Stuffed Maduros

Stuffed Maduros (sweet plantains), is an easy delicious weeknight meal that also packs a nutritional punch! Plantains are a type of banana used in Latin and Caribbean cultures and are an excellent source of potassium as well as vitamin B6. It is also a good source of fiber, vitamin c, magnesium, and biotin. The potassium found in bananas is a key nutrient in lowering blood pressure and helping regulate fluid balance. Bananas are also good for your gastrointestinal tract as they are high in soluble fiber that is known to lower cholesterol and support healthy bowel function. Plantain bananas have also been known to help the treatment of peptic ulcers.

These bananas are stuffed with grass-fed beef, seasoned with some of my favorite Puerto Rican spices., making it a flavorful dish. Add some avocado to the top for some added healthy fat and cotija cheese and cilantro for flavor.

This dish is great eaten with a side of cilantro cauliflower rice or a nice salad with whatever greens and veggies you have on hand, with a nice cilantro dressing. This dish is gluten-free, paleo, and kid-friendly (my 2-year-old loved it!).

The key is to make sure your bananas are ripe, but not overly ripe. You want your plantains to be yellow, with black spots but not completely black.

Ingredients:

4 yellow and black plantains

Avocado oil spray (I use Trader Joe’s)

1 lb grass-fed ground beef (you can also use pasture-raised ground pork)

1 tbsp Olive oil

4 tbsp sofrito (see my homemade recipe or use Loisa’s brand, if you do not have sofrito you can make a quick version by putting 1/2 an onion, 1/4 of red bell pepper, 3 garlic cloves, a handful of organic cilantro into a food processor, and measuring out 4 tbsp)

1 teaspoon organic adobo

1/2 teaspoon organic sazon (I recommend Loisa’s brand, you can omit if you do not have)

8 oz of tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt or to taste

2/3 cup chicken or beef broth

optional: 1 tbsp capers and 2 tbsp chopped pimento-stuffed olives

Diced avocado and cilantro for garnish, if you tolerate dairy add some cotija cheese for some extra flavor.

Process:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the ends of the bananas and lightly slice peel down the sides so that you can easily peel skin without breaking the banana.
Cut a slice down the inside curve of the banana and slightly pull it apart creating what looks like a boat. Lightly spray the bananas with avocado oil and place them on baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes until soft to touch.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan and add ground beef season with salt and adobo, cook until no longer pink.
Add 4 tablespoons of sofrito and sazon and mix until well incorporated.
Add tomato sauce, and chicken/beef broth.
Cook for 15 minutes and then add capers and olives, cook for another 5 minutes.
Once plantains are done, assemble, stuff with meat, and top with avocado, cilantro, and cojita cheese.

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