Turkey Stuffed Plantain Boats & Dirty Rice

Turkey Stuffed Plantain Boats
Ingredients:
8 large plantains
3/4 lb. of lean ground turkey
1/2 medium red bell pepper finely chopped
1/2 medium green bell pepper finely chopped
1/2 medium onion diced
2 garlic gloves finely chopped
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. salt

Pre-heat oven 375 degrees
1. In large skillet, brown ground turkey. Drain fat and return to skillet.
2. In a small skillet saute peppers, onion and garlic for 5-10 minutes or until onions are translucent, and add them to the turkey, mix well.
3. Add onion powder, garlic powder, basil, oregano and salt to the turkey mixture and stir well. Remove from heat.
4. Peel plantains, cut each one length wise about halfway through and spread gently, it should look like a boat! Not completely separated. Spoon turkey mixture into each plantain, packing firmly.
5. Wrap each plantain boat in aluminum foil and place in 9x13'' baking dish.
6. Cook for 45-50 mins or until plantains are tender. Serve and enjoy!

Dirty Rice ingredients:
1 C. brown rice
1 C. black beans, drained and rinsed
14.5 oz can of fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
1 C. Hunt's no salt added diced tomatoes
1/4  medium onion chopped
2 garlic cloves diced
1 T. olive oil
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of cayenne pepper

1. In a medium sauce pan add olive oil, saute onion and garlic on medium-high until the onions turn translucent.
2. Add rice, stirring continuously.
3. Add tomatoes, black beans, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 50-55 minutes.
4. Add chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and cayenne pepper.
5. Stir well and enjoy!

Our first post!

    We are very excited to be starting a healthy eating blog and hope to give you a little taste of our lives in St. Kitts, and from each of our individual backgrounds. We hail from California, Ohio and Michigan and have all converged here in the Caribbean to attend veterinary school. This past year while living together, we discovered our passion for healthy, wholesome meals. We want to share these with you while tying in our ethnic backgrounds as well as foods traditionally eaten here in St. Kitts, helping you discover them as we discover them ourselves.

Open air market in Basseterre, St. Kitts.

      Our first meal is Ground Turkey Stuffed Plantains. Don't worry! We were a bit skeptical at first too, but our friend Alex introduced this dish to us as a traditional meal her family ate in Puerto Rico. While the family recipe is a secret, we adapted it and we think you'll enjoy it as much as we do!

Hana, Jackie R., Jackie K. and Alex.  Thank you Alex.

       In order to fully appreciate the things you may easily find in the states and elsewhere, we have to tell a quick story on how we were able to obtain ground turkey on this island. It's always an adventure here trying to find certain ingredients and foods that we were used to back home. Well, we definitely are not able to find lean ground turkey on this island. After every fifteen week semester we have a two week break until the next one, so I (Jackie R.) went home and loaded a fifteen pound cooler with frozen steaks and ground turkey and hauled that thing through three airports. It's amazing the things you learn! You can take meat through an airport as long as it's frozen, who knew?? Stay tuned for our first recipe!! :]