15+ Reasons to Cook with MIC Food®

Chef’s Talk: Chefs explain why they like cooking with MIC Food® Products.

Earlier this year, we partnered with our friends at Chef’s Roll to put our products to the test!

Over 15 chefs and industry professionals were given access to some of our best-selling items, like Big Banana® Whole Baked Plantain and Tio Jorge® Yuca Fries to name a few, and were given free rein to come up with a recipe that not only showcases their style but the versatility of our products as well.

Read on to explore each chef’s recipe, their inspiration, and what they had to say about cooking with our products! From fine-dining to plant-based to desserts, you can find plantains, yuca, and boniato showcased in a variety of ways that’s sure to make every meal memorable.

WHOLE BAKED PLANTAIN

Vegan Pastelon Roll by Chef Jessica Carter
Made with Lentils, Mushrooms, Roasted Plantain Strips and Crispy Chickpeas

What inspired or influenced you to make this dish?
It was a dish that prominently features sweet plantains. I wanted to demonstrate how simple it was to make a vegan version of the Puerto Rican dish substituting ground beef for lentils and mushrooms. I decided to prepare it as a roll for a more visually interesting plating.

What did you enjoy about the product the most?
The convenience of the product was great.

Sweet Plantain Bread Pudding by Chef Dakota Weiss
Over Coffee Caramel, Lime Candied Habañero, Pineapple and Crema

What inspired or influenced you to make this dish?
I wanted to highlight the caramel sweetness from the plantains while also using a little sweet heat from the Habañero, the earthiness from the coffee caramel and the cream to give it a creamy yet sour note to round it all out.

What did you enjoy about the product the most?
Its versatility. I was able to bake it into the bread pudding as a layer, I also pureed some of it and put it into the custard mix.

RIPE PLANTAIN ROUNDS

Black Bean Dark Chocolate Brownie by Chef Tamara Westerhold
with Coconut Rice Pudding Caramelized Sweet Plantains

What inspired or influenced you to make this dish?
I wanted to produce the Dessert version of the traditionally Savory Rice, Beans, and Plantains.

What did you enjoy about the product the most?
They were perfect. Even coloring, perfectly cut, and delicious consistent flavor. Such a time-saver to have the Plantains already peeled and cut. And perfect taste!

Seared Tuna, Crispy Wonton & Unagi by Chef Devin Smith
Served with an Avocado Plantain Mash, Red Cabbage & Carrot Slaw

BONIATO

Curried Coconut Boniato Sweet Potato Soup by Chef Ed Cotton
With Shrimp, Snap Peas, and Crispy Shallots

What inspired or influenced you to make this dish?
I love the flavors of coconut and curry.

What did you enjoy about the product the most?
All uniform sizes and cooked up quickly. I thought it ate well after roasting it and really cooked up well. Very happy with the results, not soggy and it tasted fresh.

Boniato Sweet Potato Gnocchi by Chef Ryan Peters 
With Broccoli Florets, Raw Broccoli Stem and Turnips tossed in vinegar and olive oil, Pickled Sunchokes, Crispy Broccoli Leaves

What inspired or influenced you to make this dish?
I wanted to see how versatile the product was. Pasta making is one of my favorite things to do, so it was fun to make gnocchi.

What did you enjoy about the product the most?
How quick it was to use versus traditionally baking a potato. It was honestly much better than I anticipated. For gnocchi, it really is the perfect product

Boniato Tostones by Chef Adam Hegsted

What inspired or influenced you to make this dish?
I was recently in Belize and had many version of tostones, not all were good. I wanted to make something that was #1 delicious and #2 easy to execute and could fit into any realm or demographic.

What did you enjoy about the product the most?
The look and flavor. Great looking product and thought of many useful applications.

Boniato Carnitas Empanadas by Chef Adam Hegsted

YUCA FRIES

TBone Steak by Chef Will Staten
With Cajun Dusted Yuca Fries, and Creole Chimichurri

What inspired or influenced you to make this dish?
Being a Cajun/Creole chef, and loving steak & potatoes, I felt that the yuca fries were a perfect accompaniment to a delicious steak.

What did you enjoy about the product the most?
The ease of using it made it a no-brainer. I’m going to utilize the product in various other ways and experiment because it is very versatile. Fresh is always better, but if you don’t have fresh yuca available, this product is the perfect substitute.

Coconut Yuca Crusted Tilapia by Chef Mark Bertram
With Yuca, Pepper Jack Fritters, Tropical Fruit Salsa in Yuca Chip Rings, Spicy Mango, Coconut, & Yuca Purée

What inspired or influenced you to make this dish?
Saw the Yuca Fries were imported from Honduras, through research, found that they often cook with tropical fruits, coconut, and seafood.

What did you enjoy about the product the most?
So easy to use, you did all the prep work for me!

Fried Yuca Dumplings by Chef Nina Curtis
With Jalfrezi Curry and Peas, Harissa ‘Pulled’ Lion’s Mane Mushrooms, and Sauteed Spinach with Roasted Red Peppers

What inspired or influenced you to make this dish?
I enjoy cooking with yuca as it’s so versatile, and I wanted to deconstruct the frozen fries into something completely different to show yuca’s versatility as an ingredient. I complemented the yuca with a lot of supporting flavor but kept the yuca the ‘star’.

What did you enjoy about the product the most?
The fact that I could deconstruct it into what I wanted.

RAW PEELED YUCA

Southern Fried Quail & Yuca Grits by Chef Rena L. Frost
With Smoked Gouda and Roasted Poblano

What inspired or influenced you to make this dish?
Tried to think of a unique way to use other than fries – or roasting. Decided to puree and work with it that way.

What did you enjoy about the product the most?
The fact that I didn’t have to peel it! Product was impressive in quality. Normally I don’t like working with a frozen products. This item once thawed had texture and taste of fresh.

Smoked Yuca Hash by Chef Anthony Serrano
With Blistered Bell Peppers, Jalapeño, Shallots, Black Garlic, Tomatoes, & Portuguese Linguiça

What inspired or influenced you to make this dish?
I wanted to make a dish that was accessible and smoked off the yuca without being over bearing. Hashes are trendy and are good at showing off the versatility of a root vegetable.

What did you enjoy about the product the most?
I liked the taste and uniform color.

Seared Australian Wagyu by Chef Andrew Lopez
With a Chili Yuca Rub, Marinated Tomatoes with Diced Yuca, Spinach Yuca Puree garnished with Crispy Yuca, Tomato and Red Chard Salad

What inspired or influenced you to make this dish?
Given the nature and amount of yuca I received, I tried my best to incorporate the yuca in all aspects of the dish. Yuca by nature is pretty neutral in flavor and with the high fat content in Wagyu I wanted to bridge the flavors so adding scallions, tomatoes and cilantro played well with the chili rub on the sides of the Wagyu.

What did you enjoy about the product the most?
I thought the yuca was well treated and the Wagyu was a great size for what I got.

Traditionally, yuca and plantains can take up to half an hour to prepare and cook. Here at MIC Food® we are helping chefs, restaurants, industrial kitchens, retail brands, delis, and others in the food industry rethink their menus and increase appeal among ethnic and mainstream consumers alike. We provide variety of products that come peeled and cut, ready-to-heat and serve saving you hours of prep time so you can focus on what matters the most: making every meal memorable.

Ask Our Chef about how you can incorporate our products into your menu!

Hungry for more? Check out our recipe library for more inspiration!