Green Plantain Tortilla Chips

Plantain is a good, starchy alternative to flour in many baked recipes and for some it does not matter whether ripe (yellow) or unripe (green) plantains are used. In this case, green plantains are preferable for their lower sugar content and less moisture to get a crispier chip but ripe plantains should also work. This recipe is from Kate’s Healthy Cupboard website and is especially tasty when toasted and eaten with spicy sweet potato hummus or cashew cream cheese.

Green Plantain Tortilla Chips

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

A gluten and grain-free alternative to tortilla chips using green plantains.

Author: http://kateshealthycupboard.com

Recipe type: Appetizer

Ingredients

• 3 unripe plantains, peeled (green)*
• 2 Tbsp refined coconut oil
• ½ tsp sea salt
• coarse sea salt to sprinkle

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to Bake at 200C
2. Peel and slice the plantains into about ¼ inch slices and lay flat on a baking sheet for about an hour (this can be skipped if plantains don’t seem very moist, wet on the fresh slice side)
3. Add the plantains and oil to a food processor and combine until smooth
4. Once all the lumps are gone, add the sea salt and quickly combine
5. Place the mixture on a sheet of parchment paper the size of your baking sheet
6. If the dough is dry enough, place another piece of parchment over the top and with a rolling pin, roll out to about ⅛ inch thick rectangle. If the dough seems too wet, spread out evenly with a spatula
7. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into the shape and size of chip you prefer
8. Sprinkle coarse sea salt or regular sea salt over the top of the dough and slide the paper onto a baking sheet
9. Bake at 200C for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. You may need to remove some chips as you go that brown faster than the others. Make sure to cook them long enough or they will be chewy instead of crunchy
10. Remove cookie sheet and let chips cool
11. You may need to re-cut the chips or you can break them along the cut lines
12. Store in an airtight container

Notes

*The easiest way to peel a plantain is to first cut off the ends. Then with a knife, slice along the pronounced ridges (about 3 of them). Don’t worry if you cut into the plantain, it won’t matter. Peel one section at a time, it should come off pretty easily.

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Sesame Tahini

I found this easy homemade recipe on Pop Sugar and I use it in sweet potato hummus recipe.

Sesame Tahini

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

A 2 ingredient recipe (or 3 with salt)

Author: http://www.popsugar.com

Serves: 10 ounces

Ingredients

• 1 Cup (approx) brown sesame seeds
• ¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
• Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Spread sesame seeds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 6 minutes.
3. Mix and re-spread sesame seeds, and return to oven for 6 to 8 minutes more, or until sesame seeds are fragrant and golden brown.
4. Immediately transfer toasted seeds to a separate bowl to prevent carryover cooking.
5. Add sesame seeds to the bowl of a food processor and grind for 1 minute, or until seeds have broken down. While processor is on, drizzle in olive oil, and continue to grind for 1 or 2 minutes more, or until a smooth paste forms. If mixture is too dry, then add more olive oil, 1 teaspoon at a time.
6. Season to taste. Transfer tahini to a mason jar, and store in the fridge for up to one month.

Notes

Store in the fridge for up to 1 month
Reduce to ½ Cup sesame seeds with ⅛ cup extra virgin olive oil for a smaller 5 oz portion

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Sweet Potato Hummus

This recipe is from Cookie and Kate without any modification. It’s spicy and yummy (as is) and was a hit at a recent birthday party.

It goes very well with toasted plantain torilla as well as carrot and celery sticks.

Sweet Potato Hummus

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

A spicy snack made with chickpeas and sweet potatoes

Author: http://cookieandkate.com

Recipe type: Appetizer

Serves: 4 cups

Ingredients

• 2 Medium sweet potatoes
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Cups cooked chickpeas (or one can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained)
• 3 Tbsp sesame tahini*
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• juice of 1 lemon
• zest of ½ lemon
• ground sea salt, to taste
• 1½ tsp cayenne pepper (start with less, season to taste)
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp cumin

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C
2. Bake the sweet potatoes on the middle oven rack or in a baking dish for 45 minutes to an hour. They should yield to a gentle squeeze when they’re done baking.
3. While the sweet potatoes are cooling, toss all of the other ingredients into a food processor (you can save the spices for last and add them to taste).
4. Once the sweet potatoes have cooled enough to handle, use a knife or your fingers to peel the skin off of them.
5. Add the sweet potatoes to the food processor. Blend well, and serve!
6. Garnish options: a light sprinkle of cayenne pepper and sesame seeds.

Notes

Keep in the refrigerator and the spiciness should mellow overnight

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Mini Banana Pancakes

Originally a paleo granola pancake recipe, this works perfectly without the granola. In fact you can add your own crunchy pieces (nuts, seeds, cacao nibs) or none at all (photo shows pancakes with sunflower seeds). I top these with honey or maple syrup if the bananas I use are not very ripe.

