BL Cooks: Plátano-crusted chicken

Photo: Goya.com

Plátanos are a wonderful part of the Latin American diet and can be served in a number of ways. Here is a wonderful recipe, from Goya, that covers chicken in plátanos.

Ingredients:
(serves 4)

1 lb. thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets
2 tbsp. Lemon Juice
2 tsp. Minced Garlic
½ tsp Paprika
GOYA Adobo All-Purpose Seasoning with Pepper, to taste
1 bag (5 oz.) Plantain Chips

El Rey del la canción ranchera

Flashback Fridays
by Nelson O. Figueroa

In this weeks edition of Flashback Fridays we turn our attention to El Rey de La Cancion Ranchera, Vicente Fernandez and one of his most recognizable songs “Volver, Voler.” This song is about a long lost love in which the singer is yearning to return to but is coming to grips with the reality that this will never happen. The song itself is a short one but the lyrics, combined with the power and passion in which “Chente” puts into it has left such an impression in Ranchera music that it is one, if not the most popular song in the artist’s impressively long discography. 

SOTU? Hispanic America is still stuck watching reruns

by Luis Arellano

The top networks: CBS, NBC, FOX and ABC se unieron in their programming on Tuesday night for what are the political Academy Awards. The biggest night of the year for politicos (other than presidential election day, the World Cup of politics): the State of the Union Address.

However, for us Latinos there was something missing. The largest networks for Hispanic America were absent in providing this critical programming, instead choosing to broadcast their bread and butter, telenovelas. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with catching an episode or two or three or getting hooked (not that I speak from experience) on the promise of a happily ever after, but there is also nothing wrong with showing them at a later time or postponing for the next day.

TGIV! (Thank God It’s Viernes) [video]

This week has been an especially busy for the Being Latino team. We’re all busy working to bring you great things in 2012: A brand new website, cutting-edge video productions, social and networking events, and we’re even stepping into the Latino art scene. It’s no wonder that we’re all breathing a sigh of relief and saying, “TGIV!”

But what’s Friday without a little music? Join us in celebrating Friday’s arrival with some of the team’s Friday-themed favorites.

This one is made for chair-dancing…

But if you prefer something a little more mello…

And the favorite of some of our team (we’re shaking our heads too, play at your own risk)…

Happy Viernes, from the Being Latino team!

Stop and hear the music

As you go about your busy everyday life, do you ever just stop and hear the music? Whether you’re passing through the subway of New York City, the D.C. metro or any other public transportation hub, you may have noticed the street musicians or buskers.

Some may be students, part-time workers or anyone else trying to supplement whatever it is they’re earning. Some of them may be good enough for you to stop and listen for a while to enjoy their sounds, others not so much.

But what if a famously, classically trained musician set up shop (dressed as any other busker) and played his best pieces?

“A moverse” to combat childhood obesity

Photo EFE

Over the years, the rise in childhood obesity has been an issue that many have spoken out against. The lack of nutrition in school lunches and the fact that some school have gotten rid of recess, haven’t necessarily helped the matter.

Newt Gingrich shoots for the moon

If you were on the fence about which Republican presidential candidate you wanted to support – debate no further. Newt Gingrich is promising that if he is indeed elected as President of these United States, he will place an American base on the moon.

The immigration debate continues

We’ve all seen a plethora of articles regarding Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, her stance on immigration, and her signing of the controversial law in 2010. Civil rights leaders, immigration advocates, church leaders, and fellow Governors have criticized the law.

Even President Obama weighed in on the debate, when he said that the law threatened, “to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and our communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe.”

Being Afro Latino

by Robert Rios III

I recently spoke with, Dash Harris, a Panamanian-American filmmaker whose project “Negro: A Docu-Series about Latino Identity,” seeks to open a dialogue about the perception of beauty, and its relation to skin pigmentation; the stigmas one faces within the perception of race, and the resulting effect on one’s identity.

What does a Latino look/sound like? There’s no simple answer. We are over 24 different countries that have been labeled many differing terms, but as a whole, Latino/Hispanic, by modern civilization. Still, the world judges everyone primarily by outward appearance.

La misa

by Cindy Tovar

Which did you learn first: the Our Father, or el Padre Nuestro?

If you were raised in a Spanish-speaking household, you were most likely taught to say your prayers in Spanish. And if this was the case, you probably also went to mass en español.

I never liked going to church, but I was forced to wake up early and attend. One Sunday, at the age of 10, I thought I was smart and tried to get out of it. I lied and told my mother I didn’t want to go because I didn’t understand what was being said.

So she took me to an English mass instead.