Moroccan Inspired Chicken and Rice

Ingredients: 4 Servings

Chicken marinade:

• 8 bulbs garlic, minced

• Zest of 1 lemon (reserve the lemon)

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon Ras El Hanout

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, 2-inch chunks

Rice ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 2 cups basmati rice

• 3 cups water, chicken stock, or combination of both

• 1 good pinch saffron

• 2-3 cardamom pods

• 2 bay leaves

• Pinch of Kosher salt

Additional ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, finely diced

• 7-8 Medjool dates, pitted, medium dice

• 15 kalamata olives or green olives, pitted, halved

• Juice of 1 lemon

Garnish ingredients:

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1 cup pine nuts, toasted

• 1 bunch chopped parsley

• 1 bunch chopped mint

Link To Easy Conversion Chart

Method

1. In a large container, mix together the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

2. Rinse rice until water runs clear. In a medium pot with a tight-fitting lid, add the remaining rice ingredients and bring to a boil. Add rice, cover, and simmer on low for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit covered.

3. In a medium Dutch oven or sauté pan over medium-low heat, toast the pine nuts, stirring them frequently, until golden brown and fragrant, then remove and reserve.

4. Raise the heat to medium-high and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add onion with a pinch of salt and sauté until translucent. Add marinated chicken and cook until browned on all sides. Stir in the dates and olives. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and remove from heat. Check the seasoning, adjusting if necessary.

5. Uncover the rice and stir using a fork. Plate the chicken mixture over a bed of rice then garnish with lemon zest, toasted nuts, and fresh herbs. Enjoy!

Chef Jim Desmond

Born in New York, Chef Jim grew up helping in his family’s delicatessen, and at an early age, began his career in the restaurant industry washing dishes and peeling vegetables. Eventually, his experience earned him a cook position on a Hawaiian Islands cruise ship. After several years of preparing meals for hundreds of guests, he felt the need to serve his country and enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. Chef Jim prepared and served countless meals on land and at sea for admirals, dignitaries, and crew members while he dedicated over 12 years of active-duty service. His creative mindset and passion for food then drew him to the Art Institute of California, Orange County, where he graduated with honors, obtaining his degree in Culinary Arts.

Chef Jim spent the last seven years perfecting his culinary technique by working as a private chef and high-profile event caterer throughout Southern California. His comprehensive knowledge of local, and international cuisine, paired with his lifelong passion for pleasing people with amazing food is what makes him the culinary pro he is today.

Watermelon Ginger-Tini

—Drink recipe and photos by Tanja Kezić’

Summer is “knocking on the door” here in Split, Croatia. Watermelon is my favourite summer fruit. Packed with nutrients, vitamins A and C, it reduces oxidative stress, helps skin and even heart health. Sweet watermelon, with lime and a pinch of ginger, create a dramatic essence of the season- in a glass. This light and airy mocktail is deliciously aromatic and simple to prepare. - Tanja Kezić’

Ingredients

• 2 cups cubed seeded watermelon

• 1 freshly squeezed lime

• Pinch of grated ginger to start

– add more if you like a stronger ginger taste

• Ice cubes

• A few mint leaves

Link To Easy Conversion Chart

method servings 2

1.Place ONLY the watermelon into a blender and process until smooth.

2.Add lime juice, stirring to combine.

3.Add ginger and gently stir again altogether.

4.Pour into glass over ice.

5.Garnish with mint leaves.

6. Play the luscious tune, “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles in the background: LINKED HERE

And let the mocktail party start!

To me, cooking represents a trip into a world of imagination, a journey to another dimension where time doesn’t exist. Almost like a game, I harmonize flavours and aromas, colours and textures - balancing, improvising, going overboard, breaking rules ... It’s a step away from everyday life. A process that changes minute by minute. A world away from my main profession as an economist. All that cooking raises levels of oxytocin, the love hormone. How can I resist? I was born in Karlovac (northern Croatian) and studied Economics at the University of Zagreb. Love led me to Split and freed up a new energy from within, as with every one of the many travels I have been on with my husband and children where I got to try new flavours and aromas, learn new recipes and integrate them into my own everyday cooking.

— Tanja Kezić, Cookbook Author, Culinary Teacher & Recipe Blogger Blog: platesnplanes.com • lnstagram: @plates_planes

Editor’s Note: Luscious European Watermelon

Watermelon season in Croatia is more than just a fruit: it’s a cultural experience, and one of the locals’ favorites. In summer, Croatia’s roadsides – no matter how remote -- are strewn with lovely fruit stands featuring the much-awaited watermelons. Yes, it is technically a fruit, one that originated on South African vines.

When my husband passed away two years ago, I moved to/worked from Croatia for several months, and now it’s my home away from home. While visiting a Croatian healthcare provider, I had mentioned all the watermelon that I saw everyone was eating, and how incredibly sweet it tasted – natural, non-gmo, the way it was intended. . . That really got her attention.

“Oh. My. LORD!!” (she was excited) “I love watermelon SO. MUCH!!”

Happy to see the classic black seeds remaining on the fruit at least in some places left in the world, I asked whether she uses a utensil --or her mouth -- to remove the seeds.

Her matter-of-fact answer?

“Of course, that depends if we’re eating it on the beach.”

And I smiled a little brighter that day.

Cape Citrus Perfect Serve

—Mocktail recipe and photos by Abstinence

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Abstinence Cape Citrus

• 6 oz Premium Tonic or Soda

• Grapefruit Slice

• Fresh Rosemary

Link To Easy Conversion Chart

method servings 1

1. Pour Cape Citrus over ice in a gin goblet or collins glass.

2. Top with tonic

3. garnish with a slice of grapefruit & rosemary.