Boiled plantains with kale (Paleo)

Boiled plantains with curly kale is a great way to jazz up what would be an ordinary lunch. Healthy leafy greens combined with bell peppers.

There’s something amazing about boiled plantains, I just cannot seem to get enough of them. I don’t think there’s a week that goes by without me incorporating this starchy vegetable (fruit but classified as a veg). What’s more, there’s a store right around the corner from me that certainly knows how to entice me.

My fruit trolley is full to the brim right now with plantains courtesy of the little store on the corner plus the price is simply unbeatable. As long as this establishment remains replenished and fully stocked then Charla will make a regular appearance to purchase again and again.

How to make boiled plantains with kale

You’ll be pleased to know this recipe is super duper healthy and the plantain is boiled and not fried (YIPEE).

What I did was boil the plantain with the skin on for roughly 20 minutes until tender. The key here is to yield tenderness and not achieve some type of mushy texture.

When I first started boiling plantains to make this dish I  winded up disheartened because the results would range from tender to mushy.

Overcoming that obstacle presented itself as a challenge but I finally managed to perfect a fine balance between mushy and tenderness – boiling the plantain for 15 minutes. For me this seemed to be the most desired texture so keep this in mind as I summarise the meal.

Can you boil plantains without the skin?

Yes, I rotate between keeping the skin on and removing it depending on the recipe.

You can remove the skin if you wish but I prefer to keep the skin on because I find I can gauge exactly how much time I need to boil the plantain a bit better.

I wanted to pair the recipe with some callaloo which is an exotic leafy vegetable derived from the same family as spinach.

However my vendor didn’t have any to hand and so I used curly kale leaves to substitute. You can follow suit and use kale or better yet spinach if you don’t have access to callaloo.

The results using spinach are incredibly fool proof I’m just a bit more partial to my beloved kale right now.

Are boiled plantains healthy?

Yes, boiled sweet plantains are a nutritional powerhouse. They are an excellent source of fiber, complex carbohydrates. Contain vitamin A, C and B6 along with minerals such as magnesium and potassium.

Although boiled plantains are more caloric, they host a multitude of health benefits .

To balance things out with the starch enriched plantains, you’ll find a selection of low fat/carb veggies – red and yellow bell peppers, tomatoes, scallions along with the kale.

Reason why you should make boiled plantains with kale

• The combination of healthy starch with low carb/fat vegetable make the dish very filling
• It’s meat free for vegetarians and vegans
• Lightly seasoned and tasty, you won’t even notice there’s no meat present
• Naturally gluten free and paleo approved too
• Overall a boiled recipe dish within minimal frying (healthier option)
• A caloric dense dish but can be carefully tailored in with a weight loss plan
• If you like the taste of plantains then you will enjoy this recipe

Notes

• Plantains are available a most Asian/Caribbean and latin grocery stores
• As plantains are a dense carbohydrates, diabetics should be mindful of their daily allowance/portion

Other plantain recipes include 

• Oven baked spicy plantain and sweet potato
• Plantain pie
• Baked plantain with a coconut cashew dip

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