I know we’re in the “holiday season” when most people are looking for holiday recipes (see mine here), but I wanted to send you on a brief vacation to the tropics with a couple of easy recipes guaranteed warm up your winter meals with a bit of summer sun.
First up is something I threw together never intending to write a blog post about it, but as these unplanned dishes have a way of doing, this one was so good that my family insisted I should post it. Basically, all I did was make Caribbean black beans with pineapple juice instead of orange juice for the simple reason that I had a bottle of pineapple juice in the fridge and didn’t want to take the time to squeeze a couple of oranges.
While the beans were cooking, I realized that I had a fresh pineapple handy, so I chopped up about a quarter of it and added it at the end. Maybe it’s just because we love pineapple in bean dishes (adding it is one of my “sneaky mom” tricks to get daughter E to eat just about anything), but we loved the combination of pungent allspice and sweet pineapple.
Caribbean Pineapple Black Beans
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 1/2 bell pepper , chopped
- 1 small jalapeno or chile pepper , seeded and chopped (optional)
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 teaspoons peeled , chopped ginger root
- 2 cans black beans (about 3 cups cooked), rinsed well and drained
- 3/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (more or less, to taste)
- 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
- salt and black pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Saute the onion in a non-stick pan, adding a tablespoon of water if needed to keep it from sticking. (Add a pinch of baking soda to speed up browning, if desired.) Cook for 3-5 minutes, until beginning to turn golden. Add the peppers, garlic, and chopped ginger and cook another 2 minutes.
- Add the drained black beans, pineapple juice, thyme, allspice, and cayenne (to taste). Cover and cook for 15 minutes on low, adding a splash of water if it starts to dry out.
- Add the pineapple and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Serve over brown rice or quinoa.
One day E came home from school insisting that I buy her a plantain. Her Colombian Spanish teacher had described fried plantains in such glowing terms that E wanted to try them immediately. So on my next shopping trip, I dutifully picked up a plantain, knowing that somehow I was going to have to “fry” it. But it’s been decades since I actually fried something, so there was not much chance any real frying was going to take place. What to do?
Well, Chef Google came to my rescue when I called, with Oven Baked Sweet Plantains. I looked at the recipe, got the gist of it, and then forgot all the details as I waited two weeks for my plantain to get riper. When I was ready to oven-fry, I relied on memory, so my baking temperature is lower and cooking time is longer than that recipe specifies.
But my plantains came out perfectly–sweet and soft on the inside and a tiny bit crispy on the outside–and I think the lower temperature is less likely to result in burned plantains. (The edges of the plantains get burned easily, so that’s a real concern.)
We loved these so much. I hate to think that I’ve been missing out on “fried” plantains all my life, but we’ll be having them often from now on. They make an excellent side dish–sort of like sweet French fries–totally unadorned, though I know some people put salt or cinnamon on them. I may try them sometime with just a bare sprinkle of cinnamon, but I wouldn’t want to do anything to hide the naturally sweet, caramelized flavor of the fruit.
Oven-Fried Plantains
Here's a delicious alternative to the traditional fried plantains.
Ingredients
- 1 very ripe plantain for every 2 people (look for large black spots)
- canola oil , in a sprayer or applied with brush or paper towel (optional, but plantains are “sticky” so use if your bakeware isn’t non-stick)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Cut off the ends of the plantain. Make a cut through the skin down the length of the plantain, and remove the peel. Cut the plantain into 1/2-inch thick diagonal (slanted) slices.
- Line baking sheet with a silicone mat or spray or wipe it lightly with oil. Place the plantain slices on it in one layer. Bake for 15 minutes or until they are browned on the bottom. Be careful–they can burn quickly. Turn slices over. Watch them carefully and bake until both sides are golden, about 25 minutes total. Serve warm.
More Pineapple, Black Beans, and Plantains (Though Not Necessarily Together):
Black Bean-Pineapple Soup Stew Chili right here at FatFree Vegan Kitchen
Caribbean Black Beans and Rice by Food Blogga
Brazilian Brown Rice and Black Beans from Savvy Vegetarian
Caribbean Curry Black Eyed Peas With Plantains at Post Punk Kitchen
Matoke~ Kenyan Plantain Green Bananas Stew from simply.food
I hope these simple recipes bring you some Tropical warmth this cold December. And hey, if you’re still shopping for gifts (I know I am), please check out my favorite cooking gadgets in my Amazon Store, where your purchase will help keep my family in plantains this winter! 😉
Happy eating!
~M
My toddler would love those beans spiked with fruit! As would her parents! I see it going great on a baked sweet potato! Great idea! And for the plantains, maybe a tiny touch of lime juice sprinkled on top? So hungry now!!
