Chili Lime Plantains

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I recently tried my hand at making tostones. Tostones are a popular side dish in many Latin American countries, coming from the Spanish word tostar which literally means "to toast". You make them by frying unripened sliced plantains, draining excess oil, flattening the plantains and then frying them again. Not the healthiest of snacks but damn if they weren't delicious! While these baked plantains are in no way a substitute for crispy and fried, they are a healthier alternative (and in my opinion, more flavorful).

I used my mandoline to slice the plantains uniformly thin. I love this kitchen tool but a word of caution - if you aren't careful you may be slicing more than just the plantain! Be extra careful as you slice the plantain and when you are near the blade, use the hand guard to finish. If you don't have a mandoline, not to worry! You can simply slice the plantains thinly with a knife. 

Throw the sliced plantains into a large mixing bowl and combine with lime juice, melted coconut oil, chili powder, garlic and salt. Give them a quick toss and lay out evenly on a baking sheet. 

Into the oven they go for 40 min, flipping halfway through. These are best when eaten straight from the oven - serve as a side dish or eat them as a snack all on their own!

Chili Lime Baked Plantains

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 slightly ripened plantains (not green, but not completely brown)
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic granules
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. Thinly slice plantains, either with a mandoline or with a knife. (USE CAUTION with mandoline!)
3. Toss with lime juice, coconut oil, chili powder, garlic and salt. 
4. Evenly lay out the plantains on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. 
5. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through. Enjoy!

Nutritional info (1 serving = 1/4 of recipe, approximately 1/4 cup)

136 Calories - 1 g Protein, 24 g Carbs, 4 g Fat

Coconut Cream of Asparagus Soup

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Annnd we're back! Sorry for the gap in posting, I had the brilliant idea to leave on vacation for 2 weeks and move immediately after I was back. I managed to pack and move within a 3 day time period - thank goodness for movers! Now I am finally getting settled AND I have a kitchen that I can call my very own...which means plenty more delicious creations to come!

I'm the type of person who will go out to eat at a restaurant, order a dish I end up loving, and decide that I can make the exact same dish at home. This recently happened at a restaurant called Reverb here in San Francisco. I had the Asparagus Soup, which had a lemon coconut ice cream with grilled asparagus. I loved the flavor profile and made a note to create my own recipe with these same flavors.

My recipe isn't exactly the same, as I didn't include the lemon coconut ice cream. I did, however, use coconut as the cream base to the soup as opposed to using heavy cream like most cream based soups. 

While the name suggests that this is a heavy, creamy soup it is actually quite the opposite. The base of the soup is asparagus and chicken broth, with just 1/3 cup of coconut milk added to the entire recipe, along with plenty of fresh squeezed lemon juice.

This soup is ridiculously easy to make. There are only 7 ingredients and the most challenging task is sautéing onions and asparagus. The recipe makes quite a bit of soup, but it freezes nicely. You can have this hot out of the pot or you can chill the soup and enjoy on a hot summer day!  

Coconut Cream of Asparagus Soup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 7 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp butter
• 6 cups asparagus, chopped (2 bundles)
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/3 cup coconut milk (full fat, shake can before opening)
• Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Sauté  onion and butter in a large pot over medium high heat until onions begin to soften, 5 minutes.
2. Add asparagus and salt and continue to sauté for another 3 minutes.
3. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once at a full boil, cover pot with lid and reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes. 
4. Once soup has cooked down, transfer in batches from main pot to blender and blend until liquified. Be VERY CAREFUL at this step! The soup will be extremely hot. I also advise that you have a good, powerful blender and make sure it is large enough to handle all of the soup. If it isn't - blend in batches.
5. Transfer soup back to pot and stir in lemon juice and coconut milk to combine.

Nutritional info (1 serving, approximately 1 cup)

97 Calories - 3 g Protein, 9 g Carbs, 5.5 g Fat

Mango Lime Shrimp

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While the start to summer isn't technically for another month, Memorial Day always seems like the "unofficial start" to me. I'm also lucky enough to be heading to Mexico tomorrow morning (WOO!!)  so I'm definitely feeling the itch for summertime. This dish certainly gets me in the mood for some warm summer weather! 

I love the bright contrasting colors of this dish. It is served chilled and is light and flavorful. It could be served up on its own, on top of a bed of lettuce or with some tortilla chips, eaten like a salsa. I think this would be a great dish to bring to a summer cook out or pool party. 

This is so incredibly simple to make. I love it because you can either make it the night before (which I recommend to really let the flavors intensify) or if you are in a time crunch it can be made in only 15 minutes! 

