Jerk Chicken Burgers:
Serves: 8
Prep: 2 hours

INGREDIENTS:
4 chicken breasts, cut in half widthwise
1 cooking onion
Salt and pepper
1 jar of your favourite jerk chicken marinade
1/2 red onion
8 slices of pineapple
Burger toppings of your choice

DIRECTIONS:
Place the chicken breasts in a container with a lid. Roughly chop the cooking onion and add to the container, season with salt and pepper, then add as much of the jerk marinade as you’d like (taste the marinade first to determine how spicy it is). Cover the container and shake until the chicken is well coated and chill for at least two hours. You don’t want to touch the marinade with your hands as the scotch bonnets can really irritate your eyes — especially if you have contact lenses.
Heat your barbecue to medium heat. Take your red onion and cut it into ½ – ¾ inch slices. Use tongs to place your chicken on the grill. After five to six minutes, when your chicken breasts are browned on one side, flip them over and add your pineapple and red onion to the grill. A little blackening is normal as these two items are high in sugar, but be careful it doesn’t become 100 per cent charcoal. After another five to six minutes take your chicken off the grill. Once your pineapple and red onion is tender but still crisp, take it off too. Assemble your burgers anyway you’d like! I do mine with a slice of pineapple, two or three pieces of red onion, arugula, and a garlic aioli, but you can do anything you’d like. The world is your oyster, I mean, jerk chicken burger.

Ramen Noodle Salad:
Serves: 8
Prep: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
2 bags (or around 16 cups) coleslaw or broccoli slaw
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup sunflower seeds
½ cup sesame seeds
2 packages ramen noodles
4 finely sliced green onions
¾ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup sesame oil
⅓ cup white vinegar
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
⅔ cup granulated sugar
Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Combine your choice of slaw, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and green onions in a large bowl. Crush ramen noodles inside their bags. Open and set aside the ramen noodle seasoning. Add noodles to slaw mixture shortly before serving. If you add the noodles in too early, they will get soggy. Next combine both vinegars, both oils, granulated sugar, pepper (I usually add about ¼ tsp.), and ramen noodle seasoning packets in a jar. Shake ingredients to thoroughly mix them. Add dressing and ramen noodles to slaw and toss salad. Serve.

Elotes (Grilled Mexican Street Corn)
Serves: 8
Prep time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
4 ears corn (shucked)
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
1 cup cotija or feta cheese (finely crumbled)
1 tsp. ancho chilli powder
1 large clove garlic (crushed)
⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro
1-2 limes

DIRECTIONS:
Boil a pot of water. Add corn to boiling water. Leave it to boil for 8-10 minutes, rotating corn in pot so that all of the corn is submerged for at least 4 minutes. Remove corn from water and pat dry. Cut cobs in half. Set on grill. Rotate until lightly charred/blackened. Remove from grill. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, ½ cup cotija cheese, ½ tsp. chilli powder, garlic, juice of ½ lime, and half of the cilantro in a dish. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Brush mixture all over grilled corn. Sprinkle remaining cheese, cilantro, ancho chilli powder and fresh lime juice onto corn before serving.

Cover photo by Lydia Fleming.