A few weeks ago I was spending some time scrolling through Instagram and I stumbled upon a Caribbean chef's delicious food creations. The flavors seemed to permeate through my phone screen, as I could almost taste the delicious dishes pictured in his photos. I was also reminded of my childhood trips to Jamaica and how much I loved trying new things and exploring with my tastebuds. I felt inspired to recreate some plant-based versions of what I saw on my screen and remembered from my past travels. I headed to the closest ethnic market and picked up a bunch of exotic fruit and vegetables. It was time to get cooking!
At the ethnic market, I bought up some yuca (a starchy root vegetable), plantains (similar to bananas but higher in starch and not as sweet), some brown rice, pinto beans, canned peas, green tomatillos (similar to tomatoes), and pre-seasoned barbecued jackfruit (jackfruit is a delicious, bubblegum-tasting fruit).
To cook the yuca, I first peeled it, cut it in half, and then boiled it for about 15 minutes-20 minutes. Then I let it sauté with some onions and tomatillos in a skillet. In a separate skillet, I sautéed the plantain with a tiny bit of vegetable oil. The rice and beans were super easy to make (I cooked the rice according to the package but used vegetable broth instead of water for extra flavor, and then added canned pinto beans and canned peas). The jackfruit came already seasoned so I just heated it up for a minute or two.
Although this meal is very high in carbohydrates, it's also high in fiber. This meal was so tasty and it was so fun to work with new flavors. I'm looking forward to my next cooking inspiration, so if you have a delicious, unique meal or cuisine you'd like to share, leave a comment of connect with me via Facebook or Instagram @vitaminvalentine 🙂
-Jess
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