Tag Archives: safe starch

Fried Plantains

| 2 Comments | AIP, Apps, Snacks & Sides, Beatty Protocols, Breakfasts, Kitchen Tutorials, Recipes

Oh plantains – how I love thee!Fried Plantains | vegan, paleo, AIP | AmandaNaturally.com

Seriously guys, plantains are the best! Here’s why:

  1. They are incredibly versatile and can be used to make everything from biscuits and pancakes, to tortillas and nachos. Green plantains are savoury and a great alternative to potatoes. Ripe plantains (yellow, or yellow with brown spots) are super sweet and great for making batters.
  2. They last forever in your kitchen (well as long as you don’t eat them) because you can use them at all stages of their ripeness. Seriously, we’re talking weeks before they go bad!
  3. They cook up very quickly. Most people who have switched over to a real-food diet will agree with me when I say whole-food starches take a long time to prep! Sweet potatoes and squash take almost an hour in the oven, and sometimes (ok most times) I don’t have that kind of time! Fried plantains, as you’ll see in the recipe below, take 10 minutes.
  4. They are a very neutral starch, so unless you have a banana allergy, they are usually safe for most people.
  5. They are very nutrient dense (as opposed to grains and flours) and are full of the good kind of starch that feeds your beneficial gut bacteria.
  6. They are a great chip alternative, and while you can make your own, I highly suggest purchasing Inka Plantain Chips. (tip to all my Canadians out there – you can buy the Inka green plantain chips at Dollarama!!)
  7. They’re freakin’ delicious!

They do have one major downside – they’re definitely not local to where I live. So not only can that make them challenging to locate (note: Asian markets and ethnic grocery stores always have them), but it also means they have a high environmental footprint. I try to eat mostly local and seasonal – meat from local farmers, vegetables from a local CSA – but plantains, bananas and coconut are the one exception. Driving a Prius makes me feel a bit better about that!

Plantains can be a little intimidating the first time you make them, so my goal with this post is to show you how simple they are. This recipe is for fried green plantains, also called tostones or patacones, depending on where you’re from! These guys are reminiscent of a french fry or potato wedge. You can follow the exact same recipe for ripe plantains, but you won’t need to smash them halfway. Also they’ll be very sweet. Which ripeness you choose to fry up depends on the meal you’re preparing, your personal preference and if you have any plantains left that were allowed to ripen! 

Fried Plantains (a.k.a. Tostones)

1. Slice off the ends of your plantain and cut into 3 or 4 chunks, to make the next steps easier. 

 2. Score the skin of the plantain, being careful not to cut the flesh. Use your knife edge or fingernails to peel off the skin. It’s a lot tougher than a banana, but the flesh isn’t as delicate so no need to worry about bruising the plantain! 

3. Once the skin is removed, slice the plantains into about 1-2 cm discs. 

4. Heat a decent amount of fat in a frying pan over medium. I love using coconut oil for frying plantains because it really compliments the flavour of the plantain, but you can use any saturated fat (ghee, lard, bacon grease, tallow). You want the melted fat to be a few millimetres deep and covering the entire pan. 

5. Place the plantains in the hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes. You will notice the bottom turning golden brown. Keep the burner at medium or less, you want the whole bottom half of the plantain to cook through as it turns golden brown. If they are cooking too fast, turn down the heat.

 6. Flip the plantains and cook another 3-4 minutes on the other side. 

7. Once they’re golden on both sides and cooked through (you shouldn’t see any raw plantain in the middle), remove a few at a time and smash them! Take a chef’s knife or a glass cup and gently and evenly press down on the plantain disc until it flattens.

 

 

 

8. As you smash the plantains, return them to the frying pan and continue until they’re all flat. Fry for 1-2 more minutes on each side, adding extra oil if you need.

9. Season liberally with sea salt and serve! 

 

Foods to Eat Fried Plantains With:

  • eggs and bacon, in lieu of hashbrowns
  • burgers, in lieu of french fries
  • tacos
  • pulled pork
  • beef carnitas
  • whipped coconut cream, cinnamon and berries (using ripe plantains)
  • pretty much anything because they rock.

