Come on, everyone admit to it. It’s past breakfast and not yet lunch. Ready for a fiber and carb-loaded healthy snack to keep you going?
Musa paradisiaca, the plaintain, is about as healthy as you can get. Not quite a banana, not quite a potato, it is considered a staple in parts of the world like the Caribbean, Central America and Asia.
A plantain will only produce once, and after the fruit is harvested, layers are peeled back to get to the tasty soft shoot inside — the part that looks like a banana.
In many countries, this part is boiled, fried or added to soup, like potato would be.
But this time, we are oven-baking ours, with a sweet touch, into something called “maduros”.
This recipe serves about 4 people (or 4 snacks for you this week)!
Plaintain
Start with about 4 very ripe plantains — pick the ones that have black spots or are nearly all black. Unlike bananas, the black spots do not mean rot — they are a good sign, in fact! Make sure you are picking out sweet plantains — there are several different varieties, and if you do not pick the sweet ones, you will just have roast potatoes!
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 450°.
Step 2: Coat a non-stick cookie sheet with cooking spray, or lay down a piece of parchment paper.
Step 3: Peel the plantains. Start by cutting off the ends, and then pulling the rind back.
Step 4: On the diagonal, cut each plantain into 1/2-inch thick slices.
Step 5: Arrange in a single layer on your cookie sheet and coat the tops with a bit of cooking spray.
Step 6: Drizzle with just a tiny bit of maple syrup, and sprinkle with cinnamon if you desire.
Step 7: Bake, turning occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, until plantains are golden brown and very tender. Let them go a little longer if you want them to caramelize.
Let them cool before putting them in a storage container — I like to divide mine up in little Tupperware-type containers, so that I can just reach in the fridge and grab one to go in the morning.
There are so many things you can do with plantains – stay tuned this week to find out what else can be done with this versatile fruit.
