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.

Moist Gluten Free Persimmon Cookies

         Here in the Silicon Valley, the leaves are turning and persimmons are ripening! I'm lucky enough to have a tree in my backyard, so I thought I would take advantage of having the fruit before the birds did. If you aren't familiar with persimmon cookies, you should know they are very festive tasting - 'tis the season! If you like pumpkin pie, gingersnaps, or carrot cake, you're going to love the flavors that this recipe has to offer. I tweaked the original  to make it more healthy. My version is gluten free, and dairy free with other modifications, so you don't have to feel bad about indulging.

You're going to need the following...

2 - 3 persimmons

1/2 C Organic Earth Balance Buttery Spread - I use this spread because it tastes just like butter but the nutritional facts are more appealing than E.V.O.O. If you don't have it, and aren't willing to make the purchase, any type of shortening is ok. 

1/2 C Truvia - this is a sugar substitute and it's a stevia product

Eggwhites of 3 eggs

4 C Gluten Free Rolled Oats

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 C chopped walnuts

1 C golden raisin

Here's how you make them... 

1. Chop almonds. Peel, de-stem, and process persimmons to a puree (enough to equal 1 cup). Preheat oven to 350 F and grease cookie sheet. Lay foil on cookie sheet for easy cleanup. 

2. In a medium bowl, cream together Truvia and Earth Balance. Beat in egg whites and persimmon pulp.

3. Chop oats in food processor until they have a flour-like consistency. In another bowl, combine the oats, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.Stir dry mixture into the persimmon mixture

4. Stir in walnuts and raisins. Drop 1-1.5in rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes and let stand 5 minutes on cookie sheet before moving to cooling rack. Check your cookies at 8 minutes. They have a cake like consistency so if you let them begin to brown, the bottoms will be burnt. This also helps them maintain their moisture. 

Enjoy!