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Suga’s Healthy Dinner at Kushite’s Vegetable Cuisine!

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It has been a while now that Kushite’s Vegetable Cuisine has settled into their spacious location at Eden Gardens. From about 2 years ago, I enjoyed Lunch from them once in a while, which was delivered from their small establishment on Phoenix Avenue. I am happy I finally got to visit their location on Lady Musgrave Road with my husband a few weeks ago on Saturday, May 13th for Dinner.

As we stepped in, we were immediately impressed with the tasteful, detailed décor, no pun intended. I admired the art work and enjoyed the ambience and comfortable seating.

Our hostess, waitress and also co-principal of Kushites, Keisha McDonald, was pleasant and well informed as expected with regards to their menu.

Their Jerked Beet Pizza ($2500JmD) is a known pleaser, along with their Sicilian Pita Burger ($1800JMD) and Lentil Balls in Mexican Mole Sauce ($1900JMD).

We ordered a few minutes after 9pm and we had a visual of the Chef, Mr. Kush Tafari himself. We could see the food was prepared fresh and when it arrived in reasonable time after ordering, we could taste just that.

My husband enjoyed his tasty Callaloo and Mushroom in Tomato Cups paired with Quinoa. He had that with a refreshing glass of Lemon Grass Lemonade.

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Callaloo & Mushroom in Tomato Cups ($2500JMD incl. tx) – Mushrooms cooked in a medley of cajun spices and stuffed in Tomato cups along with fresh Callaloo, paired with Quinoa

I thoroughly enjoyed the Sicilian Pita Burger that is a favourite at Kushites. Everything combined was a burst of flavour. The cilantro cream ‘cheese’ sauce definitely gave it a delicious kick of hot and spicy and was a perfect pair for the sweet potato Piri Piri chips. The taste buds then got a little chance to cool down with the black beans and were tickled with the taste of olives.

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Sicilian Pita Burger ($1800JMD incl. tx) – ‘Meat’ made from Black Beans inside an open Pita Bread with lettuce, marinara sauce, cilantro cream ‘cheese’ and olives, served with Sweet Potato Piri Piri Chips

Both meals were healthy and filling. As a fitness enthusiast, I appreciated the creative use of the ‘Good Carbs’, such as the Sweet Potato used to make the Piri Piri chips, the Pita Bread that was either Whole Grain or Whole Wheat and the Quinoa. The Black Beans and Callaloo are also great sources of fibre. The Black Beans especially, though a protein, has slow-release carbs like other healthy beans. Then ofcourse, they were alongside veggies. What was missing for me? A little fruit. This void was fully satisfied with the Jackfruit Hemp smoothie that had even more Protein. The smoothie was well balanced, as the taste of the Jackfruit was not overpowering.

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(L) – Jackfruit Hemp Smoothie ($800 incl. tx); (R) – Lemon grass Lemonade ($450 incl. tx)

Last Thursday, Kushites won the Award for ‘Best Place for Vegetarian’ at the Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards and Suga definitely endorses them for that. Congrats to Kush Tafari, Keisha McDonald and the team!

Go and give Kushites a visit today and continue to have a healthy week!

Kushite’s Vegetable Cuisine

Location: 39 Lady Musgrave Road (Inside Eden Gardens)

Ph: 876-375-0642; 876-631-9101

Instagram: @kushitesvegetablecuisine

By: Gabrielle Burgess

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COST: $800JMD + $300JMD delivery charge

Throwback Tuesday to Suga’s Lunch from Hungry Eyes!

COST: $800JMD + $300JMD delivery charge
COST: $800JMD + $300JMD delivery charge

Lunch last Wednesday, August 5th was great to prep for the holiday. The menu that caught my eyes included Tumeric Vegetable soup and a Salad bowl with Callaloo cous cous, Seasoned plantain, Rosemary 5-spice Garbanzo beans, Carrot spaghetti, Pumpkin seed mix and SOBA noodles.

My order was on time as usual. Packaging and Presentation certainly appealed to my eyes.Then the food? The use of herbs, greens and spices were on point.

The Garbanzo beans were herby with a bit of sweet. So the raisins were a nice touch.  The Plantain was delicious! I wanted more. Now, cous cous is extremely hard to flavour. The trick is to add a little lime or lemon juice amongst other things. The Callaloo could have been a good mix for it, however it was kind of bland and didn’t add much to it. But there were so many other exciting things in the salad bowl to mix it with if that failed. For instance, Carrot spaghetti?! What is that? It was not actual spaghetti, the carrot was peeled to look like spaghetti. Very creative. It was tasty and sweet. The SOBA noodles added some soft fibre and there was still more. Kale and corn completed the bowl.

Well done Hungry Eyes!

Deliver Lunch: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays

Ph.: 876-325-8509

Instagram: Hungry Eyes ‘EYESEATTOO’

Website: [email protected]

Persons can sign up to get weekly menus from [email protected]. Order the night before or by 9am on the morning of.

Blow Fyah Sauce from Stush in the Bush

Stush in the Bush with Lisa Binns

Blow Fyah Sauce from Stush in the Bush

Which bush brings out the stush?! Nestled in Free Hill, Bamboo St. Ann you will find it. An Organic Farm, a Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurant, Tours and Sightseeing all in one!

I am yet to visit the farm but I have tasted some of their products and been privileged to hear from the vibrant and eloquent, Lisa Binns, the lady in charge on the farm, as well as her husband, Chris, a bit on the quiet side but still brings a lot of personality to the table.

They produce sauces, preserves, dressings, breads and organic veggies. I had the pleasure of tasting their Vegan Basil Pesto, Chimichurri Sauce, Sweetie Cherry Tomato Marmalade, Limited Edition Lemon Curd and their Blow Fyah pepper sauce. The Blow Fyah pepper sauce blew my mind. The Lemon Curd was decent, but everything else was certainly delightful.

The Vegan Basil Pesto with arugula on pizza is a good combination. Their Chimichurri Sauce complemented fried green seasoned plantain chips well and it has been recommended to add it to steak and pork chops. The Sweetie Cherry Tomato Marmalade and Blow Fyah pepper sauce can be eaten with just about everything. For instance, the Marmalade can be eaten on burgers and cheese on bread, while I tried the Blow Fyah sauce with roasted potatoes and grilled chicken sausages topped with cheese and tomatoes. I had some water close by to cool me down a bit because it really was ‘fyah’ but so tasty and rich in flavourful herbs and spices.

Stush in the Bush is surely on a growing path and may one day even be a Bed and Breakfast. They are Observer Food Awards’ nominees for Best New Food Item and Best Producer. Good luck to them.

Visit their Facebook page, STUSH in the BUSH for more information and for booking tours and lunch. Their products can currently be found at CPJ Market in Courtyard 71 and Uncorked in Sovereign North.