I manage to fit 4 at a time in my pan so for a quick, one-person snack I half the recipe to make one batch. I’ve also done the recipe 1.5x (3 bananas, 3 eggs, 4.5 Tbsp coconut flour etc) but you could double the recipe to serve up to 4 people. Just remember to allow extra time for cooking each bath.

An even healthier option would be to use a non-stick skillet.

Mini Banana Pancakes

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Tasty pancakes for anytime of day

Recipe type: Breakfast

Ingredients

• 2 bananas
• 2 eggs
• 3 Tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

1. Place banana in a food processor and puree until smooth.
2. Add the eggs and blend.
3. Lastly, add the coconut flour, vanilla extract, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and puree until smooth.
4. Heat 1Tbsp of coconut oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once it is hot, pour around 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture into skillet. 3 inch pancakes are easy to turn.
5. Wait until each pancake begins to form bubbles on the surface sprinkle with seeds/granola/nuts/cacao nibs, then flip.
6. Make all pancakes with the batter adding more coconut oil in between each batch as required.
7. Serve warm with or without topping of your choice

Notes

Great served with fruit. Try steaming sliced mango, pear and orange with a dash of cinnamon, spices and maybe even brandy!

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Blueberry Jam

I found this recipe when researching alternative ways to make recipes without refined sugar. This raw food jam recipe uses chia seeds and adding maple syrup is optional so you can enjoy a simple, fruit-sugar only spread. You don’t need to wait 2 hours to use this recipe – 10 mins is fine – but the longer you leave it the thicker it’ll set. Since the fruit is uncooked and there is no added sugar then it won’t last more than a few days in the fridge so it’s best to make what you’re likely to use within a couple of days (think about how long the raw fruit would last).

Blueberry Jam

 

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Prep time

2 hours

Total time

2 hours

 

A raw food, refined-sugar free alternative to jam

Author: wholefoodsimply.com

Recipe type: Breakfast

Ingredients

• 2 Cups of blueberries or raspberries, fresh or defrosted*
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup (optional)

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients into your blender or food processor and pulse until combined, pour into a jar and place in the fridge for a couple of hours to thicken. Enjoy!

Notes

* If you are using strawberries double the amount of chia seeds.
A smoothie blender works well to mix the ingredients.
The photos show a recipe adjusted to use ½ cup blueberries, ½ tbsp chia seeds and ½ tbsp maple syrup.

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Crispy Kale

I often use this recipe as an appetiser to take the edge of my hunger just before cooking an evening meal. After cutting the leaves off the thick stems, the stems can be chopped and frozen for later use in smoothies, soup or broth.

Crispy Kale

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Recipe type: Appetizer

Ingredients

• Fresh kale leaves
• Virgin olive oil
• salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven 150°C
2. Thoroughly wash the kale - this helps reduce bitterness (even if bought pre washed).
3. Dry kale in salad spinner or with a tea towel (a clean one!)
4. Remove stalk parts (discard or save for another dish) and cut leaves into bite-sized pieces.
5. Place on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt
6. Bake until leaves crisp. Approx 15min depending on your oven (burns quickly so set reminder/timers at 2-3min intervals towards end).

Notes

Fresh kale has less bitter leaves. The kale can be baked quicker at 160C but watch very carefully as it can burn quicker too. Sometimes I bake it at 160C for about 10min then reduce the temp to 150C until it's fully crisped. Best served warm.
Try different varieties to find your favourite.

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Egg Muffins

If morning times are scarce then make a whip up a batch of these egg muffins the day before a busy week and store in the fridge for up to a week. Makes a particularly useful, healthy protein snack for active people on the go. Create your own egg muffin mix using veg, meat and/or cheese, spices etc. Who says fast food can’t be healthy?

I originally followed a recipe that used 6 eggs – one for each muffin cup but one day I didn’t have enough eggs so tried using just the 4 I had. They came out fine and were only a little smaller.

Egg Muffins

 

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Prep time

7 mins

Cook time

18 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Double the recipe and save leftovers in the refrigerator for the week.

Author: PaleoGrubs.com

Recipe type: Breakfast

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4-6 eggs
• ½ onion
• ½ bell pepper
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp water (optional if using less than 6 eggs)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Dice all vegetables. You can add more or less of any of them, but keep the overall portion of vegetables the same for best results.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetables, salt, and pepper.
4. Pour mixture into a greased muffin pan, the mixture should evenly fill 6 muffin cups.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Adding 1-2 tbsp of water helps the egg mixture cook. The muffins will almost double in height while cooking but they hold their shape and collapse back to down into the muffin cup on cooling.
For a fast, hot snack zap one or two of these in the microwave for approx 20 seconds.

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