KNOCK OUT Plantain Hotcakes with Raspberry Sauce and Coconut Yoghurt

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Breakfast, Brunch, Dairy Free, Grain Free, Hotcakes, Paleo, Pancakes, Pikelets, Plantains

(Image by TSL)

I’m currently on the Autoimmune Protocol, a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. You can read more about the protocol and why I’m doing this here.

I don’t have to tell you I love you. I fed you pancakes. (Kathleen Flinn, Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good: A Memoir of Food and Love from an American Midwest Family)

When I was a little girl and my parents were going out for the evening, it was traditional for my Mum to make pancakes for my sister, brother and me. No take aways for us, thank you very much. She used to make her pancakes à la minute*. And, except for the first one in the batch (which is never perfect), they were seriously good. So good that my sister, brother and I used to gobble them down and then argue over who was due the next pancake.

Mum is originally from Germany. Her pancakes definitely lean more towards the thin French crêpe than the fluffier American flapjack or hotcake. And, she served them with lemon juice and sugar. Just thinking about them now makes me want to be back in the kitchen with Mum making pancakes…

But, that’s not going to happen. I’m in Australia. She’s in New Zealand. And, regular pancake batter is full of dairy, eggs, sugar and gluten… (sigh).

But AIP-friendly plantain hotcakes are another story…

Now, as a rule, I’m not really a sweet breakfast kind of girl. I definitely prefer a savoury start to the day. Of course, LM needs no excuse to indulge in sweets at any time of the day. AND I have been promising him plantain hotcakes for months. Ever since I first spotted a recipe for AIP-friendly pancakes on the Paleo Mom’s blog. The problem was, the recipe calls for black plantains. That is to say – über ripe ones. And usually my plantains don’t last long enough to get past the green stage.

But! – LM bought me a few plantains a wee while ago. Because my kitchen was in such disarray after our move, I threw them into the back of the fridge and forgot about them. How fortuitous…

(Images by TSL)

And, these wee beauties are pretty scrummy as a weekend brunch option. I will definitely be waiting for my plantains to blacken in the future so that I can whip up some more. Next time, I’m thinking stewed rhubarb and apple with vanilla coconut cream…

These hotcakes are so easy to make. Really. And, if I wasn’t on the autoimmune protocol, I might play around with the spices and adding some sultanas or nuts for flavour and crunch.

• Servings: 8 hotcakes
• Time: 45 minutes
• Difficulty: easy-peasey
• Print

Adapted from a recipe by The Paleo Mom

Ingredients

Raspberry Sauce:
1 x cup frozen raspberries
1 x Tablespoon maple syrup

Plantain Pancakes:
2 black plantains
½ tsp ground mace
½ tsp ground Cinnamon
3-4 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1/3 x cup coconut yoghurt

Method

1. Pop your frozen raspberries and maple syrup into a small pot. Give it a stir to combine. Heat over medium heat until bubbling. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Give them a good stir until pureed. Set aside to cool.

2. Peel and roughly chop your black plantains. Throw them into a food processor and give them a good whiz. Add your spices. Whiz again until thoroughly mixed.

3. Heat half of the coconut oil in a non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

4. Spoon 1/4 cup-sized portions of the plantain batter into the frying pan. Using a spoon, spread them into your desired shape and thickness. I easily managed four hotcakes in the pan at a time, so two batches.

5. Cook for 7 minutes on the first side (I used a timer and kept an eye on them. You don’t want the temperature too hot). Flip them over and cook for another 7 minutes on the other side. Add more coconut oil to the pan before cooking subsequent batches.

6. Serve with a generous dollop of coconut yoghurt and raspberry sauce.

E N J O Y !

*to order

Tostones, Sydney-style…

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Gluten Free, Healthy Snack, Paleo, Plantains, Snacks, South American food, Tostones, vegetarian

(Image by TSL)

I’m currently on the Autoimmune Protocol, a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. You can read more about the protocol and why I’m doing this here.

I’ve long believed that good food, good eating, is all about risk. Whether we’re talking about unpasteurised Stilton, raw oysters or working for organised crime ‘associates’, food, for me, has always been an adventure. (Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly)

I know, I know – my last post was for plantain crackers, and here I am giving you another ‘snack’-type recipe. And worse, its Easter Sunday as I write this – hardly the time to be posting about a South American plantain speciality. But, I am. Such a renegade, me!

It’s been a funny old week here at Casa TSL. The house sold at auction last weekend. Which, is great news for us. But, then I caught the flu-bug that LM had, and I went down. Hard. Of course, I’d been a teeny bit unsympathetic to his ‘Man Flu’. At least until I got it, too. And, he was far more gracious than I. He cooked me stewed apple with cinnamon – which was all I could face eating for a couple of days. It’s really taken me until today – Easter Sunday – to get back on my feet.

And, then – since chocolate is out on the Autoimmune Protocol (don’t even mention the hot cross buns!), and because we’re not really very church-y, it really hasn’t felt very much like Easter here.

But – the weather has been glorious for the past couple of days. Just perfect for sitting outside in the sun of an afternoon. And, I had these lovely plantains.

So, today was declared ‘Tostone Day’

Bella sneaking into the tostones shot…
(Image by TSL)

Tostones, for the uninitiated, are a South American treat. We think they taste most similar to the potato scallops you used to get with your fish and chips wrapped in newspaper from the corner fish ‘n’ chip shop back in the day.

