vegan fried plantains tostones chimichurri

Tostones with Chimichurri Sauce Recipe

by Analiese Trimber

Outline of two people

4 servings

Clock

35 Minutes

calories
471g
carb
28g
fat
41g
protein
1g

tools

  • Baking sheet
  • Oven
  • Parchment paper
  • Cup or bowl
  • Tongs
  • Blender

Ingredients

  • 2 Large green plantains
  • 3-5 sprays Avocado oil spray
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 1 cup Salted water (water + 1 tsp salt)
  • 1 Shallot
  • 5 cloves Garlic
  • ½ cup Parsley
  • ¼ cup Cilantro
  • ¼ tsp Pepper
  • 3 tbsp Red wine vinegar
  • 3 tbsp Fresh oregano leaves
  • 2 ½ tsp Red pepper flakes
  • ¾ cup Olive oil

Instructions

  • 1
    Using a knife, lightly score vertically down the plantain. Slice into into 8 pieces and remove peel.
    ·
    Preheat oven to 425℉.
  • 2
    Place plantains on baking sheet. Spray with avocado oil and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt.
    ·
    Bake for 15-20 minutes or until slightly soft.
  • 3
    Place cooked plantain slice in between two pieces of parchment paper. Lightly smash plantain with the bottom of a glass. Using tongs, dip smashed plantain in salt water. Place back onto baking sheet, spray with more avocado oil, and bake for 10-15 minutes.
    ·
    Flip and bake for another 8 minutes, or until golden brown.
  • 4
    Combine shallot, garlic, parsley, cilantro, ¼ teaspoon salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, oregano, and red pepper flakes in a blender.
    ·
    Pulse until ingredients are finely chopped.
  • 5
    Add a bit of olive oil to your food processor and pulse again for a few seconds. Then add remaining olive oil and let sit until ready to eat.
    ·
    Serve with tostones.

Restaurant Quality Tostones In Your Own Home

The past couple years I went to Miami three times for my old job. I quickly fell in love with the culture there, in addition to the food scene. As one would imagine, there’s delicious food around every corner, but I was particularly drawn to restaurants that specialized in South American and Cuban cuisines. One common thread between the two, I realized, was plantains.

To me, plantains are the perfect food, and I’m a huge fan of them in any form or fashion. Sweet and sautéed? Yup. Smashed and fried? Even better. There’s just something to be celebrated about how versatile this fruit is, its ability to sway sweet or savory depending on what it’s seasoned with. In some cuisines, they use plantains as sandwich buns instead of bread. Isn’t it amazing that something considered vegan and paleo can be made into so many different applications?

One of my favorite plantain dishes of all time is tostones with chimichurri sauce. Tostones are cooked green plantains that are then smashed and cooked again, resulting in a crispy plantain “chip,” if you will. Oftentimes these tostones will be served with chimichurri sauce, a vibrant green herb-based sauce that tastes good on just about anything.

If you’re ordering tostones with chimichurri sauce at a restaurant, they probably deep fry them. But since we don’t all have deep fryers in our home, I decided to create a version for the oven instead! In just 5 steps and 35 minutes, you will have restaurant quality tostones in your own home! I truly can’t wait for you to try these.

Please note that the chimichurri makes a good amount of sauce! If you have some leftover, just store it in the fridge. Also, these tostones can be made in the air fryer if you own one! Last tip, please make sure the plantains you buy are GREEN plantains. Ripe plantains will not work as well.

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