Fryin' It Up In Healthy (Allergy-Free) Solidarity

I think I might be Puerto Rican.  Or Cuban.  Or Dominican.  The signs are all there.  Brown hair.  Brown eyes.  Skin that tans easily (yes, be jealous).  And plantains (or as my brethren in cuisine call them, tostones).  I have a love of plantains.  A VERY strong love of plantains.  But, now that I live in BFE, there aren't any Latino restaurants around that serve them within a 30 minute drive.  My plantain consumption has suffered quite a dry spell.  
Last night, I had a eureka moment though.  I had purchased a plantain to make a chocolate donut recipe I'd found on Pinterest via The Paleo Mom (yay Pinterest helping with dietary restrictions - but, I miss real donuts).  However, my plantain had gotten too ripe.  What to do with a perfectly ripe plantain? <tapping finger on my head then light bulb goes off>  FRY IT!

When I lived in Chicago, I had a Cuban restaurant nearby that I frequented.  My favorite thing to order was fried plantains and a side of black beans and rice with goat cheese.  My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it.  

Well, last night I got half way there. Yesterday was a long day.  There was work, the release of the blog's storefront (just click "Shop! Shop! Shop! at the top and you'll be zipped off to the store), an unscheduled vet visit for the Crazy Red Dog (that's a blog post in an of itself - we had to have the end of his tail amputated several weeks ago and it's been quite an ordeal).  By the time I got home I was beat.  The Hubbs was at the oldest bonus daughter's first cross country meet, so it was just me and the pups trying to figure out dinner.

But I still needed to do something about the plantain, since we were heading out of town for the weekend this morning.  On the way home from the drug store, inspiration struck.  Fry it!  Fry it!  Fry it!  I got home, got the dogs fed and settled down and got to work.

Frying plantains is really very simple.  Here's what you need:
1 ripe plantain (most standard grocery stores have them in their "exotic" produce section).    2 Tbsp of Coconut Oil pinch of salt sprinkle of powdered sugar

Peel your plantain.  It can be a bit harder to peel than a banana, even though they look very similar.  Once you have all of the outer peel removed, slice it into 1/8" - 1/4" wide slices.  Melt your Coconut Oil (it's a solid at first) in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.  Once it's starting to pop a little bit, lay your plantain slices into the oil.  Sprinkle your pinch of salt over the top and let them cook until they start to brown on the bottom.  

Once they get golden brown on the bottom, get a spatula and turn them over.  Repeat on the second side.  While they are frying up, get a plate out and lay a paper towel over the plate so that you can drain the plantains to get some of the oil off after you're done.  

Lay your plantains out on a serving platter and sprinkle the tops with the powdered sugar and serve (I sprinkled mine on while they were still in the pan, but think it's better if you wait until after).  

I ate mine with the Whole Foods sushi that I bought post-vet visit.  Easy and quick.  But I dreamed of black beans, rice and goat cheese. <insert dreamy music here>  And of living closer to a Cuban restaurant   One day.   
You're welcome.