 

So tell me, what’s your favourite way to use plantains? 

Never used them before? Give it a go and report back!

 

Fried Plantains
A simple, nourishing starch free that cooks up in only 10 minutes and is sure to please the whole family!
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
15 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
15 min
Ingredients
  1. Green plantains
  2. Fat (I prefer coconut oil because it really compliments the flavour of the plantain, but you can use any saturated fat - lard, bacon grease, tallow, ghee)
  3. Sea salt
Instructions
  1. 1. Slice the ends off of the plantain, and cut into 3 or 4 chunks.
  2. 2. Score the skin of the plantain, being careful not to cut the flesh. Use your knife edge or fingernails to peel off the skin.
  3. 3. Slice the plantains into about 1-2 cm discs.
  4. 4. Heat a liberal amount of fat in a frying pan over medium. Melted fat should be a few millimetres deep and covering the entire pan.
  5. 5. Place the plantains in the hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the bottom turns golden brown.
  6. 6. Flip the plantains and cook another 3-4 minutes on the other side.
  7. 7. Once they're golden on both sides and cooked through (no raw plantain in the middle), remove a few at a time and smash them! Take a chef's knife or a glass cup and gently and evenly press down on the plantain disc until it flattens.
  8. 8. As you smash the plantains, return them to the frying pan and continue until they're all flat. Fry for 1-2 more minutes on each side, adding extra oil if you need.
  9. 9. Season liberally with sea salt and serve!
Notes
  1. If you are using ripe plantains (which are just as awesome, but quite sweet), you do not need to smash them. Simply cook until golden brown on the first side, flip and cook to golden on the second side. Season with sea salt and serve!
Amanda Naturally http://www.amandanaturally.com/

Asian Inspired Pasta Salad

| 0 Comments | Apps, Snacks & Sides, Meals, Recipes

Asian Inspired Pasta Salad | gluten free, vegetarian | AmandaNaturally.comSo you might be curious as to why this grain-eschewing gal is posting a recipe for a pasta salad. Let me tell you!

I am a huge fan of balance, as long as it doesn’t harm you. There are foods that I am physically unable to eat (dairy, legumes), chemicals that I avoid like the plague (artificial sweeteners, colours), foods that I choose to avoid because of my genetic predispositions and our understanding of how they damage our gut (gluten), and foods that aren’t the end of the world if I eat, but do mess up my system a little (vegetable oils, brown rice, quinoa, corn). Then there are some grey-area foods that my body tolerates just fine, such as white rice.

Wait what? White not brown rice? Correct. But what about the fibre? Vegetables contain fibre, it’s a non-issue. But white rice is a grain! Correct. And grains cause gut irritation, nutrient deficiencies and inflammation! Correct.

So why white rice? 

Well first of all – let’s take a look at the cultures who have eaten rice for thousands of years. I challenge you to find a single culture who eats brown rice. Spoiler: you won’t be able to. Why not? There was an inherent understanding, a wisdom passed down through generations, about the importance of polishing rice.

Rice is harvested “brown”, which means the bran and the germ are still on the grain. The bran is the plant’s defence mechanism against predators. These defence mechanisms (phytates, lectins) can cause an awful lot of damage to the gut – especially in those susceptible. Not to mention they bind to minerals which prevents us from absorbing them. So even if technically the whole rice grain contains more nutrients than the polished grain, it does not take into account our inability to obtain nutrients from them. Next is the germ. It contains most of the nutrients required for nourishing the grain and allowing it to reproduce. But it also specifically contains protease inhibitors, that prevent germination until the ideal environment is achieved. You don’t see rice grains germinating while still on the plant, or in your cupboard, do you? But create the right environment and they will start to sprout! Protease inhibitors are responsible for this. What exactly are protease inhibitors? They inhibit enzymes that break down proteins – so if you’re relying on whole grains and legumes as your primary protein source, keep in mind that these protease inhibitors are significantly reducing the small amount of protein that these plants actually contain. (note: it is possible to reduce the impact of phytates, lectins and enzyme inhibitors by soaking, sprouting and fermenting your grains and legumes)

Since most of the gut-irritating, nutrient-binding, inflammatory compounds of rice are found in the bran and the germ, people who have relied on rice for thousands of years, learned quickly that by polishing the grain, you can remove most of the irritating compounds!

