Stuffed Plantains

I saw a recipe for beef stuffed plantains at My Colombian Recipes which uses ground beef. I tried it with a few tweaks (like using steak instead of ground beef) and we loved it. It's kinda like a savory banana split. 

You need to use ripe plantains that are not green and hard for this recipe. This time I used plantains that were ripe but not very black just because that's how much they had ripened by the time I planned to make this dish. 

Stuffed Plantains

4 ripe plantains, peeled
2 T. butter, melted

Mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced

Filling:

1 T. olive oil

1/2 c. onion, chopped

1/2 lb. flank steak, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c. tomato, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T. ground cumin

1/2 c. tomato sauce

2 T. soy sauce

3 T. cilantro, chopped (divided)

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Grease cookie sheet.

Brush plantains with melted butter and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip plantains and back for 15 minutes.

While cooking, make the filling. Heat olive oil in skillet. Add onion and cook until soft. Season steak. Add to skillet with and brown on medium heat. Add tomatoes and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add cumin, tomato sauce, soy sauce, and half of the cilantro. Heat through. 

Remove plantains from oven. Cut slit down center of each. Stuff with beef mixture and cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro. Return to oven just enough to melt cheese. 

*Closed* Giveaway - Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez

UPDATE: The winner is Janet. Congratulations! I'll send you an email so I can get your information to send you your prize. I hope you enjoy the book.

Years ago I was following Yamile Saied Méndez's blog. She was a writer but hadn't published yet. She also did sensitivity readings, so read other people's manuscripts and make comments on any stereotypes, biases, or inaccuracies of culture. 

Then a few years ago, I invited Yamile to speak at a library where I worked and she graciously accepted. She is an Argentine-American and spoke about her culture and the importance of diversity in literature. She read fun books, but they weren't her own since she still hadn't published yet. And she is as sweet and cute in person as she seemed on her blog.

Fast-forward just a little bit to present-day. She has has published several books, 3 of which were published by Scholastic and sold at book fairs in elementary and middle schools near you. I gave away a copy of her book Where Are You From? on my Facebook page after it came out. 

As the release date neared for her latest book, Furia, I knew I wanted to have a giveaway for it. All I knew was that the protagonist was a young woman in Argentina who wanted to be a professional fútbol (soccer) player despite the cultural norms and family expectations. The book is in English with some Spanish words and phrases here and there so you can learn a little if you don't already speak Spanish. 

Before I could do a giveaway, Furia was chosen as the Reese Witherspoon Hello Sunshine YA Book Club's September book. Reese chooses a book each month with a female in the center of the story.

• It was also on New York Library's Best Books of the Year 2020 list for teens. 
• As if that wasn't cool enough, I happened to see it on BuzzFeed's 30 YA Books By Latinx Authors We Can't Wait To Read In 2020.
• It was on Cosmopolitan magazine's Best Young Adult Books You'll Read All Year list. 
• It was chosen for A Mighty Girl's 60 Empowering Books Starring Latina Mighty Girls. And I'm sure I don't know about some other honors.

So, now that you're all hyped to read this book with a strong, determined young woman that everyone is talking about, enter my giveaway for one hardcover copy of Furia! The giveaway is open to anyone living in the U.S. 

To enter, just post a comment (with an email address if I don't know you personally or come back on Saturday to see if you won) and tell me at least one book you've read that I should be sure to read. Enter by Friday, January 22 at midnight MST. 

In the meantime, you can print your own Furia bookmarks from Reese's Hello Sunshine . 

Overnight Blueberry French Toast Bake With Streusel Topping

I first made this delicious recipe in 2013 after finding it at Serena Bakes Simply from Scratch and it immediately became a family favorite. I have since started adding an icing to it, which makes it a cross between French toast and a cinnamon roll. 

You do need to plan ahead since it needs to put put together and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. It is so worth the wait. 

Overnight Blueberry French Toast Bake With Streusel Topping

1 loaf French Bread, ripped or cut into cubes
1 1/2 c. blueberries (If frozen, thaw and drain juice)
7 whole eggs
2 1/2 c. whole milk
1/4 c. pure maple syrup
3 t. vanilla extract
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. sea salt
1/2 c. cold butter, cut into 8 cubes

Icing

2 c. powdered sugar
1 T. butter, melted
2 t. vanilla
2-3 T. milk or cream 

Grease a 9"x 13" baking dish.

Place 1/2 of French bread cubes in a baking dish and top with 3/4 cup blueberries. Add remaining bread cubes and top with remaining 3/4 cup blueberries.

In a medium sized bowl combine eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix until thoroughly combined. Pour egg mixture over the top of bread and blueberries. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

In a gallon sized Ziploc bag add flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt. Close tightly and use fingers to thoroughly combine ingredients. Add butter and re-close bag. Use fingers to combine butter and sugar mixture until it resembles pea sized pieces. If butter becomes soft mixture, it will re-harden overnight in the refrigerator. Place Ziploc bag in the refrigerator overnight. 

In the morning, preheat oven to 350°. Remove casserole and streusel topping from the refrigerator. Use fingers to crumble streusel topping over the top of the bread and blueberries. Bake for 50 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

Serve plain, with additional butter and maple syrup, or with icing.

Icing: 

Mix powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla together in bowl. Slowly beat in just enough milk until it is a thick icing.