Spice Girl

"Caribbean Flavors with a Twist"

Mango Yoghurt with fresh Fruit & Peanut Crumble

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Mango Yoghurt with fresh Fruit & Peanut Crumble

Mango Yoghurt with fresh Fruit & Peanut Crumble

Mango is one of my favorite Caribbean fruits; it’s full of flavor, naturally sweet, juicy and I love its pretty color. Pretty soon, we will be spoiled again with lots of ripe mango’s falling from the trees. So this delicious recipe for Mango Yoghurt might just come in hand.

For this recipe I strain the yoghurt, which will make it thick and creamy. Strained yoghurt is regularly enjoyed throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean, where it is eaten plain as a dip (delicious with some good olive oil and crusty bread ), or used in cooking because it doesn’t tend to curdle at higher temperatures like regular yoghurt. By straining yoghurt you easily create your own homemade Greek yoghurt or labne, which is even thicker and has the consistency of cream cheese.

Bear in mind that you will loose at least half your initial amount of plain yoghurt, depending on how long you strain it. For a quick version of this recipe, use store-bought Greek yoghurt or regular plain yoghurt.

Top your mango yoghurt with some fresh fruits and a crunchy peanut crumble for a delicious breakfast or healthy snack. Make it to spoil Dad this Sunday, but remember to keep some for yourself!

Happy weekend!

Bowls by House Doctor bought at Concept Store by Sea & Sand
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Mango Yoghurt with fresh Fruit & Peanut Crumble

Caribbean recipes
  • Author: Helmi Smeulders
  • Prep Time: 4 hours
  • Total Time: 4 hours
  • Yield: 3-4
  • Cuisine: Caribbean

Ingredients

  • For the Mango Yoghurt
  • 4 cups / 1 liter regular plain yoghurt
  • 1/2 cup / 125 g fresh mango puree
  • 1 teaspoon / 5ml vanilla extract
  • For the Peanut Crumble
  • 2/3 cup / 75 g all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup / 50 g butter, cubed
  • 2 tablespoons / 25 g caster sugar
  • 1/2 cup / 75 g peanuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup / 175 g fresh fruit, diced

Instructions

  1. Scoop the yoghurt in the middle of a large piece of cheesecloth or clean tea towel, tie the ends together and leave to hang on a meathook over a bowl in your fridge for 4 hours or overnight. Alternatively use a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a clean tea towel set over a bowl. The longer you strain the yoghurt the thicker and creamier the result.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350F / 175C. For the peanut crumble, add the flour, butter and sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Mix in the nuts with your fingers. Bake on a greased bakingsheet in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, or until browned. Let cool on a wire rack.
  3. Transfer the yoghurt from the cheesecloth into a bowl and fold in the mango puree and vanilla.
  4. Divide the mango yoghurt over 3 or 4 bowls, add a couple of scoops of the peanut crumble and a generous amount of fruit. Serve immediately.

 

 

Caribbean Nacho’s with Mango Salsa

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Caribbean Nacho's

Caribbean Nacho’s

Only recently it was time for my food-design intern Carlo to head back to Holland. I let him go reluctantly, and not only because he made me the best cappuccino’s every morning. Before he left I made him give me the recipe of his secret Caribbean Nacho’s. Made with fresh corn tortilla’s and a refreshing mango salsa on top, you easily turn this somewhat dull classic into the perfect sunset snack. Must be served together with a bucket of ice-cold beer, says Carlo. I agree.

Happy weekend!

PS. If you haven’t watched my video on how to easily clean a mango, please make sure you do before you start making the mango salsa. You’ll be eating those nacho’s much faster!

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Caribbean Nacho’s with Mango Salsa

  • Author: Helmi Smeulders
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6
  • Cuisine: Caribbean

Ingredients

  • For the Meat Topping
  • 500g ground beef
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, for frying
  • For the Mango Salsa
  • 1 cup/300g fresh mango, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup/150g avocado, finely diced
  • 1/3 cup/75g tomato, finely diced
  • 1/3 cup/40g red onion, finely diced
  • 1 jalapeño (30g), finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1/4 cup mint, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • A pinch of salt & pepper
  • Extra:
  • 12 fresh corn tortilla’s (or 150g store-bought tortilla chips)
  • 1 1/2 cup/150g cheddar, grated
  • 1/2 cup/125ml sour cream
  • Vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

  1. When using fresh corn tortilla’s, heat the vegetable oil to 350F/175C. Slice each tortilla in 6 wedges. When the oil is hot, fry the wedges for 3-4 minutes or until crisp and golden. Set aside.
  2. Mix the ground beef with the garlic and spices. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat, add the ground beef and fry until the meat is just done, about 8-10 minutes. While frying, use a fork to separate the meat.
  3. Heat the oven to 350F/175C. Mix all the ingredients for the mango salsa in a bowl and season to taste with salt & pepper.
  4. Spread the tortilla chips out on a baking sheet and top with the fried beef. Sprinkle the cheddar on top and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese has just melted.
  5. Carefully transfer the tortilla chips and toppings to a serving bowl. Spoon over the mango salsa and sour cream. Serve with some tabasco on the side.