Unfortunately our ego-centric, North American approach has gotten us in trouble once again. We accused these cultures of eating rice the wrong way, because they’re getting rid of the fibre! Heaven forbid! Little did we understand how important removing that fibre really was…

Okay, so how bad is brown rice for you really? Well if your health is on point, then be my guest, eat it. But I can speak from both personal and clinical experience when I say that brown rice does a number on the digestive tract. I have not had a single client be able to reintroduce brown rice without experiencing some kind of digestive distress. And if you have an autoimmune condition? Well it’s out of the question. Learn more about that here.

So what does this all mean? For my personal health issues, I have discovered that I do very well on white rice. It is often called a safe starch – which is exactly how I feel about it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am in no way expecting to obtain all sorts of nutrients from white rice! But I also know it’s not going to hurt me. So while it doesn’t routinely replace nutrient-dense starches like root veggies and tubers, it does make an appearance in my diet from time to time! And now we’ve come full circle to how I started this post…

Balance!

White rice is not only delicious (hello Thai food and sushi!), but it is fairly ubiquitous. Most restaurants have rice as a side dish, many gluten-free treats use white rice and to be honest, when my gut has been damaged by an accidental dairy-bombing, white rice is one of the only foods I can tolerate for the first 24 hours. That and broth of course!

Back to the pasta salad! Last week I was asked to bring a pasta salad to a party I was attending. There were several dietary limitations to consider – namely a child with nut allergies, a few people who follow a vegetarian diet, and my own. I decided to use white rice noodles, also known as vermicelli, instead of gluten-free pasta. Gluten-free pasta is usually made with brown rice, quinoa, corn etc. so I can eat it in a pinch, but I really prefer not to. Since vermicelli is an Asian pasta, I used that as my inspiration and created this Asian Inspired Pasta Salad! Enjoy!

 

Asian Inspired Pasta Salad
Serves 8
Gluten-free, Dairy-Free & Vegetarian!
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Prep Time
25 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
25 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
30 min
Dressing
  1. ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  2. juice of 2 limes
  3. 1½ tbsp sesame oil
  4. 2 tbsp coconut aminos (coconut seasoning in Canada) or gluten-free tamari
  5. sea salt
  6. black pepper
Pasta Salad
  1. 1 red pepper, cut into match sticks
  2. 2 cups of snap peas, ends trimmed, peas cut in half
  3. 3 green onions, diced
  4. 2 oranges, segmented and cut into bite-sized pieces
  5. 1 one pound bag of coleslaw mix
  6. ½ packed cup cilantro, chopped
  7. 1 bag of vermicelli, cook as directed
  8. 2-3 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
Instructions
  1. Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar and mix well.
  2. Prepare all salad ingredients, except the vermicelli, toss together in a bowl.
  3. Add dressing to the veggies and toss to combine. Let sit for an hour or so, if you have the time!
  4. Prepare the vermicelli as directed - it usually only takes a few minutes in boiling water.
  5. As soon as the vermicelli is done (don't overcook it!), drain it, rinse under cold water, drain again and toss with the veggies.
  6. Chill before serving.
  7. Top with toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
  1. Chopped cashews or even peanuts (if tolerated) would be a great addition to this dish.
  2. Looking to add protein? Some cold shrimp would be perfect!
  3. Don't have bagged coleslaw? Not to worry. Simply add in veggies that stand up well in coleslaw - think carrots, cabbage, broccoli and kale. Shred or slice thinly and use in place of the coleslaw mix.
  4. You can make this 100% grain free by using zucchini noodles or sweet potato starch noodles (often found at Asian supermarkets)
Amanda Naturally http://www.amandanaturally.com/

 

Have you ever used vermicelli before? What’s your favourite way to use this safe starch?

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