Also called ‘patacones‘ in some locations, they are fried, crushed, and then fried again. Apparently, they are popular in many Central and South American countries.

I reckon the absolute best thing about these bad boys is that they are absolutely, 100% AIP compliant! Woop!

For this recipe, I chose to give my home-made lard a rest. Instead I cooked them in coconut oil – full of healthy medium chain triglycerides.

Tostones with Smashed Avocado

• Time: 15 minutes
• Difficulty: easy-peasey
• Print

(Image by TSL)

Ingredients

2 green plantains
5 Tablespoons coconut oil (approximately)
1 ripe avocado
1 clove garlic (crushed)
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 Tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped
Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Peel the skin from the plantains. The best way to do this is to cut two slits down the length of the plantains and remove the flesh from the skin.

2. Cut the plantains into angled slices – about 1 1/2 cm.

3. Melt your coconut oil in a heavy based frypan. Pop the plantain pieces into the pan and fry until lightly golden on both sides, about 3 minutes a side.

4. While your plantains are cooking, remove the flesh of your avocado into a small bowl. Throw in the crushed garlic, lime juice and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.

5. Take the plantains out of the pan, and drain them on a paper towel.

6. With the base of a mug or cup, crush each plantain chip  – so they are about 1/2 cm thick. It’s not an exact science.

7. Place the crushed plantains back into the oil and let them fry until crisp. This takes about 1 to 2 minutes

8. Take out the crushed plantains, drain them on a paper towel, and salt immediately.

If you are preparing your to stones in advance: Prepare the dish to step 5. Soak the flattened plantain pieces in salted water for a few seconds. This prevents them from oxidising on you before you’re ready to serve them.

E N J O Y !

I get my plantains from the Fiji Market in Newtown.

 

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme Plantain Crackers

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Herbs, Lunchbox fillers, Paleo, Plantains, Snacks

(Image by TSL)

I’m currently on the Autoimmune Protocol, a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. You can read more about the protocol and why I’m doing this here.

My love is like a banana and a plantain. But that doesn’t mean I’m in love with my cousin.
” (Jarod Kintz, Love quotes for the ages. And the ageless sages)

When you remove practically everything that could possibly be considered inflammatory from your diet – I’m talking sugar, grains, seeds, nuts, dairy and EGGS!* – life can sometimes feel like a conveyer-belt of protein, (healthy) fat and vegetables. And most of the time that’s ok.

But sometimes I miss bread and crackers and things that taste like they have gluten as a central ingredient…

You may remember a recent post about my take on Graham Kerr’s root vegetable soup… well, it created some commentary amongst my immediate family. Talk of both how good the soup was AND how the experience was enhanced because of the hot buttered toast that was served alongside. Of course, hot buttered toast is an impossibility on the Autoimmune Protocol, but it got me thinking – quite a lot – about finding some sort of substitute.

There is much talk in the global AIP community about the magic that is plantains.

Plantains!
(Image by TSL)

I was a plantain virgin. To the best of my knowledge, I had never even seen one until recently, when I actively started looking for them. And, I am still far from an expert.

I am, however, a little bit hooked on plantains, now…

Plantains contain more starch and less sugar than what I know as a banana. They need to be cooked before being eaten. And, when they are green, they are always cooked or fried.

Interesting fact: plantains are the tenth most important staple that feeds the world. Plantains are treated in much the same way as potatoes and with a similar neutral flavour and texture when the unripe fruit is cooked by steaming, boiling or frying.

There is a bit of a knack to peeling a green plantain, too. Here’s a link to show you how over at Latin Food.

Plantains are not such a common sight here in Sydney and may require a little ferreting around. I found mine at the Fiji Market in Newtown. According to the very helpful gent manning the till, the reason plantains are so hard to find here in Australia is because of the ‘disease free state’ of our banana population. If allowed free rein, apparently, the plantain has the capacity to wipe out the entire banana crop production. Not good news, so plantains are restricted to a certain valley in far north Queensland…

Any-whoo – I am VERY grateful I found my first lot of plantains. Given my jars of pork lard sitting in the fridge, I decided to start my plantain education with crackers. They were a huge success, and so easy! Next time, I think I’ll try some tostones…

Simon & Garfunkel Crackers

• Servings: 16-24 crackers
• Time: 75 minutes
• Difficulty: easy-peasey
• Print

(Image by TSL)

Ingredients

2 large, green plantains
½ cup pork lard, melted (coconut oil would also work)
1 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 clove fresh garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon salt

Method

1. Heat your oven to 150° C/ 300° F. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Peel and chop your plantains into large chunks and throw them into your food processor with the melted lard, fresh herbs, garlic, and salt.

3. Give it a good whiz until a chunky, wet mixture forms. Pour this out onto your lined baking tray. As carefully as possible, smooth the mixture out with a spatula until it is about a 1/2 cm thick. Try and get it into a rectangular shape (mine are always wonky!)

4. Pop your tray into the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and score the mixture into your preferred cracker size with a pizza cutter or knife. Place back into the oven and cook for another 50 – 60 minutes until they are a nice golden brown colour.

E N J O Y !

* and, I didn’t even mention coffee or chocolate!