 

Quinoa Salad with Mango

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Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) was worshipped by the Incas of South-America, who called it chisaya mama, the mother of all grains. In those days, it was more important than corn and second only to the potato as a mayor food crop. After it had been banned by the Spanish conquistadors, it was not until recently, that quinoa re-appeared on our modern menu as one of the ‘super foods’.

Quinoa comes in all sorts of colors: black, purple, beige, orange and yellow. It is advisable to rinse quinoa before cooking to remove the bitter-tasting saponin layer that coats the seeds. After rinsing, quinoa can be prepared much like white rice: add 1 cup of quinoa to 1 3/4 cups of water, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes before using. Then fluff with a fork.

That’s a whole lot of information, but quite useful to know if you are about to start cooking with quinoa. And you should. Quinoa is great: the taste is mild and slightly nutty, it is very nutritious with a high protein content and it is naturally gluten-free. So please don’t be afraid of it and start with this easy and colorful quinoa salad with mango. Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad with Mango

Quinoa Salad with Mango

 

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Quinoa Salad with Mango

Quinoa Salad with Mango
  • Author: Helmi Smeulders
  • Prep Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 25 mins
  • Yield: 4
  • Cuisine: Caribbean

Ingredients

  • For the salad
  • 1 1/2 cup cooked quinoa (prepared according to package instructions), at room temperature
  • 1 cup mango, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
  • 3/4 cup cucumber, finely diced
  • 3 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup jalapeño’s, thinly sliced
  • 50g feta, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
  • For the dressing
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 3 tabelspoons fresh mango juice
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon tabasco
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients for the salad. In a separate bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the dressing. Mix the dressing through the salad and season to taste.

 

Mango Cheesecake

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Mango Cheesecake

Mango Cheesecake

I am not into sweets or desserts that much (except dark chocolate, of course), but I love a good cheesecake. One that is baked I mean, no gelatin ones please.

I adapted one of my old-time favorite recipes for London Cheesecake by the lovely Nigella Lawson to make this mango cheesecake. And it came out really well. The sweetness of the mango filling is nicely balanced by the sour cream topping with lime zest, and the digestives crust with mixed nuts is simply delicious.

It is definitely worth baking the cheesecake in a water bath, as it really enhances the velvety smoothness of the cake. It’s easy, just make sure to wrap the springform pan twice in heavy-duty aluminum foil.

This may sound strange, but please don’t be too generous when cutting the pieces. This recipe easily serves 12 hungry men, as it is quite filling.

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Mango Cheesecake

  • Author: Helmi Smeulders
  • Prep Time: 25 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 15 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
  • Yield: 12-16
  • Cuisine: Caribbean

Ingredients

  • For the crust
  • 150g digestives biscuits, broken into pieces
  • 1/2 cup mixed nuts, roasted (like hazelnuts, cashews, pecans or walnuts)
  • 100g unsalted butter, melted
  • For the filling
  • 650g cream cheese
  • 75g sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 400g pureed fresh mango
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • For the topping
  • 175ml sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon lime zest
  • Extra: 22cm springform pan, heavy-duty aluminum foil, large roasting pan

Instructions

  1. Put the digestives biscuits and nuts in the bowl of a food processor and process into crumbs. Fold in the butter. Lightly grease the springform pan, put the crumbs in and press into an even layer covering the bottom with the back of a spoon. Put in the fridge to harden.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350F/175C. In a standing mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add the sugar. Beat in the eggs one by one, then add the vanilla, mango and lime juice. Put the kettle on.
  3. Use 2 large pieces of foil to fully cover the outsides of the springform pan and put it in the roasting tin. This will protect the cheesecake from the water as it is cooked in its water bath. Pour the cream cheese filling into the pan and pour the boiling water from the kettle into the roasting tin. The water should come about halfway up.
  4. Put the roasting tin into the oven and bake until just set, about 1 hour (it should be strong enough to hold the sour cream topping).
  5. Meanwhile, carefully fold together the sour cream, sugar, vanilla and lime.
  6. Take the cake out of the oven and spread the sour cream mixture over the top. Put the cake back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until set. Take the roasting pan out of the oven, remove the foil and let stand on a rack to cool. Put in the fridge when cooled down completely.

Notes

Tip: when slicing the cake, dip your knife into hot water first for a clean cut. Clean your knife in between slices.

 

Caribbean Granola Bar

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These Caribbean granola bars are terribly addictive! Take one bite and you can almost not stop yourself from eating the whole lot. But I have good news: they are healthy! You can (almost) eat as many as you like without feeling guilty. Make sure to store them in an airtight container or they will become soft quickly.

Happy weekend!

