Enjoy a unique way to eat plantains in this simple and healthy salad recipe.
This post contains affiliate links. By purchasing through these links, you support this blog. Thanks
Hi lovely, I believe you're doing well as you read this post. Ever heard of plantains? If so, you might only know their sweet-fried version!
Today I'm sharing this plantain salad recipe that I've come to love.
It's easy and super healthy.
It exhibits delicious spicy, sour, and sweet flavors from arugula, beets, plantains, and fermented carrots. You'll love its textures which are both soft and crunchy.
I love this salad, particularly because I use baked and less riped plantain, unlike the fried plantains that are full of oil and sugar!
What are plantains?
You might be wondering what plantains are. They're a type of banana, but plantains are never eaten raw like regular yellow bananas!
Plantains are consumed differently depending on their maturity.
When plantains are green and slightly yellow, they're used in savory dishes. When ripped, they are fried and used as a dessert.
Unripe plantains are tough and rough, which makes them hard to eat.
Are plantains healthy
Plantains are delicious, versatile, and easy to add to your menu. They belong to the banana family, even though they are entirely different.
Plantains are a good source of starch, vitamins A, B6, and C, plus minerals like magnesium and potassium. They are prebiotic foods, meaning they're food for your gut microbiome.
Some studies show that plantain fiber can reduce the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria in the gut.
When green, plantains are much healthier than when completely ripe. The ripening process breaks down the starch into sugar, making the yellow plantains very sweet.
Plantains are healthy if baked or boiled instead of being deep-fried.
How to cook plantains
- To have a healthy plantain meal, prefer baking, boiling, or simply using a non-stick pan for cooking the plantains.
- If baking or boiling, you can leave the plantain whole or cut it into chunks. Do not peel them. It's easier to peel off the skin once cooked.
- The healthiest version of baked plantains would be baking the plantains whole. This way, no oil is needed. I usually bake the plantains at 180°C for 30 minutes.
- For the boiling method, put the chunks of plantains in a saucepan and cover them with water. Add some salt, cover, and bring to a boil. Cook till soft (check by inserting a fork).
- Bake extra plantains and store them in your fridge for future use. Wrapped in a kitchen towel, plantains will hold well for a week.
If you are starting with plantains, I recommend starting with yellow rather than green plantains to make this salad. I find green plantains very rough and lack taste.
Don't use black ones because they're overly sugared and mashy for a salad. Choose yellow but still firm plantains.
Together with plantains, you'll need cooked beets, tempeh, fermented carrots, nuts, arugula, and other greens of your choice.
This healthy plantain salad recipe is high in fiber, and it's also rich in probiotics from tempeh, fermented carrots, and apple cider vinegar.
Use ready-to-use organic tempeh that doesn't need cooking because cooking will kill some of the good bacteria.
You can make this salad as a meal prep.
This plantain salad will be perfect for eating for up to 3 days. However, wait to add the vinaigrette until the serving moment.
Arrange each ingredient separately instead of tossing the salad together before storing it. Otherwise, the beet will stain the other components.
Do you cook with plantains, or are you discovering them? Let's continue this conversation in the comments or emails. Thank you for being here. Share this recipe using the social buttons.
Remember, you have the power to heal yourself. Githu
Get more healthy salads
Healthy plantain salad recipe
Equipment
- kitchen knife
- Salad spoons
Ingredients
- 1 baked plantain (read the blog post)
- 100 grams tempeh cut into pieces
- 1 medium cooked beet
- 2 tablespoons fermented carrots
- a handful of arugula and other mixed greens
- some cilantro (optional)
- ¼ cup mixed nuts
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon cold-pressed olive oil
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
Balsamic vinaigrette
- Mixed the ingredients in a small jar with a lid. Shake and set aside.
Plantain salad
- Clean and tap-dry the greens, cilantro, and tomatoes. Prepare them as you'd do for a classic salad
- Peel the plantain and beets. Slice and dice them into pieces.
- In a large salad bowl, put all ingredients, pour the vinaigrette all over, and using salad spoons, gently mix the salad.
- Serve immediately and enjoy
- Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I 'd love reading your reply