Pan-Latin Citrus Turkey Breast, February 11, 2015

Continuing the theme of multi-ethnic meals for the week, I made a Cubanish dinner last night. I say Cubanish because the turkey marinade wasn't very typically Cuban, what with the jalapeño and chile powder and basil. Really, using turkey wasn't very Cuban, either. It's not a popular meat in Cuban culture, generally speaking, but it was on sale at the grocery and looked pretty good. I like to start my meat (other than seafood) marinating either the night before or the morning I'm going to make the dish, so it has lots of time to soak up the flavors. If, however, you forget, a couple hours will do the trick. I prefer, honestly, a typical Cuban mojo for marinade, but it's fun to change it up sometimes.

Last night, I used Goya canned black bean soup to put over the rice, since we both like it quite a bit and our local grocery carries it. If you want to make yours from scratch, you can find the recipe here. I also used Goya frozen maduros (sweet plantains), as I've been having a hard time finding good ripe plantains anywhere near me. Jeannene had spotted these at a Mexican grocery near Pie & Bubbles' apartment & picked them up for me to have on hand. I baked them in the oven and they turned out great! For a salad, I put some slivers of sweet onion and chunks of avocado on butter lettuce, then dressed it with a lime juice, olive oil, salt, & pepper. Simple and delicious.

Pan-Latin Citrus Turkey Breast

2 large skinless, boneless turkey breasts

Juice of 2 limes

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 orange

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 jalapeño, seeded and minced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with the side of a heavy knife blade

1/2 tsp. chile powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. salt

Mix everything but the turkey. Add the turkey and marinate at least a couple hours. Broil, grill, or pan-fry in olive oil until cooked through. Serves 2 or 3.