It's Caribbean Food Week the 22nd - 29th of August. During this week we celebrate all things Caribbean food. And, Grace Foods, the UK’s number 1 Caribbean food and drink company, is at the forefront of celebrations.

We had loads of fun, it was my first time cooking Caribbean food and it was delicious.  I made an array of different dishes: Jerk fried chicken, pork and chicken jerk-flavoured kebabs with onions, peppers and chunks of pineapple. Bean salad, mango salsa, black beans and rice, and a refreshing dip. 

Rice and Beans - my new favourite rice dish, it was yum yum yum. I love beans and I love rice, and when you mix the two you achieve a lovely dish.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed

• ½  onion diced

• 2 teaspoons mixed spices - paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, dried oregano, dried thyme and salt and black pepper.

• 2 cups long-grain rice

• 1¾ cups coconut milk

• Can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

• 2 small bay leaves

• salt and fresh ground pepper.

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, your mixed herbs mix and sauté for about a minute.

Stir the rice into the pan, along with the beans for about 2 minutes, then add coconut milk, bay leaf and 3 cups of water, bring to a boil reduce heat, cover with a lid and simmer until rice is cooked, about 20 minutes or more. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed.

Then serve and enjoy.

The fried Jerk Chicken was so tasty, I don't normally eat chicken on the bone, so I made it for hubby and the boys, I tried a bit and had to eat the whole thing, it was so yummy. It was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside and it was delicious.

I used Dunne's River Jerk Chicken Seasoning and it couldn't be any easier to make:

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Chicken wings, or thighs.

• 1tsp Dunn’s River Jamaican Jerk Seasoning

• A little milk

Method

Place the chicken in a dish and rub milk all over your chicken pieces. Then cover with the Dunn’s River Jamaican Jerk Seasoning. Rub evenly over the chicken. Cover the dish with cling film and leave to marinade in a cool place for an hour.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and stir-fry the chicken strips for 8-9 minutes or until cooked through and the skin is crispy.

Enjoy!

I love dips, they are so easy and are the perfect addition to food.  I made this gorgeous Zingy Garlic garlic-flavoured avocado Yogurt Dip.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of Greek yogurt

• 1 avocado

• 1/2 lemon

• 1 clove garlic

• Coriander

• Pinch sea salt

• Black pepper

• Pinch sugar

Method

Scoop out the flesh of the avocado and roughly chop. Chop the coriander and garlic. Place all the ingredients in a food processor/blender until you achieve a smooth creamy texture. Squeeze in the lemon juice and mix. 

It's as easy as that.

Perfect for dipping the fried jerk chicken.