Ever had fried plantains topped with guacamole and other deliciousness? Well I used them as a the buns for an epic burger!

THIS POST IS PART OF THE #BURGERMONTH CELEBRATION HAPPENING ALL MONTH LONG ON GIRLCARNIVORE.COM AND ACROSS THE INTERWEBS ALONG WITH 100 OTHER TALENTED FOODIES!! MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW #BURGERMONTH TO CATCH THEM ALL!

Remember when my friend’s mom taught me how to make Colombian patacones? Well I finally got the nerve to try making them myself. While my first batch burned, likely due to the oil being too hot and not paying close attention, the second bath came out great! But instead of topping them the traditional way, I decided to use them as the buns to a burger.

The idea for this burger started by signing up for the annual Burger Month blogging event hosted by my BA friend Kita (Girl Carnivore / Pass the Sushi). At first I had a hard time coming up with something I deemed worthy of the occasion. Then I contemplated a sushi inspired burger complete with a rice bun but decided there was too much of that buzzing around the internet lately and wanted to do something more novel. Then at lunch one day, Juan was telling me how he made burgers with arepa buns and I immediately made the jump to patacon buns. And he immediately requested that he get one.

The end result was worthy of the first day of Burger Month. A crispy yet dense, slightly sweet, “bun” sandwiched around a juicy burger topped with melted mozzarella, fresh guacamole, and a pink sauce that reminds me of McDonald’s secret sauce – with booze in it. And yes, I saved one for Juan to get his Colombian stamp of approval!

Take a look a other creations I’ve made for #BurgerMonth including: The Pepper Burger (2021), Blueberry Cinnamon Roll Turkey Burgers (2020), Chimichurri Burgers (2019), Sushi Burger (2018), Hard Root Beer Burgers with Blue Cheese and Crispy Onions (2016), and Spicy Mustard & Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers (2014).

WHILE THIS EPIC BURGER CREATION IS MY OWN FOR #BURGERMONTH 2017, I WANT TO THANK American Lamb Board, Anolon.  Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner, Char-Broil, Curly’s BBQ, Cuttingboard.com, Melissa’s Produce, Primal Stone, Spiceologist , Thermoworks , & Veal Made Easy FOR THE KILLER GRILL PRIZE PACKAGES! HEAD ON OVER TO BURGERMONTH.COM TO PUT YOUR NAME IN TO WIN!

PRIZES:

American Lamb Board – (ALB prize boxes 5 lbs of ground lamb, an apron and a meat thermometer

Anolon – 10″x 18″ Double Burner Griddle and Grill Pan

Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner – prize packs of beefy grilling-themed goodies

Char-Broil – Char-Broil Kettleman Grill

Curly’s BBQ – Curly’s BBQ Pork Pack

Cuttingboard.com – Olive Wood Carver Bo

Melissa’s Produce – Baby vegetable box

Primal Stone – XL Primal Stone

Spiceologist –  4 Rub Grilling Spice Set

Thermoworks –  Thermapen Mk4

Veal Made Easy – 5 lbs Veal and grilling gear

One year ago: Weekly Meal Plan: May 2-8

Two years ago: Cheetos Mac & Cheese

Three years ago: Caprese Salad Bagel Bites

Four years ago: Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes

PATACON BURGERS

Serves 4

Ingredients:

PINK SAUCE

1/2 cup mayonnaise (or plain Greek yogurt)

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tsp brandy

Salt and pepper, to taste

GUACAMOLE

2 avocados, peeled and pit removed

1 small tomato, chopped

2 Tbsp chopped red onion

1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp lime juice

1/4 tsp salt

Ground black pepper, to taste

HOGAO

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped scallions (greens and whites)

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

BURGERS

1 lb. ground beef

1/4 cup hogao (see above)

1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Fresh sliced mozzarella

PATACONES

Vegetable oil

4 green plantains, peeled and cut in half crosswise

Directions:

1. First make the pink sauce and guacamole. Mix all ingredients for each in separate respective bowls. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. For the hogao, heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add scallions and tomatoes and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add salt and pepper, and cook for another 10 minutes until thickened. Remove to a large bowl and set aside.
3. Heat the same greased skillet (or a grill) over medium-high heat.
4. In the bowl containing the hogao, combine with the ground beef, cilantro, and salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties. Grill or pan fry about 4-5 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Top with mozzarella and remove to a plate.
5. Wipe the pan clean and place over medium heat. Heat 1-inch of vegetable oil until hot. Fry plantains on both sides until the exterior is golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from oil, and immediately flatten (I put it in plastic bag and smashed between two boards by standing on them). Fry again until dark golden. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
6. Place 1 patacon on a plate, top with burger, guacamole, pink sauce, and another patacon. Repeat with other burgers and serve immediately.

Source: Adapted from Homemade Colombian Patacones.

Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary non-stick double grill pan from ANALON. I was not compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.

This might be the longest recipe I have ever posted. But please, wait, don’t go! Today’s post is more about the experience because this isn’t just a recipe, it’s a story about how two of my friends’ moms visited from Colombia and showed me how to make real patacones! Patacones are fried plantains, just in case you weren’t aware.

Making patacones themselves is not a difficult process. You first cut them in half, fry them, squash them flat, and then fry them again. That’s the part I got to take part in, and yes those are my feet stepping on the wood planks to flatten the patacones. Nothing’s better than stepping on your food before you eat it! Sure you could buy a fancy press from the store, but I’m not going to deny the efficiency of this method. They actually told me the presses are more difficult to use.

