I am half Puerto Rican. There was a lot of arroz con pollo in my house growing up…I can smell it now as I’m writing this.

Another popular dish in spanish culture are fried plantains.

As a child, I thought they were gross. They weren’t sweet! There had to be something wrong with these “other” bananas.

Since pursuing a grain-free diet lifestyle {for health reasons}, I’ve really started to branch out and try even more exotic foods. While at Sprouts Supermarket one day, I picked up a bag of plaintain chips and fell in love.

Not kidding. I ate two bags in one weekend. Maybe it was more of an obsession.

I wanted to do more research on these to find out if they are even good for you. It turns out, they are really nutritious & very allergy friendly!

So, of course, growing up in a Spanish family, dairy was used quite a bit. I had to make some adjustments to the recipe. Fortunately, products like coconut oil make that substitution very easy.

Nutrition

This is my favorite section to expand on. Especially when the food I’m writing about is as equally tasty as it is nutritious.

Plantains are not a protein or fat source. They are a starch. They do, however, contain a lot of fiber which makes them a complex carbohydrate. Plantains do not cause a spike in blood sugar because they are absorbed slowly by the body. They are great for gut health. But wait, there’s more:

Vegan

Vegetarian

Gluten-free

Dairy-free

Nut-free

Soy-free

Whole 30 Approved

Paleo Approved

Taste

Do NOT eat them raw. I repeat. Do NOT. They are not sweet and a little chalky. You don’t want that to be your first introduction to plantains. You won’t try them again. LOL

When they are crispy, they are to die for. Some people add a little honey when frying them or some Himalayan pink salt. Either way, they are very savory. AND heavy.

Fitness

I wanted to incorporate a fitness section in this post because there are a lot of people who are physically active that have food allergies or choose to be vegan/vegetarian. Plantains are a PERFECT recovery snack for everyone. They provide the body with starch  {glucose} to restore the ready-to-use energy storage called glycogen. Glycogen is used during intense workouts such as HIIT.

Feeling adventurous? Here’s how you can make these at home:

Fried Plantains

1-2 plantains (the more “ripe” the better)

2 tbs of coconut oil per plantain

Honey or Pink Salt

 

Instructions:

Heat up the oil in the skillet. Preferably coconut oil but ghee or butter can also be used. Slice up the plantains in a medium thickness. You want to be able to mash them in the skillet. Let them fry in the oil until one side turns brown. When they are soft enough, mash them with a hard metal object. Fry the other side until brown. On each side, sprinkle salt (it makes them taste like they were fried in butter) or glaze them in honey for a sweeter taste.

Set each batch aside on a paper towel to let them cool. Then ENJOY!

If you’re feeling really festive, play a little Spanish music in the background 😉

This recipe was a staple in my home growing up. Especially when I spent summer’s with my grandmother. I only wish I appreciated them this much as a child.

Thanks for reading!

x