Plantain Paleo Lasagna / Pastelon

I'm afraid I've gone on blogger's hiatus since my last post. I've been cooking all along, but was a bit discouraged by some negative feedback left on Instagram. So please, try my recipes. I write or re-write them so that the reader can replicate each dish easily. All tips, comments, and concerns are welcome! - but be kind in leaving your opinion.

Plantain Paleo Pastelon

Sounds strange, right? My boyfriend is half Puerto Rican and loves plantains. So when I stumbled upon the idea and ran it by him, he was thrilled to try. By no means is this a traditional dish (it's technically a pastelon with a twist), but oh man is it good. A perfect marriage between sweet starches and ground turkey, that will leave you feeling healthy and satisfied. It's like a savory-sweet cross between sheppard's pie and lasagna, it's to die for, and your body will thank you - this recipe follows the paleo diet.

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground turkey

1/2 C gluten free rolled oats, chopped

4-5 ripe plantains - They need to be ripe for the sweetness, but not too ripe or it will be harder to cut "noodles" out of them.

1 onion, chopped

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

2 tsp oregano

1 bundle cilantro, chopped

1/2 C diced pineapple - If canned, try to make sure it's organic or no sugar added.

1/2 C organic tomato sauce

2 bay leaves

Egg whites of 8 eggs, whisked - 4 eggs if you don't have enough on hand

4 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

How it's made:

1) Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8 x 8 in. baking pan and set aside.

2) In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, oats, onion, 2 cloves worth of minced garlic, bell pepper, and oregano. Mix well with hands.

3) Heat 1-2 Tbsp coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add about half the remaining garlic and let cook 1 minute of so, allowing it to  become fragrant. Then add the turkey mixture to the pan. 

4) Once the turkey has browned, add pineapple, tomato sauce and bay leaves. Simmer while covered on medium low heat, check back to stir every now and then. 

5) Meanwhile, heat the coconut oil in a pan on high, then fry the plantains until they are slightly brown on each side. Remove plantains from the hot oil and let them cool on a plate with paper towel. Once cooled enough for handling, line your baking pan with one
layer of the fried plantains. 

6) Remove bay leaves, and add cilantro to the turkey mixture. Stir well and remove from heat. Pour turkey mixture over first layer of plantains and spread evenly. Drizzle eggs over the turkey mixture. Layer the top with plantains, much like you've done you with the bottom layer.

7) Bake for 25-30 mins. Make sure your dish has set in the oven. Cook for 10 minutes, cut, and enjoy!

...it's to die for.