6.10.2009

Poblano Turkey Sausages with Mexican-ish Rice and a Watermelon Lesson

Don't forget to email me your recipe for BSI (Blogger Secret Ingredient)! Send me your best Watermelon Recipe and win a prize! I will also be making the winning recipe and putting it up on my blog.

I was thinking about watermelon last night. It's such an interesting melon. It makes a sound like no other when bitten into. The sound of Jicama is similar. I found this cool info on Watermelon and I found it to be quite fascinating!

Watermelon is thought to have originated in the Kalahari Desert of Africa.

The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5,000 years ago in Egypt and is depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphics on the walls of their ancient buildings. Watermelons were often placed in the burial tombs of kings to nourish them in the afterlife.

From there, watermelons spread throughout countries along the Mediterranean Sea by way of merchant ships.

By the 10th century, watermelon found its way to China, which is now the world's number one producer of watermelons.

The 13th century found watermelon spread through the rest of Europe via the Moors.

In 1615 the word "watermelon" first appeared in the English dictionary, according to John Mariani in his book, "The Dictionary of American Food & Drink."

Southern food historian, John Egerton, believes watermelon made its way to the United States with African slaves as he states in his book, "Southern Food."

The United States currently ranks fourth in worldwide production of watermelon. Forty-four states grow watermelons with Florida, Texas, California, Georgia and Arizona consistently leading the country in production.

Watermelon has become a year-round staple in households the world over. With more countries than ever importing and exporting watermelons, it is easy to find the sweet, healthy and refreshing fruit any time of the year.

Source: www.watermelon.org




On to today's recipe. We had this for dinner a couple of nights ago. It was easy and yummy!



  • 1 package of Turkey Sausages (I found these Poblano Pepper ones and I had to try them!
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup long grain rice
  • 115 oz can corn, drained
  • 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies and spices
  • 1 15 oz can black beans, drained
  • 1 15 oz can water or chicken broth
For Garnish:
  • chopped cilantro
  • avocado
  • sliced olives
  • sour cream



Grill the turkey sausage.



While the sausage is grilling you can start on the rice. Heat oil in a large pan. Brown rice a bit. (I thought this photo turned out so cool with the rice falling into the pan. What an action shot!)



Next, add your corn and brown it a bit also.



Add in the black beans.



Add the diced tomatoes.



Stir in 1 can of water or chicken broth and the chopped cilantro. Bring to a boil. Stir. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until rice is done and liquid is absorbed.



Remove lid and give it a stir .



Slice the Turkey Sausages and place on top of the rice.




Garnish with sour cream, avocado, olives, cilantro and maybe a little of your favorite hot sauce. I think this is a great weeknight meal. Great flavor and not a lot of fuss.

~Enjoy~

24 comments:

The Blonde Duck said...

Ode to Mexican food and how I love thee...

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

I just love Mexican food and this casserole has all my favorites in one place. This looks great!

Jenn said...

Nice! Mexican inspired dish with turkey sausage. Delish!!!

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

Hi Kim!
Interesting watermelon info! That meal looks so good! I am trying to grow watermelon in my square foot garden, but it's not doing that great. I hope it starts to thrive. I read a really good recipe the other day for watermelon pico de gallo.

XOXO
Jen

Randi Troxell said...

oh i love mexican food the best and this looks so yummy!

MsTypo said...

I'm totally making that Mexican rice!! YUMMMMM

debra@dustjacket said...

thanks for all that info.

Kathy B! said...

Ahhh.. the cilantro again!

If watermelon weren't so tasty I'd bet they'd classify it as a weed based upon the way it gets around!

Sweta (My Indian Dietitian) said...

Lesson learnt-interesting info.
Love the Mexicanish rice :)

Heather S-G said...

Um...YUM! You know I love this...making me hungry again. :D

Mary Bergfeld said...

This really does look good. Trying to squueze in a recipe but time is going to be tight. I'll do my best.

Katy ~ said...

Gosh that looks so good! I wish Ole Sweetie-Pi would eat rice. Silly old dear won't go near it.

Anonymous said...

Great recipe and excellent info on watermelon! Thanks!

Selba said...

Oh my... what a wonderful dish!

Linda said...

My family will love this. And again...I love all the colors!
I really enjoyed reading all the history on watermelon...who knew?

teresa said...

I love the watermelon facts, I always think things like that are so fun.

Your dishes are always so fresh and healthy! I can't wait to try this!

Reeni said...

I love mexican casseroles!! This is another great one! Loaded with lots of goodies. Thanks for the watermelon info.

Donna-FFW said...

Your mexican themed recipes are just perfect. They always look so colorful too!

Cathy said...

I'm on my way out the door to buy the ingredients for this. Looks delish. I love Mexican flavors.

Dewi said...

I am loving the recipe, bookmark worthy!

Renuka said...

looks like a great mexican meal..will try it out...

Kathy said...

OMGosh, Can I just come live with you? I love EVERYTHING you post!!!!

MaRiN said...

That looks delicious! I think you should change the name of your blog to TRULY GOURMET! Everything always looks so appetizing.

Rhiannon Bosse said...

You are surely not UNgourmet Kim!! Everything looks so great on here I wish I had half the skill you do to cook. Thanks for entering my giveaway and I love your mosaic too :) It looks fab. Good luck and have a happy Friday!!

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