But making the patacones is actually the last step of the process. While I could eat a pile of fried plantains by themselves, I’d like you to try to deny that assembly line of toppings shown in the photo below. They actually made all of those before I arrived and set them up in the order deemed best (gotta trust the experts)! I can’t believe they spent almost all day preparing everything and I felt incredibly honored to be their dinner guests.

It was such a fun experience and even better to devour all the delicious food while being surrounded by great people. Afterwards, I begged her to give me the recipes for pretty much everything. Since their mom’s are not fluent in English, my friend had to translate it for me, and now I am passing along the wealth of information. While I don’t think I could ever make them as good as they did, I don’t think I can wait until they visit again to enjoy them!

Two years ago: Easy Italian Rainbow Cookie Cake

Three years ago: White Hot Chocolate Pods

Five years ago: Cheddar Chili Cornbread Pasta Bake

HOMEMADE PATACONES WITH TOPPINGS

Serves 8

Ingredients:

HOGAO

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup finely chopped scallions (greens and whites)

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

CARNE DESMECHADA

1 lb. flank steak (or ground beef)

4 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 cups hogao (see above)

1 tsp tomato paste

SOUR CREAM SAUCE

1 cup sour cream

2 scallions, greens chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

PINK SAUCE

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tsp brandy

Salt and pepper, to taste

GUACAMOLE

2 avocadoes, peeled and pit removed

1 small tomato, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp olive oil

1 jalapeno, deseeded and finely chopped

1/4 tsp salt

Ground black pepper, to taste

PEPERONETA SAUCE

3 (red and green) bell peppers, julienned

1 small white onion, sliced

1/2 cup cubed tomatoes

2 Tbsp water

1 bay leaf

1 sprig of thyme

1 Tbsp ketchup

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp steak sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

RIPE PLANTAINS WITH CHICHARRON

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 very ripe plantains (the riper the sweeter), peeled and cubed

1/2 cup crumbled chicharron (pork rind)

PATACONES

Vegetable oil

8 green plantains, peeled and cut in half crosswise

MORE TOPPINGS

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

Fresh shredded mozzarella

Pico de gallo

Directions:

1. For the hogao, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and then melt the butter. Add scallions and tomatoes and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add salt and pepper, and cook for another 10 minutes until thickened. Remove to a separate bowl and set aside.
2. For the carne desmechada, in the same pan, place the flank steak, water, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. Save 1 cup of the liquid used to cook the meat, remove meat from the pot, let it cool and shred with a fork. Place beef back in the pot with the hogao and 1 cup of reserved liquid. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove to a separate bowl and set aside.
3. While the beef cooks make the sour cream sauce, pink sauce, and guacamole. Mix all ingredients for each in separate respective bowls. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. For the peperoneta sauce, heat olive oil in the same pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add peppers, tomatoes, water,bay leaf, thyme, ketchup, sugar, mustard, and cumin. Turn down heat to low, cover, and simmer until peppers are soft, about 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf and thyme stem, stir in the steak sauce, and season with salt and pepper. Remove to a separate bowl and set aside.
5. For the plantains with chicharron, heat oil in the same pan medium-high heat. Add plantains and cook until brown and caramelized. Remove plantains from the pan and place on paper towels to drain. Transfer to a bowl and mix with crumbled chicharron.
6. Wipe the same large pan clean and place over medium heat. Heat 1-inch of vegetable oil until hot. Fry plantains on both sides until the exterior is golden, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from oil, and immediately flatten (we put it in plastic bag and smashed between two boards by standing on them). Fry again until dark golden. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Serve immediately with prepared toppings.

Source: Recipe from Maria Lilia, translated by Juan, and adapted slightly from the internet (for measurements).

This colorful vegetarian taco salad comes together in minutes. Quinoa, black beans, corn and kale will fill you up while the spicy avocado dressing satisfies the taste buds

I go through phases with my food cravings and lately it has consisted of arugula, kale, Mexican food, and ice cream. So why not combine two of them in this healthier taco salad? Made with quinoa, kale, black beans, corn pepitas, purple cabbage and plantain chips.

Other than the quinoa, this vegetarian salad requires no cooking and comes together very quickly making it a great salad for lunch or a weeknight dinner to beat the lingering summer heat. It’s made even healthier by serving it in a bowl of purple cabbage leaves. Crunchy like a tortilla without the guilt. As a bonus it even looks pretty!

One year ago: Mixed Berry Slab Pie

Two years ago: Roasted Cherry Brownie Cheesecake

HEALTHY VEGETARIAN TACO SALAD

Serves 4

Ingredients:

DRESSING

1 avocado

1 small jalapeno, seeded

2 cloves garlic

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup water

SALAD

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa

4 cups chopped fresh kale

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup corn

1/4 cup roasted pepitas

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper

8 purple cabbage leaves

1/2 cup plantain chips

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend avocado, jalapeno, garlic, lemon juice, and water until smooth. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine cooked quinoa, kale, black beans, corn, pepitas, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Create 4 bowls by placing 2 cabbage leaves into each serving bowl. Divide kale mixture among bowls and top with dressing and plantain chips.

Source: Adapted slightly from Women’s Health, April 2014.