Jamaican Jerk Lentils and Greens

Caribbean flavor with a twist.

The inspiration for this recipe came from Rachel Ama's Vegan Caribbean Feast. Her plate looks absolutely stunning, however I chose to make only 2 of her 6 choices.

I really wanted to try the jerk lentils (a spinoff to jerk chicken). I was not sure if I would find Jerk seasoning in stores, so I decided to make my own spice mix - however you can also add 1.5 Tbsp Jerk seasoning if this is easily available to you.

I also opted to make the greens and, together with the lentils these make for a complete and balanced meal. While I would have loved to try the rice and peas, mac and cheese, plantains or channa, adding these would make the meal too rich in starches. Lentils are a food that is rich in protein and in starch. Rice, beans, pasta, plantains, chickpeas are also starchy choices and adding these would be over what a regular person needs. About 1 cup of lentils should make for a reasonable portion.

Since I was preparing a recipe meant to serve 6+ portions, I increased a bit the quantities for the vegetables: used 2 red onions and 2 red peppers and I made sure I'm using a large bunch of kale. The original recipe required wilting the kale, however I preferred to cook it for a shorter time, in order to preserve its beautiful green color. About 1 cup of cooked vegetables should be an adequate portion.

I also added one pin to show you how to remove the leaves of thyme from each sprig easily. Information regarding a more efficient way to cut bell peppers had already been posted earlier.

This recipe is part of the 2020 - Week 26 Menu -Tropical Foods. Look under Menus for the other recipes of the series or Subscribe to our mailing list and receive complete weekly menu ideas with everything from the grocery shopping list to all standardized recipes in a menu, as well as an organized Order of Cooking list to save you time in the kitchen.

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Jerk Lentils and Greens

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Enjoy!