Watermelon Juice is quite refreshing on summer days and  most Belizeans love it.

Ingredients:

1 -2 cups of cubed/diced watermelon

1/4 -1/2  cup of lime or lemon juice

1 tsp of ginger (optional)

1/4 cup of brown sugar or more depending on your taste

1/4 cup of water or more depending on thickness

1 cup of crushed ice

Method:

Slice watermelon and remove as much of the seed as possible.  Dice water melon into cubes.  Combine all ingredients in a blender until it becomes liquid.  Strain liquid and serve with ice or without.

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 lobster tails
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1-2 limes or lemons zest and juice
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic chopped or grated
• 1-2 habanero or jalepeno peppers seeded and chopped
• 2 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoons ground thyme
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

Directions:

1. In a food processor or blender combine all ingredients expect lobster and blend until smooth.

2. Pour marinade over lobster tails and marinate for 15mins to 20 mins.

3. Heat the oven to 350°F. Place the lobster pieces on a baking sheet and cook 10 to 20 minutes or until fully cook.

If you are like me Christmas is your favorite holiday.  I enjoy family, friends and food (Three Fs). I, especially, look forward to making Belizean black fruit cake.  I love fruit cake so much that 6 to 8 weeks before Christmas I start to soak the dried fruits for the cake. Here’s how I do it:

Dried Fruit 

• 1lb of dried raisins
• 1lb of dried cherries chopped
• 1/2lb of dried currants
• 1/2 lb dried pineapple chopped
• 1/2lb dried dates chopped
• 1/2lb dried apricots chopped
• 1/2lbs pecans chopped
• 1/2lbs of walnuts chopped
• 1 Orange or lemon/lime peel chopped
• 1 Ginger peel chopped
• 2 cinnamon sticks

Soak

2 – 3 cups dark rum

1/2 cup Water

1/2 cup of sugar

1. Chop into small pieces the cherries, dates, pineapple, ginger, orange peel, pecan and walnut.
2. Mix all the dried fruits and nuts together,
3. Pour in rum and water.
4. Add sugar and cinnamon sticks.
5. Put this mixture into an airtight container and keep it on your kitchen counter (Don’t refrigerate)
6. You need to mix it every other day or at least once a week.
7. After six-eight weeks your fruits are ready.

Ingredients

The cold season is upon us, folks.  So, lets stay warm by having some hot chocolate. Better yet hot chocolate with a splash of coconut rum.  Here’s a quick and easy recipe:

Ingredients:

1/4 oz. coconut rum
1 cup hot chocolate (see recipe below)
Orange peel
Whipping cream

Combine all ingredients and enjoy.

Hot Chocolate recipe::

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 3 1/2 cups half & half milk
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut milk

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 -3 minutes until hot enough to your preference.. Serve and enjoy

Serves 1

Cocojito is a light and refreshing coconut mojito drink that is perfect any day.

Ingredients

• 4 cups ice cubes
• 2- 4 oz of lime juice
• 1/2 cup sweetened cream of coconut
• 1/4 cup coconut rum or to taste
• 5 mint leaves
• 2 mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Blend the ice, limes, cream of coconut, rum, and mint leaves together in a blender until smooth. Pour into two glasses and garnish each with a mint sprig.

Serves 1 to 2

During fall pumpkin is very popular. So, here’s a pumpkin smoothie perfect for breakfast or a “pick me up”.

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

1. Freeze the pumpkin puree for at least 24 hours.
2. Heat the bag of pumpkin puree in the microwave on HIGH to soften, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Pour the milk into a blender. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin; blend until smooth.

Soursop or Guanabana is a green fruit grown primarily in Belize, Central America and the West Indies. Its green skin is prickly.  Don’t eat the skin but do eat the creamy white inside core. You can find it online, at stores like Whole Foods, Latin and/or Caribbean markets. If you can find the actual fruit some places sell the core/pulp in frozen packets.   Here’s a Soursop smoothie recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Soursop pulp (Like Goya Guanabana pulp)
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut water or plain water
1 cup of ice
1/2 tsp cinnamon or nutmeg or both
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp of sugar (or more to your taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt

METHOD:

1. Using a blender or food processor blend all ingredients until creamy and smooth.
2. Add water as needed to keep the mixture circulating through the blender.

Note: you can put in ice-trays and freeze for later.

A Soursop is a delicious fruit grown in Belize and other Central American countries. It has a green leathery skin that is prickly.  You don’t eat the skin but you can eat the white creamy insides. Use it to make any desserts like ice-cream, pops or ice bars or you can eat it by itself. You can find it online or Whole foods or Caribbean markets in the US. Here’s a simple dessert recipe using Soursop.

INGREDIENTS 1/4 – 1/2 cup sugar 1- 2 cup soursop pulp 1 cup water or more depending on thickness 1 14oz can of condensed milk

METHOD: 1. Blend pulp with sugar. Stir well. 2. Add milk and water. Beat thoroughly. 3. Freeze in ice trays

Belizeans include coconuts in everything they cook and bake.  So, having a bread made of coconut is no exception.  Actually, coconut bread is my absolute favorite bread.  It is not only delicious but very easy to make.  In some Latin countries it is also called Pan de Coco.  Here’s a recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. grated nutmeg
3/4 cup white sugar
2 cups sweetened or unsweetened flaked coconut
2 eggs
1 cup coconut milk or evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla or coconut extract
1/4 cup melted coconut oil or butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease and flour a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.

In a bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon. (Dry Ingredients)
In another bowl whisk together eggs, vanilla or coconut extract, coconut oil & coconut milk. (Wet Ingredients)
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together to combine.
Fold in flaked coconut then pour in loaf pan and bake for 50-60 mins.

Serve warm or cold 3-6 people.

Belizeans love their hot sauce.  Belizean hot sauces are made with habanero pepper which is a very hot and spicy pepper.  So, be careful when you prepare habanero pepper by using a glove when you chop or touch them.

Here’s a recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbs coconut oil
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 cup water
• 5 habanero pepper
• 3 tsp lime juice fresh
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 tsp salt

Directions:

• Saute chopped onions and garlic in coconut oil until soft.
• Add chopped carrots and water, bring to boil and cook, uncovered, until carrots are soft.
• Remove from heat and add chopped habanero, lime juice, vinegar and salt.
• Puree in blender or food processor until smooth.
• Makes 2 pints.