Cuban Sloppy Joes & Baked Plantains

Adapted from Rachael Ray's recipe.

Ingredients:
1 cloves garlic, cracked from skin
1/4 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, eyeball it in your palm
1/4 lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball the amount
1 pound ground sirloin
1/2 tablespoon paprika, eyeball it in your palm
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1/2 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (recommended: Tabasco) eyeball it
1/2 cup tomato sauce
A palm full grill seasoning blend (recommended: McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning)

Hamburger buns

Slices of Pepper Jack cheese

Directions:
Make the mojo sauce: put the garlic and onion in a food processor with cumin, lemon zest and juice. Turn processor on and stream in extra-virgin olive oil. Turn off processor and reserve.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown. Add the mojo and crumble the meat as it cooks, about 3 minutes. Add paprika, Worcestershire, hot pepper sauce, tomato sauce and grill seasoning. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cook over low heat 10 minutes.

Split buns and pile the bottoms with hefty spoonfuls of Sloppy Jose mix. Cover meat with sliced pepper jack cheese. Serve with Baked Sweet Plantains, recipe below.

Baked Sweet Plantains

Adapted from this recipe from recipezaar.com.

Ingredients:

2 ripe plantains (when the skin is yellow with spots of black they're perfect)

Cooking spray

Cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a nonstick cookie sheet with cooking spray. Cut the ends off of the plantains and peel. Cut each plantain on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange in single layer and coat tops with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake, turning occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, until plantains are golden brown and very tender.