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About IslandGirl

Hi I'm Monti! Though I spent half my childhood in Puerto Rico and half in the States, my little island's flavors are a part of my DNA. Every bite takes me back. Care to come with me?
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#StopFoodWaste: Asparagus Ends

I love asparagus season. The appearance of the vibrant green stalks on market shelves means spring (I.E. Foodie Christmas) is just around the corner. It's the most wonderful time of the year. (That last sentence should be sung in your best caroling voice.) Asparagus is ridiculously easy to prepare. Rinse the stalks and then bend them until they break. They'll magically snap exactly where the tough woody end and the tender spear meet. Isn't nature glorious? Of course, the tender part is the best part, but that doesn't mean you have to throw out the woody ends. They have just as much flavor and only need a little love [...]

2021-05-10T15:41:13+00:00By |#StopFoodWaste, Appetizers, Fruits & Veggies, Recipes, Uncategorized|0 Comments
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Easy Mango Salsa

This mild salsa has a fruity punch, and with just five ingredients, it's a perfect recipe for an easy, breezy Cinco De Mayo celebration. You can add heat by incorporating minced jalapeno to taste. This recipe makes about 3 cups of salsa.  A couple of handy tips: You don’t have to choose organic mangoes or onions as they don’t usually contain high levels of pesticide residue, especially since you remove the peel before eating them. Choose organic when it comes to cilantro, bell peppers, jalapenos, and limes as they all test high for pesticide residue. You can reduce the sharp bite of the diced red onion by soaking it [...]

2021-05-03T18:30:18+00:00By |#IslandFlavor, Appetizers, Fruits & Veggies, Sauces, Uncategorized|0 Comments
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Sancocho

Sancocho saved me. I was six years old when I first came to the mainland. I didn’t speak a lick of English and I missed Puerto Rico terribly. I didn’t understand what winter was or why the cold never seemed to go away. My mother would make this hearty stew and it would take me right back to my Abuela’s house in San Juan. […]

2021-03-14T17:07:51+00:00By |Uncategorized|0 Comments
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PRESSURE COOKER RICE PUDDING (ARROZ CON DULCE)

My digital pressure cooker is one of my most used kitchen tools. I’m a busy mom and the ability to make a one-pot meal in half the time is something I can’t pass up. So much so that I wrote a cookbook of my favorite Caribbean recipes made easy with Quick Pot, one of my favorite brands of digital pressure cookers.  […]

2021-03-14T17:09:44+00:00By |#IslandFlavor, Desserts, Pressure Cooker, Recipes|5 Comments
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GUAVA BBQ WINGS

This recipe was featured in Men's Journal as one of the best wing recipes to make for the Super Bowl! If you're looking for something sweet and spicy and a little left of center when it comes to traditional wings, this is it! Baking wings is healthier and easier than deep frying, and with the addition of the baking powder and rice flour, you won't sacrifice crispness.  If you can't source guava paste, substitute with quince paste or fig paste. Serve with Dark and Stormies, Ginger Beer, or Red Stripe. Buen Provecho!

2021-02-07T18:37:38+00:00By |#IslandFlavor, Appetizers, Dinner, Proteins, Recipes|2 Comments
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Island Ratatouille Pie

Spring is here and nothing quite puts the season on the plate like a batch of ratatouille.  If you've never had it, it's a vegetable dish usually made with onions, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. The veggies are sauteed or roasted with a little oil until they've softened and released their juices. Ratatouille can be served hot or cold or in a Disney movie prepped by the cutest team of rodents ever. Traditionally, ratatouille is accompanied by a few slices of crusty bread to sop up its savory sauce. I wrapped my ratatouille with a pie crust and dressed it with an herbaceous lemon ricotta to create a one-pot dish [...]

2018-04-19T16:00:28+00:00By |#IslandFlavor, Appetizers, Dinner, Fruits & Veggies, Recipes, Uncategorized|0 Comments
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My first Food Network show debuts April 10th

Forgive me for being sentimental, but it's not every day a dream comes true. When I was 24 years old, after years and years of working in restaurants, I signed up for broadcast school. It was a six-week course. On Day 1 I was asked what my dream was and I said I wanted to host a show on Food Network just like Emeril. On my way to school on Day 3, my car was hit by a dump truck. I woke up from a coma to find that I had 19 broken ribs and a punctured lung. I checked myself out of the hospital as soon as I could [...]

2017-12-19T00:37:22+00:00By |Journal|21 Comments
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#IslandFlavor: Pastelón, Puerto Rican Shepherd’s Pie

  What I love the most about social media is that it allows me to connect with people that I would never have met otherwise and my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE is getting a message from another Boricua who feels as strongly about Puerto Rican flavors as I do. I recently received this note from Hilarie Santiago: Dearest Monti, I've been a huge fan of yours since your appearance in Master Chef 3. I truly identified from the beginning, being a Puerto Rican mom, hustling to make a better life for her  baby. Let me just say, you are a fantastic mom and Danger is a lucky little guy, to have [...]

2017-12-19T00:37:22+00:00By |#IslandFlavor, Recipes, Uncategorized|2 Comments
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#IslandFlavor: Empanadas Stuffed with Picadillo

Empanadillas work triple duty on my little island. They're served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner as an appetizer, main course, and even as a dessert. They are our version of the hot pocket (we freeze them for the future!), usually fried (though they can be baked BUT WHY WOULD YOU?!?!?), totally portable and mouth-wateringly DELICIOUS. Empanadillas are a pastry that can be stuffed with cheese, fruits, veggies, and every protein under the sun. But if you're going old school, the big daddy of all empanadillas is the one stuffed with picadillo. It's a sort of ground beef hash, stewed in a tomato-sauce-based sofrito with olives and raisins. You'll find [...]

2021-05-18T16:39:49+00:00By |Uncategorized|0 Comments
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#IslandFlavor: The Freakin’ Rican Burger

Everyone has a favorite burger recipe and the Freakin' Rican is mine. I developed the recipe when I competed on Gordon Ramsay's MasterChef because it’s Puerto Rico in one juicy bite. The patty is made from 50% short rib, 25% sirloin and %25 pork shoulder, all coarsely ground. I season the patty with sazón, a Puerto Rican spice blend and then layer it with a chunky sofrito (flavorful tomato based sauce) and slices of creamy meunster cheese. Then come the smashed ripe plantains and strips of crispy thick cut bacon. I top those with tomato, onion, and arugula and sandwich all of it on a potato bun toasted with garlic [...]

2017-12-19T00:37:22+00:00By |#IslandFlavor, Proteins, Recipes, Uncategorized|2 Comments
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