At GRUB, we believe Real Food should be delivered straight from nature. We also believe you shouldn’t have to do too many things to that Real Food to make it taste completely awesome.
For the past year, there has been one perfect food that has captured my heart, filled in gaps in my meals and brings me immense joy {a very important part of a nourishing foods lifestyle– you have to love what you eat!}
This food is affordable, simple to cook, and tastes incredible, especially when pan-fried in some coconut oil…
Enter the humble, delicious, and super-hip Plantain.
A staple in most of the world as a versatile and nutritious starch, plantains are now catching on as a go-to for the rest of us. They fit beautifully into many schools of eating: grain-free, gluten-free, and plant-based lifestyles, just to name a few.
A cousin of the banana, plantains are larger, take longer to ripen, and are not meant to be peeled the same way. They are high in vitamins C and A, fiber, and the uber-important-for-your-restless-legs-mineral: potassium.
There are dozens of ways to make them into a quality Real Food, but for me, the simple pan-fry of a super ripe plantain in coconut oil just can’t be beat.
I enjoy them at breakfast, with some sausage and greens. My partner Liz eats them as a treat when she wants to sink her teeth into something gooey, sweet, and satisfying.
Whenever you choose to eat them, know that they may fast become the kind of food you will burn your fingers and tongue on countless times trying to eat right from the skillet. They are completely worth scorching a few taste buds for!
This recipe uses very ripe plantains in it. You may have to buy them yellow and leave them on your counter to blacken. Don’t fret when they get dark, they are getting sweeter when they do!
Here’s how you make them:
**Follow GRUB on Instagram for pics of tasty nibbles like these!**
Ingredients
Very ripe plantains {plantains with black skins!}
2 – 4 Tb coconut oil
Sea salt to taste
Directions
1. Peel plantains: with a sharp knife, slice off each end then run the knife down both sides, pulling off the thick peel. Chop into 1/4 Ð 1/2_ thick coins.
2. Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat {more oil is better, as the plantains will soak it up, and cook to a nice crisp!}
3. When oil is hot, lay the plantains in the skillet in 1 layer, and let sizzle and cook until browned. Then flip to brown the other side.
4. Sprinkle with sea salt, and enjoy. TheyÕre best hot off the skillet!
Serving suggestion: squeeze lime over plantains when finished and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
Any questions? Leave them for me below! What’s your favorite way to enjoy eating plantains?
