Pear and fig pizza
Pear and fig pizza

I did quite a bit of cooking this month. I played around with some bruschetta-like dishes as well as a couple of pizza experiments. Those aside, most of the dishes this month are Caribbean. Rachel and I chose that to be our theme for March, which meant that I went to town with plantain dishes.

Pork Enchiladas with Corn Cake

Pork enchiladas
Pork enchiladas

This one is primarily Rachel’s doing. She slow cooked some pulled pork, rolled them in white tortillas, added a mixture of sauces and cheese and ended up with a killer enchilada. I chipped in with the corn cake on a whim. It was a little sweeter than I would normally like but everybody loved it.

Fig with Pear, Spinach Mushroom Mozzarella, Lemon Pesto Mozzarella Bruschetta

Brushcettas
Brushcettas
Even more brushcettas
Even more brushcettas

I don’t have a lot of time on weeknights so I like to keep my cooking to 30 minutes or under. I got a little tired of all the salads I have been eating recently and decided to mess around with some brushcettas. I am still obsessed with figs and spinach so naturally they ended up in there.

Mofongo, Lemon Jerk Beef and Plantains

Mofongo!
Mofongo!

I recently went to Mi Caribe(so should you), ordered their mofongo and lost my mind. Mofongo is a mashed fried plantain dish that is popular in Puerto Rico. All I needed to know was that it was another way to make plantains. This was my first attempt. Overall it turned out pretty well. It could have used some chicken broth to add a little more moisture, otherwise I was quite pleased. The beef could have gone with less lemon though.

Fig, Pear and Onion Pizza

Fig pizza
Fig pizza

Yeah, I know, I have a problem. The fig/pear combination is so good though. Besides, this was more of an experiment with Caputo 00 Italian flour. I am used to making New York and Chicago style pizza doughs, so I have little experience making Neapolitan doughs. It doesn’t help that I don’t stone oven but that won’t stop me. My technique still needs some work but this wasn’t bad.

French Toast with Peanut Butter and Sauteed Bananas

French Toast with Peanut Butter and Sauteed Bananas
French Toast with Peanut Butter and Sauteed Bananas

Another weekend, another brunch. This was my standard pain beaucaire french toast recipe. Except this time I added some peanut butter on top and sauteed some bananas in syrup to make a delicious topping.

Jerk Chicken with Rice and Beans

Jerk Chicken
Jerk Chicken

This was all Rachel again. She chose jerk chicken for our theme. It turned out great. Juicy with a little bit of spice…and we finally got to use her grill.

Sweet Potato Picadillo

Sweet Potato Picadillo
Sweet Potato Picadillo

Again. got to Mi Caribe. but this time get their picadillo. It is freakin delicious. This was my first time making it. Picadillo is a Caribbean dish similar to chili but it doesn’t have beans and is made with a sofrito base. I added sweet potatoes instead of regular ones. I made this as a filling for empanadas but it is often served as a main or side dish.

Picadillo Empanadas with Plantains

Picadillo Empanadas with Plantains
Picadillo Empanadas with Plantains

Here are those empanadas, filled with delicious picadillo. Everything was made from scratch and everything turned out awesome. The empanada dough was simple to make but very, very delicious. Of course, I had to add some plantains…you know, to add a little fruit to the meal.

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes with Eggs, Sausage and Home Fries

Pork enchiladas
Pork enchiladas

Nothing like another weekend brunch. This time Rachel made lemon poppy seed pancakes and my mind was blown. They taste exactly like you would imagine them, which begs the question…Why haven’t I made these before? I am thinking lemon poppy seed waffles need to happen.