You start by combining raw shrimp with a bit of coconut oil, lime juice and chili powder. While letting it sit to marinate, I chop up all the other ingredients - mango, red bell pepper, red onion and LOTS of cilantro! Throw the shrimp into a skillet over medium high heat to cook. This only takes 3-4 minutes so keep an eye on those shrimp. Continue to stir as they cook and once they are all pink remove from heat. 

Transfer shrimp from skillet to a large mixing bowl to cool, draining off the excess liquid. In a blender you combine remaining lime juice, cilantro, garlic cloves and salt to create the dressing for the salad. 

Give the shrimp a quick chop to cut into bite sized pieces. Combine with mangos, peppers, red onion and cilantro-lime dressing. Give this a good mix and you are all finished! Easy as that! 

Like I mentioned previously, the flavors are really best if you are able to chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before eating. Eat this by itself or if you have leftovers (like I did) you can get creative and make shrimp tacos! 

Mango Lime Shrimp

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb raw shrimp
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 3 limes, juiced (divided - 1 lime for shrimp, 2 limes for cilantro-lime dressing)
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 cup mango, chopped
• 2/3 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup cilantro, loosely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Mix shrimp with juice of 1 lime, melted coconut oil and chili powder. Set aside to marinate.
2. Chop red onion, mango and red bell pepper while the shrimp is marinating. 
3. Over medium high heat, cook shrimp in a skillet for 3-4 minutes. They will cook up very quickly so be sure to remove from heat once they have turned pink. Transfer to a bowl to cool, draining the liquid from the shrimp and discarding. 
4. While the shrimp are cooling, in a blender combine the remaining juice of 2 limes, cilantro, garlic and salt. Blend until combine and the cilantro has been chopped. 
5. Give the cooled shrimp a rough chop to cut into smaller pieces. Combine shrimp with mango, red bell pepper, red onion and mix. Pour cilantro-lime dressing over top and stir to combine. 
6. Transfer mango shrimp to refrigerator to continue cooling and to allow flavors to intensify (recommended) or can be eaten immediately warm. 

Nutritional info (1 serving, approximately 1 cup)

187 Calories - 23.7 g Protein, 12.7 g Carbs, 4.6 g Fat

Enjoy!!

Rosemary Pork Roast with Butternut Squash and Apples

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In many cities, the month of May brings rising temperatures and signs of summer. In San Francisco, however, May signifies the start of our "winter" - cold, biting temperatures and thick, rolling fog. A small price to pay for living in such an amazing city, I suppose. On nights when the wind is blowing and the temperature has dropped, nothing beats coming home to a warm dinner. 

During the week, between work and workouts, I'm usually short on time. This meal is a perfect weeknight dinner option - seems like it took hours to make but can be completed within an hour! I love eating sirloin tip pork roasts. It's a very lean cut of pork but is still incredibly juicy. If you have an extra 30 minutes to spare, allowing it to marinate in my rosemary, lemony-Dijon marinade makes it even better.

By searing the meat on all sides, you create a crust which locks in the juices while the roast finishes off in the oven. This also helps shorten the actual cooking time of the meat, once in the oven.

I love this duo of butternut squash and apples with the pork. They are tossed in cinnamon, rosemary, olive oil and salt prior to roasting. Sweet and savory! I prefer to roast the squash and apples in the same pan as the pork so that the flavors of the roast infuse with them.

Cooking time will vary based on the size of your roast and oven, but I was able to cook my roast in under 45 minutes - around 8-10 minutes for the searing and 35 minutes to finish off in the oven! This pork roast is one of my go-to meals during the week. No matter the season, you can't go wrong with these flavors!

Rosemary Pork Roast with Butternut Squash and Apples

Prep Time: 15 minutes + time for marinade (30 minutes to 24 hours, optional)

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

For the pork roast

• 1 1/2 - 2 lb. sirloin tip pork roast
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 tsp)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cracked pepper

For the roasted squash and apples

• 3 cups butternut squash, cubed
• 2 apples, cubed
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp Kosher salt

Kitchen Tools

ChefAlarm by ThermoWorks - (Red)

Directions

1. Start by making the marinade for the pork. In a small bowl combine rosemary, lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine and pour over pork. If you are short on time, you could skip letting this sit to marinate. If you have time, allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. (Even better, you could put the pork in the marinade the night before so that you are ready to go straight to cooking the next night!)
2. Remove pork from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 400°. 
3. Chop squash and apples into cubes. Toss in rosemary, olive oil, cinnamon and salt.
4. Heat cast iron skillet over high heat. Once heated, sear all sides of the roast for 2-3 minutes per side, creating a crust. 
5. Arrange as much of the squash and apple mix in the skillet, around the roast, that will fit. Any remaining lay in a single layer on a baking sheet. Transfer cast iron skillet and baking sheet to oven. 
6. Allow to cook until the roast registers an internal temperature of 140° (my roast of 1.6 lb. took 35 min - about 20 min per lb.). For the most accurate cooking time, I highly recommend the use of a meat thermometer! 
7. Remove roast and squash/apple mix from oven and allow to sit for 5 min before cutting - we don't want to lose all the juices!
8. Slice pork roast thinly and serve with roasted butternut squash and apples!

