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Video: Healthy meals with a Jamaican twist!

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    >>> this morning in "today's" kitchen, what's for dinner? from a smoky soup to smoked jerk chicken it's a taste of jamaica with a healthy twist.

    >> damica is a chef.

    >> you're cooking with smoked sausage. why do you like smoked rather than fresh sausage?

    >> this is a chicken hardwood smoked sausage. you instantly get the flavor. a lot of times when people cook they don't have time to get the flavor you want. you've got it in there already. you start cooking you have the browning going, you have flavor.

    >> what are we making?

    >> this is the jerk chicken hardwood smoked sausage with a little bit of olive oil in the pan. we're browning the sausage. this is great because when you see browning, that means flavor.

    >> you pointed out that it's chicken not pork.

    >> it's much better for you. half the fat and calories of regular pork sausage .

    >> and then --

    >> add in the onions. saute onions and bell pepper . you can pick whatever is in season. red, green, yellow, have fun and add the color.

    >> what's the spice?

    >> this is jerk spice. a lot of people are afraid of it.

    >> it's spicy.

    >> it is.

    >> duh.

    >> but for me, my family being jamaican, it's in our blood. dad says if you're not sweating while you're eating it's not right. we had the jamaican jerk spice mix. you need a scotch bonnet or a habanero pepper . that's where you get the spice.

    >> toss it in?

    >> let it kick for three, four minutes until the vegetables start to soften. you can already smell it.

    >> smells beautiful.

    >> you know it's right with that robust, rich flavor.

    >> all right. see what we have here. we have the vegetables softened. we'll add in pineapple.

    >> sweet, spicy.

    >> yes. we have the perfect marriage of sweet versus heat. if you can't take the heat the sweet tapers it off for you.

    >> what do you serve it over?

    >> brown rice which is better for you or white rice or pasta, couscous.

    >> we want to show because we don't have time to prep it, but you have a spicy jerk soup.

    >> this is a winter country soup. we have turkey sausage, shallots, red bell pepper and brown it. then get your flavor of course. add in kale.

    >> we have the recipe on the website.

    >> kale, corn, beans.

    >> freeze it, stock it up and have it several times.

    >> always make a large batch. especially with game time coming.

    >> more after your local news

TODAY recipes
updated 10/27/2011 1:59:22 PM ET 2011-10-27T17:59:22

Recipe: Jerk chicken hardwood smoked sausage

Ingredients
  • 1 pound Hardwood Chicken Smoked Sausage
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons dry (no salt added) Jamaican jerk seasoning
  • 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced
  • 3 cups cooked brown rice
Preparation

1. Cut sausage into 1/2-inch slices. Add olive oil and sausage to a large non-stick skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned.

2. Stir in onion, bell peppers and Jerk seasoning, mixing until well blended. Cook and stir for 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in pineapple. Remove from heat.

3. Serve over cooked rice.

Chef Jamika's top tips for this recipe:
For those counting calories, this dish is better for you since you're using chicken sausage instead of pork.

No time to cut up vegetables? Simply use frozen sliced peppers and onions and drained canned pineapple chunks.

Instead of using brown rice, try changing things up by serving this dish over whole wheat pasta or couscous.

Serving Size

Makes: 6 servings (1 cup sausage mixture and 1/2 cup brown rice each). Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 10 minutes.

Recipe: Winter country soup

Ingredients
  • 1 package turkey smoked sausage
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 cup chopped shallots
  • 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 8 cups chopped greens such as turnip greens or fresh kale
  • 2 cups frozen whole kernel yellow corn
  • 1 can (15.5 ounces) great northern beans, rinsed, drained
  • 8 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta
Preparation

1. Cut sausage into 1/4-inch slices. Melt butter in 5-6 quart pan or stockpot over medium-high heat. Cook sausage, shallots and red bell pepper, stirring occasionally until sausage is lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes. 

2. Add turnip greens and cook, stirring gently until greens wilt, about 3 minutes. Stir in corn, beans, vegetable broth and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil. 

3. Stir in orzo pasta.  Return soup to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook 30 minutes.

Nutrition per serving: Serving size: About 1 1/3 cups each. Calories: 220. Fat: 6 g. Saturated fat: 1.5 g. Cholesterol: 20 mg. Carbohydrates: 32 g. Fiber: 6 g. Sodium: 650 mg. Protein: 12 g.

Serving Size

Makes: 10 servings (about 1 1/3 cups each). Cook time: 65 minutes.

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