Phyllis
Hello I was wondering of there was any other then pineapple or oranges I could use since I can’t eat either of them 2 … This looks really good love to try it since I have to watch what I eat … Thank you for sharing looking forward from hearing from u with some ideas .. Have Blessed Day!
Cara
I’ve always wanted to try my hand at baked plantains. Glad they turned out well for you!
Katie
I just made fried plantains last night, only I cooked them in coconut oil in a pan. They weren’t quite ripe enough, but a sprinkle of cinnamon helped sweeten them up a bit.
Terry Ingram
This sounds amazing. I want to try it next week. I did want to offer a suggestion for the oven-fried plantains. I make oven-fried potatoes all the time and use fresh lemon juice instead of oil. A tablespoon of lemon juice in a bowl where I toss the cut potato pieces is enough to give them enough coating to prevent sticking and it has enough sugar to caramelize them. I imagine it will do the same for the plantains.
Elena
Plantains are definitely on the list of foods I can’t live without! Another alternative is steaming them. Just cut in three pieces, peel and drop them in the steamer. They turn out sweet and delicious – no need for added sugar or cinnamon. I’ll definitely try the baked version next time!
alisa
Thanks for the inspiration! I appreciate your blog SO much.
Kellyzkool
I’m interested to get a method for making oven fried green plantains (tostones I think they call them?). My friend ate them in costa rica with a black bean puree and avocado slices. The green ones are cooked twice (fried mostly) – the first time softens them so that they can be flattened and cooked again. They get crispy and can be used as a cracker like base.
Madeline
I made this for dinner tonight, and it was a hit. My omnivore husband said “this is a home run!” And believe me, from his point of view I’ve had quite a few strike-outs. Thanks for two great recipes!
Delane
Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I LOVE Plantains!!
Thank you for sharing this! I am reminded of a dish I used to cook a long time ago!
YAY!
Molly
This dish looks wonderful, and it reminds me of a deconstructed version of rellenitos de plátano, a traditional Guatemalan dish. A quick Google search would show you how they’re made. When I was studying abroad in Guatemala, I learned how to make these dessert-like balls. I wonder if a similar baking technique would work for them…
sepeters
Having read these comments and reviews, i am filled with regret. You see, I’m a substituter. Sometimes to make things gluten free, or to use up the haul from the garden, but usually from sheer laziness. I hate going shopping! (I think that’s why I garden.) Most of your recipes led themselves very, very well to substitutions!
For anyone wanting to try this i really, REALLY recommend you keep this one as is! I used orange juice and cubed mango instead of pineapple and the result was really quite revolting and in-authentic, and i couldn’t even compost it because the worms cannot eat citrus! I only ask that those of you who made this correctly eat an extra portion for me!
edina jakson
looks yum! in Ghana we have fried plantain with black eyed beans. We call it red red, it is a very delicious meal. It can be made vegan without including fish or chicken to the sauce. I might do the black eyed beans recipe for my own site! Thanks for the recipe, might try it out in the not too distant future.
moonwatcher
Just wanted to stop back by to say that this is a wonderful, tasty, easy, flexible recipe! I didn’t have the pineapple juice of the pineapple, but I decided to give it a go with the juice of an orange I had on hand, and a fistful of frozen mano chunks I had left. These went very well with the spicing and the black beans, too. And I’m not the only one who like it. Thank you, Susan!!
xo
moonwatcher
Fiona
Just had this for dinner. Made exactly as stated except instead of using jarred pineapple juice I blended half of my pineapple for juice and chopped the rest. It came out just OK, maybe I should have used jarred juice. I did really enjoy the plantains though!
Wendy
This was fabulous! Followed the recipe as is and my husband and I loved it. The plantains were also a huge hit. I sprayed a tiny bit of no fat cooking spray on a piece of non-stick tin foil and didn’t have any problems, though it probably didn’t need the cooking spray. I also served this with slices of avocado and that flavor along with the black beans, pineapple, brown rice, and plantains was superb. Thanks for another hit!
Leslie Paquette
Made this tonight and it was delicious. I worried that it might be too spicy for my 11 month old, but she gobbled it right up! I used 1/8 tsp of cayenne and 1 jalapeño, seeds removed. The plantains were especially good! I spread a small amount of coconut oil on them before baking. Thanks!!
Jenny
My husband is Nigerian and they eat plantains all the time … they also peel them, cut them in half and boil them! So delicious. Thanks for sharing your oven baking idea.
Debbie
Hi Susan, I’m wondering if this could possibly be made in the Instant Pot using dried beans? Its my new obsession, unfortunately I have no idea how to cook without a recipe.
Jody
Simple easy and delicious..
I had to use a can of white beans and a can of black beans because that is all I had. I also used Chinese 5 spice in place of all spice as I was out of all spice.
I served it with steamed purple yams and rapinni..