Caribbean Granola Bar

Caribbean Granola Bar

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Caribbean Granola Bar

Caribbean Granola Bar
  • Author: Helmi Smeulders
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 12 bars
  • Cuisine: Caribbean

Ingredients

  • 100g old fashioned oats
  • 200g almonds, finely chopped
  • 125g pecan nuts, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
  • 2 tablespoons flax seeds
  • 2 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 125ml honey
  • 50g brown sugar
  • ¾ cup mango, finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a small (half) baking sheet with nonstick spray and line it with parchment paper. Spread the oats, nuts and seeds out on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven until the oats just start to brown and become fragrant, about 5-8 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, combine the honey, coconut oil and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Let simmer and stir until the sugar is dissolved, about 2-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the puffed rice cereal, mango, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the baked oat & nuts, then pour in the honey mixture. Stir until everything is well coated with the honey mixture.
  4. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread out in an even layer. Cover with parchment paper and press down well. Remove the paper and put back in the oven. Bake until crispy and golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool slightly and cut into 12 bars. Let cool completely on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

 

 

 

Caribbean Fresh Spring Rolls with Shrimps & Mango

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Ever since I have been to Vietnam, I am a huge fan of fresh spring rolls.

So much healthier than their fried brothers and sisters, these rolls are stuffed with good things like crispy veggies, fresh herbs, noodles and some cooked fish or grilled meat. I have given them a Caribbean twist by adding some slices of juicy, sweet mango. Simply delicious! I just love their crunchiness and freshness.

Fresh spring rolls are quick and easy to make. Simply dip a rice paper wrapper in warm water, add your fillings, wrap it up and eat!

Caribbean Fresh Springrolls

Caribbean Fresh Springrolls

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Caribbean Fresh Spring Rolls with Shrimps & Mango

Caribbean Fresh Springrolls
  • Author: Helmi Smeulders
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 4
  • Cuisine: Asian-Caribbean

Ingredients

  • 8 rice paper wrappers
  • 2 cups Boston lettuce
  • 60g vermicelli noodles, soaked in boiled water for 15 minutes & drained
  • 75g carrot, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 8 black tiger shrimps (size 16-20), cooked and peeled, sliced in half lengthways
  • 200g mango, thinly sliced
  • Dipping sauce, for serving (see recipe below)
  • Extra: a bowl with warm water

Instructions

  1. Dip your rice paper wrappers one by one in the warm water and put them flat on a cutting board. Make a pile of the lettuce, noodles, carrot and herbs on the lower part of each wrapper. Top each pile with 2 shrimp halves and some mango.
  2. Fold the bottom edge over the filling, fold in both sides and roll up tightly. Slice in half diagonally and serve immediately with a bowl of dipping sauce.

Notes

Be careful not to stack the spring rolls or they will stick together. If you want to keep them in the fridge, put them on a damp kitchen-towel (not touching each other) and cover them with another damp towel.

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Dipping Sauce

Caribbean Fresh Springrolls
  • Author: Helmi Smeulders
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 10 mins
  • Yield: Makes 3/4 cup

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon Scotch Bonnet chili, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.

 

Easy way to clean a Mango

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Ladies & Gentlemen: it’s mango time!

I don’t think that we have many seasonal fruits on Curacao, but this is definitely one of them. Every year in June the fun starts. When I drive home after work , I pass at least 10 trees loaded with delicious ripe mango’s. I have friends with mango trees in their garden, who complain about the amount of fruits they get. Surely we do not want to let those mango’s go to waste, so it’s time to get cooking!

I have a whole lot of mango recipes lined up for you. And if you still have any leftover mango’s after that, give them to your friends, bring them to a local school or simply peel & freeze them for future use.

If you haven’t worked with mango before, the cleaning can get a bit messy. So first, I’ll show you a great trick on how to easily clean a mango.

Tomorrow the cooking fun starts!

Easy way to clean a Mango from Helmi Smeulders on Vimeo.

 

Corn on the Cob with Flavored Butter

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Corn on the Cob

Corn on the Cob

Don’t you like this gorgeous-looking corn on the cob? Simply pull back the leaves, tear one leaf in half lengthwise and use those halves to tie the bunch together to create this stylish, original look. With some flavored butter, this pretty-looking sweet corn makes for an impressive side-dish at your next beach (or backyard) BBQ.

Grill the corn for 12-15 minutes on a hot BBQ, brush with some flavored butter and see if you can stop your friends from eating them. Be sure to make plenty!

Below you will find 2 recipes: one for a delicious sweet Mango Butter and one for Roasted Jalapeño Butter with a kick. I am curious to know which one is your favorite.

Happy weekend!

 

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Roasted Jalapeño Butter

Corn on the Cob
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: Makes 1/2 cup

Ingredients

  • 125g butter, at room temperature
  • 60g jalapeño’s, whole
  • 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Place a wire-rack on top of a gas-stove and ignite the burner. Pierce the jalapeño’s a couple of times with a toothpick and put them on the wire-rack directly above the flames. Roast and turn until blackened on all sides and leave to steam in a ziplock-bag to loosen the skin, about 5 minutes. Carefully scrape of the blackened outside of the jalapeño’s, deseed and roughly chop them.
  2. Place the butter, jalapeño, zest, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food-processor and process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
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Mango Butter

Corn on the Cob
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 10 mins
  • Yield: Makes 1/2 cup

Ingredients

  • 125g butter, at room temeprature
  • 100g fresh mango, roughly chopped (from about 1 small mango)
  • 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon Scotch Bonnet pepper, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Put all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

 

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the Winner of the 2014 CITI Award for Most Impact on Sustainability!