Pork Nutritional info (1 serving, 5 oz cooked)

189 Calories - 35 g Protein, 0 g Carbs, 5.6 g Fat

Butternut Squash and Apples Nutritional info (1 serving = 1/4 of full recipe)

135 Calories - 1.3 g Protein, 27.5 g Carbs, 3.8 g Fat

Plantain Protein Waffles with Mixed Berry Compote

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Waffles were made for lazy weekend mornings. Just because it's the weekend, however, doesn't mean your nutrition can go out the window! Traditional waffles are high in fat, heavy on the carbs and very low in protein. While my waffles aren't the real deal, they are a great alternative for a weekend treat! These waffles are dairy-free, grain-free and gluten-free as they contain NO flour! 

Not to be confused with a banana, plantains are a much starchier relative. While they may look sweet,they are nearly inedible unless cooked. Health benefits of plantains include:

• High in fiber! 
• More vitamin-A and vitamin-C than bananas
• More potassium than bananas (37% more)

Plantains range from unripe (green) to ripe (yellow) to very ripe (black). At their ripest they are very sweet and at their unripest, very starchy. In this recipe, I chose to use a yellow plantain that is starting to spot but not yet entirely black. It is important to use the correct type of plantain for this recipe! 

In addition to the plantains, the other main ingredient of the waffles is protein powder. You can use any protein you want - I chose to use a plant-based vanilla vegan protein, but whey protein could work as well. 

You will need both a waffle maker and a blender for this recipe. 

Ninja Professional Blender (BL660)

I highly recommend everyone own a good, sturdy blender. After going through many cheap blenders, I finally made the investment in this and love it! 

Hamilton Beach 26009 Belgian Style Waffle Baker

I also love my waffle maker and believe this is a worthy investment. I recommend something similar to this model.

These waffles are not overly sweet, but the mixed berry compote provides all the sweetness you need. 

Whether you are fueling up for a workout or eating these in your pajamas, it's never a bad day when it starts off with light, healthy, protein-packed waffles! 

Plantain Protein Waffles with Mixed Berry Compote

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes (varies - cooked as directed by waffle maker instructions!)

Makes 6 waffles and approx. 1 cup mixed berry compote (2 servings)

Ingredients

For the compote

• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 1/2 cup halved blackberries
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp water
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar

For the waffles

• 2 scoops protein powder (60 g) - I used vanilla plant-based protein, any type will work
• 1 yellow, brown spotted plantain (130 g) - about 3/4 cup sliced
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 1-2 tbsp cashew milk (or any non-dairy type) - should be added according to consistency of batter

Directions

Mixed Berry Compote

1. Combine all compote ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 10 min, stirring occasionally. 
2. Take off the stove and set aside once the fruit has cooked down and the liquid has reduced.

Plantain Protein Waffles

1. Turn on waffle iron to begin heating up. Note: If you don't have a waffle iron this could also be made as pancakes!
2. In a blender (a single serve cup attachment works really well for this) combine the protein powder, sliced plantains, applesauce, coconut oil, and egg whites. Blend to combine.
3. Next, add vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Depending on the consistency of the batter you may or may not need the cashew milk. The batter should be fairly thick, but not so thick it won't blend. Add milk accordingly.
4. Blend until all ingredients are well combined. 
5. Grease waffle iron and spoon about 1/4 cup of batter for each waffle onto hot iron. Cooking time per batch will vary based on your iron, but I cooked mine for roughly 5 min per batch. Continue until all batter is used, which should yield 6 waffles.
6. Stack up desired number of waffles, top with compote and dust with powdered sugar (not required, but what are waffles without it?)

Grab your coffee and dig in!

Waffle Nutritional info (Based on 3 waffles, will vary based on protein powder used)

306 Calories - 27 g Protein, 31.5 g Carbs, 9 g Fat

Mixed Berry Compote Nutritional info (Based on half of compote)

44 Calories - 1 g Protein, 17 g Carbs, 0 g Fat