I love plantains! They’re so versatile! These waffles are so easy to make, you’ll want to make them everyday. All you need is a blender, the ingredients and a waffle iron. Let me tell you more about plantains and why I like them so much. Plantains look a lot like bananas but they are starchier, contain less sugar and are much more versatile as a cooking ingredient. Also, unlike bananas, plantains are typically cooked before eating. You’ll find plantains are packed with vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium and iron to name a few. Plantains are a high fiber food therefore will add bulk to food intake, which aids digestion. They are also known to be prebiotic which serves as food for probiotics, aka beneficial gut bacteria. You will find different shades of plantains:
- Green: you will notice them to be quite hard and will probably need a knife to peel them. This is the best stage for plantain chips, as they are starchy and not very sweet.
- Yellow: Slightly sweeter than green plantains, they will be best for frying, cooking, boiling and grilling.
- Black: These will be the sweetest and can be baked into yummy desserts.
Plantains can be prepared in many different ways. You can bake, grill, roast and fry them, mash them or add them to soups and stew. They can also be dried and ground into flour and of course made into famous plantain chips.INGREDIENTS – 6 WAFFLES
- 3 medium green plantains or very green bananas
- 4 eggs
- 2-3 dates, pitted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- optional: mini chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS: Take the plantains, cut the ends off and cut them into quarters. Using a knife, slice into the skin of the plantain lengthwise being careful not to cut too deep. Remove the strips of skin. Once peeled, cut the plantains into thick rings. Add the eggs, vanilla, coconut oil, dates and baking soda in the blender first. Then add the plantain. Process until liquid. Transfer to bowl and add blueberries. Mix in well. Add about a 1/2 cup of batter to waffle iron and let cook for about 3 minutes depending on your waffle iron temperature setting. I like to set mine to low-medium. Once ready, remove and cook the rest. Should make about 6 waffles.
* If you’d like, you can add 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips.
