Plantain Pancakes (Updated)
We did a little research on the nutritional benefits of plantains when I made Plantain Latkes. Earlier this week (update: now a few weeks ago, actually) I adapted a great gluten-free plantain pancake recipe from The Paleo Mom that uses “extra virgin” coconut oil, meaning its been extracted from the coconut kernel without any chemical or mechanical processes. The “medium-chain” fatty acids in extra virgin coconut oil are thought to promote metabolism and reduce body fat. There’s a host of benefits and some precautions with regards to cooking with coconut oil on LiveStrong.com.
If you use green, unripe plantains like the Paleo Mom you won’t need the corn meal. While I enjoyed the natural sweetness of the ripe fruit and texture of the cornmeal I admit it’s odd to eat pancakes without syrup…just a nostalgic drizzle of honey will do the trick. We’re thinking of serving as a dessert at Anamaya, rollatini-style with sliced mango. Cielo.
**Update: I’ve now made this three times in three weeks and pretty much have the recipe down. Use a combination of coconut and olive oil in the batter and swap out coconut oil for butter or sunflower oil when frying. Otherwise coconut aroma overpowers the plantain. For frying, I prefer butter (as long as we’re indulging in dairy, right?). We were out of vanilla but cinnamon worked just as well. So nice with a mug of the locally harvested coffee “1820.”
Recipe
Combine all ingredients except frying oil or butter in food processor. Lightly grease a large non-stick pan; turn heat on LOW. Spoon about 3 medium-sized dollops in pan and shape each in a circle to about 1/2 inch thick. Flip pancakes when they start to bubble. Sprinkle with cinnamon and for those sweet tooths, a drizzle of honey.
Ingredients
- 2 large ripe plantains (about 2 cups pureed) (Farm)
- 4 eggs (Farm)
- ½ cup corn meal
2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- Honey, for drizzling (optional)
- Olive or sunflower oil, or butter, for frying
