce & your Dunn's river jerk seasoning sauce.

4. Now we just rub all our seasoning into our meat. rub thoroughly so that all the meat is covered from bone to flesh. once the meat is all covered. place some cling film over your meat and leave in the fridge for an hour.

5. Remove your meat, leaving all your seasoning in the bowl to be added half way through cooking. Place your meat onto an oiled tray or roasting dish and cover with foil paper ready to place in the oven.

6. Place the tray into your preheated oven at 200 degrees for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes remove your tray and turn your meat onto the other side for browning. drain all your meat juices into your left over seasoning to later make your gravy. return your meat back to the over for another 25 minutes for evenly browned meat.

7. To your left over seasoning, add 2 cups of water and 2 table spoons of soy sauce.

8. After another 25 minutes remove your meat and turn once more. to your almost cooked meat. add your seasoning, soy sauce 7 water mix and place in your oven uncovered. this will cooking for 15 minutes until your sauce starts to thicken and bubble.

9. Once removed, I like to place on a low heat on top of the stove and spoon the grave over the meat to keep it moist.

10. Remove your meat from the tray when ready to serve and chop roughly.

"Traditionally, Jerk Pork is served with festivals, hard dough bread and salad." (But you can eat it on its own, with rice or witch pasta if you choose)

*Tip: you can jerk so much more than pork. these ingredient can be used to jerk pork, chicken, fish, prawns, beef and even vegetable for those wants to try something new.

(Jerk chicken using the same recipe)