Fried Plantains & Avocado Mash

By Mangia Paleo January 8, 2014 Recipes 2 Comments

The word ‘plantain’ is one of those words that sounds so much more fun to say in Spanish than in English. Plátanos (see?!) are a vegetable/fruit mutant that I definitely did not eat a lot of growing up. Hey, I’m ITALIAN! I first tried plantains in college and didn’t like them. But I don’t give up. I find it unacceptable not to like all food. So I keep trying them. Maybe someday they will be my new favorite snack. It worked with my pickle adversion…hmm…

These banana imposters are actually pretty starchy so they can be a good potato replacement while also adding a bit of sweetness. However, if you are eating strict paleo and trying to watch carbs then just be mindful of these carb-packed treats.

Plátanos (hehe) have a lot of versatility in the cooking world. You can slice thin and bake as a crunchy chip, mash them up with pork rinds for some mofongo, or fry chunks of them aside spicy BBQ meat. Either way, plantains are loaded with nutrients such as fiber – watch out colitis sufferers! -, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B3 (Niacin).

FRIED PLANTAINS

1 Plantain
Coconut or Olive oil
Wax/Parchment paper
Sea salt

AVOCADO CREAM

1 very ripe avocado
squeeze of lime
sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Mash avocado until smooth. Mix ingredients together. EASY!

Choose a plantain that is between green and yellow. The one pictured below had ripened too much because I waited too long to cook it. Lazy cavewoman. Sorry! This is a great example of one that is too ripe and not the best for cooking. But it did the trick!

Step 1: Peel and slice into 1/4 inch slices. CUT THEM ON AN ANGLE. I did not do this because I forgot and already took the photo and this blog doesn’t make me money so I wasn’t going to redo it. LOL!
Place in frying pan with 2 tbsp olive or coconut oil. Fry until slightly brown on both sides.

Step 2: Remove slices from pan and place in between parchment or wax paper. Smash with a random can you find in your pantry.

Step 3: Add new oil to the medium-high heat frying pan. Place smashed plantains back in the pan and cook until brown and a bit crisp on both sides.
**If the oil is not hot enough your plantains will soak up the oil while it cooks and you’ll be eating oil chips. No bueno.