One day I was craving nachos. But I did not have any chips at home. These days I am going to the store just to get chips, so I almost already forgot about my craving, but then I found 2 green plantains from my fridge. Plantains are not a common ingredient in Estonia, where I live, and I always order strange and unusual ingredients if the supermarket stocks something. I have this weird idea that if they have made effort to sell something special then if I as a client show my support by buying it, they might continue selling it in the future. I realize that only one person buying unique ingredients is not likely enough but again – all big things happen because several people are making a small contribution. I do the same with unpackaged items. For example, for some reason, cucumbers are often sold wrapped in plastic around here. I try to avoid packaging so if a store stocks cucumber not wrapped in plastic, I always buy it even if I don’t need cucumber the time, to support a small cause!
So this is the reason I had plantains just laying around! Back to the recipe now. It turns out that plantains make awesome chips. Homemade plantain chips are healthier too too as they are a lot less processed compared to ready-made chips from the supermarket. And they are quite easy to make – just slice and bake. There are definitely other ways to serve them, but next time I make them (I already have plantains waiting to be used) I plan on using the same toppings as I was extremely happy with the combination. The plate is bright, crispy, tangy, spicy, and all kinds of delicious all the way through. Enjoy these easy-to-make and deliciousloaded vegan plantain nachos.
Loaded Plantain Nachos
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2
For the chips:
2 large plantains
1 tbsp oil (rapeseed, olive or avocado are my favorites)
Salt
To serve:
1/8 red cabbage
1 lime
½ cup black beans
2 green onions
Jalapenos, to taste
1 large avocado
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the plantains to shin slices, aim for no more than 1/8 inch. If you have a mandolin you can use that or just use a sharp knife and go as thin as you can.
Place the slices in one layer to the baking sheet, drizzle with oil and make sure both sides are lightly oiled – it is best to just massage every single slice gently between your hands.
Bake for 15 minutes with a fan on. Make sure to peek into the oven to make sure the slices bake evenly and move them around if needed.
Take out of the oven and let cool completely – this way they will become even crunchier.
Prepare your toppings during the baking time. Shred the cabbage thinly. Again, you can use the mandolin or a vegetable peeler works here too. Mix the cabbage with a sprinkle of salt and the juice from half of the lime.
Chop up the green onion and jalapenos.
Mash the avocado and mix it with the rest of the lime juice and salt.
Once the chips have cooled, pile all the other ingredients on top and dig in.
By Kadri Raig
Kadri is a food blogger and yoga teacher from Estonia. She loves to spend time in the kitchen, but most of her recipes are simple and don’t take more than 20 minutes of active cooking time. She thinks that everybody can find time to cook healthy food at home, it is just a question of planning. "I work in an office full time, teach yoga 7-8 hours a week and write a blog. So if I manage to cook most of my meals, then so do you!" Connect with Kadri and enjoy many more of her delicious healthy recipes on her website here: www.kahvliga.ee.
Enjoy this FREE 25-Minute yoga class from home, before your delicious plaintain nachos!
25-Minute Full Body Yoga with Keith Allen