Coconut Bake

Baking Powder Biscuits Served Shortcake-style (Photo credit: texascooking)

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw

In Trinidad, this rustic coconut loaf with a biscuit-like texture is traditionally eaten with bul jol, which is also known as pick-up saltfish. The bread is quick and easy to make, and is great for breakfast with tropical jams such as guava, passion fruit and mango.

Pick-Up Saltfish

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw

Saltfish is a staple throughout the Caribbean, providing a rich, salty flavor for simple dishes like fritters, steamed callaloo, and rice. This dish is called "pick-up saltfish" because the salt cod is pulled apart and shredded. It is made into a salad that's eaten for breakfast or brunch with coconut bake or crackers. It's a good party snack, too.

There is a need for the salt cod in this recipe to soak overnight, so start this recipe a day ahead. Salt cod is available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

Quick Ginger Beer

English: Dark 'n Stormy Cocktail made with Gosling's Black Seal Rum and Gosling's Stormy Ginger Beer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw

This is the easy way to make ginger beer, where the ginger is simply soaked-just slightly fermented-for 24 hours (another method requires up to a five-day fermentation). Ginger  beer is one of Jamaica's most popular softdrinks and is sold practically everywhere, from the supermarket to roadside stands.

This drink is wonderfully refreshing if the ginger heat is too much, tame it with more crushed ice and some club soda.

Puerto Rican Crab

Plantain "arañitas" & "tostones rellenos" (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw

Often found at shacks on the beach in Puerto Rico, this full-flavored crab dish is served in the shell, or with rice and green bananas or plantains. A defining element of the dish is sofrito, a traditional Spanish sauce of tomatoes, onions, garlic, bell peppers, cilantro, and hot pepper.

Shark and Bake

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw

"Shark and bake," a popular Trinidadian pocket sandwich, is found at beach shacks and street stalls throughout the island. Part of its appeal is the variety of go-withs, from mango chutney to sliced cucumbers. "Bake" is a catchall term for several types of bread, grilled or fried.

Since blacktip shark - the traditional choice - is not readily available, catfish or tilapia fillets are substituted here. Pita pockets are a stand-in for the flatbread that's typically used to make the sandwich.

Coconut Ginger Candy Drops

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw

Virtually every island has some kind of coconut industry, since there's a use of every part of the coconut, from soap to cooking oil to mattress stuffing. Here, the fresh "meat" is used in a classic candy. There are many variations on this tasty treat, which is sold on the street and in grocery stores, where it's usually homemade.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw

Jerk is Jamaica's most popular street food. On Friday and Saturday nights, the oil-drum barbecue grills known as "jerk pans" are found smoking on roadsides around the island. Customers line up for a to-go order of the spicy treat. There's no final word on how the dish got its name, and there are as many theories about the name's origins as there are variations on the spice blend itself. That said cinnamon, allspice, and hot chile pepper are common to just about all jerk recipes.

The jerk seasoning can be made a day in advance. The chicken needs to marinate for at least four hours and can sit as long as overnight.

Recipe for Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cookie

Closeup of a chocolate chip in a freshly baked cookie, still on the pan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Ben Cook

This vanilla chocolate chip cookie recipe isn't definitely that special. It's an ordinary recipe with some vanilla extract. I mean, it's still damn good! Because it was sent to me by a buddy from Europe the measurements are in grams, I'll attempt to convert them to cups when I have time.

The Magic Formula Of Every Cup Of Coffee Daily

English: A photo of a cup of coffee. Esperanto: Taso de kafo. Français : Photo d'une tasse de caffé Español: Taza de café (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Jeremy Y. Sanchez

A cup of coffee is useful when you want creative ideas. That's why most writers and artists love a superb coffee. In the event that these folks are grouped based on their coffee taste, there would only be a small percentage of non-drinkers. You'll find something within this bittersweet beverage that makes people ask for more.

Roasted Spiced Chicken with Cinnamon-and Honey-Glazed Sweet Potatoes

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw

In much of the Caribbean, the essential flavorings of a dish are known simply as "seasoning", It's a term that covers a dazzling array of spices, herbs, leaves, twigs, powders, and other condiments that any self-respecting cook keeps on hand. This dish makes delicious use of the warm spices prevalent throughout island cooking. The chicken needs time to marinate, so start the recipe ahead. This makes 4 servings.

Black-Eyed Pea and Pumpkin Salad

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw

"Provisions" are what share the plate with a main dish. Fried bananas are de rigueur. Martinique alone has 50 different sorts, from monster green plaintains to plump red ones to sweet thumb-size yellow jobs. Cassava is another favorite, along with yams or sweet potatoes. And there are the "peas," possible black-eyed peas, but just as often any of a number of different tasty beans. In the islands, black-eyed peas are known as black-eyed beans. This is now your time to share your "provisions" to someone especially to your family by serving this black-eyed pea and pumpkin salad recipe.

Lobster and Stone Crab Enchilado

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw

A Cuban dish, enchilado (different from a Mexican enchilada) is seafood cooked in a mildly spicy tomato sauce. Serve this with rice and fried plantains.

Roast Pork Loin with Pickled Caramelized Guavas

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw

When it's feasting time, roast pork is the food of choice. Well-seasoned chops are a more everyday treat like this roast pork loin with pickled caramelized guavas recipe. You'll eat them down and then lick your fingers until you bite them off. I may be using my fingers in encoding this recipe, in fact, but it is still right, you won't ever want to let go eating until everything is gone on the platter.

Callaloo Stew

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw

Named after the heart-shaped callaloo leaves from the taro plant, this traditional stew can be made with crab, lobster, and shrimp, or taro root and coconut milk. But all versions of the dish call for okra, and of course callaloo leaves. Spinach makes a great substitute for callaloo.

Spicy Rice with Shrimp and Pepper

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw


Nothing binds together diverse Caribbean islands-or links them to Mexico-like chiles. Jamaica's Scotch bonnets, small puckered peppers, are hot enough to qualify as weapons of mass destruction. Many Caribbean cooks, used to sensitive European palates, starts off easy. If you prefer it otherwise, just ask. Hotels can disappoint, with chile-less cooking and only bottled industrial glop on request. Seek heat where the locals do. But beware. At full dosage, those heavenly dishes can get hotter than Hades.

Asian Pork Fried Rice Dinner

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw


New food pyramid guidelines recommend adults get at least three servings of whole grains everyday.  This recipe joins the call in providing families with easy, delicious and wholesome options for incorporating whole grains into balanced diet. You can make this recipe even more easier. Feel free to substitute your favorite frozen vegetables or vegetable blend. Increase cook time until vegetables are tender and then your Asian Pork Fried Rice Dinner will be ready to help you fulfill the recommended diet each day.