Stuffed Plantains

Who said that eating healthy has to be tasteless and boring?  

This is probably one of my favorite recipes.  It's so flavorful and completely different!

If you haven't ever tried plantains, you should!  They are starchy, not mushy like bananas.

Serve with a side salad for a really hearty meal!  

You can also make a larger amount of the filling in advance and have it on hand 

for the week, so all you have to do is bake the plantain and stuff!

Ingredients:

2 ripe plantains, peeled and sliced almost through lengthwise

olive oil spray (I use my Misto)

1 tsp coconut oil

1/2 white onion, minced

1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

Handful of cilantro, washed and chopped

1/4 cup tomato sauce (if you like spice like me, use the small cans of Goya hot tomato sauce)

1 tsp cumin

2 tbsp shredded Mexican blend cheese

salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Coat baking sheet with olive oil, place in plantains, and coat with olive oil.  Bake for 40 minutes or until tender.

 

Meanwhile, heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium high heat.  Add the diced onion and sauté until translucent.  Add in cilantro and black beans, continue to cook for 3-5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low, add tomato sauce and cumin, and season to taste with salt.  Remove from heat.

When plantain are tender, carefully remove from oven and fill each with half of the bean mixture.  Top each plantain with 1 tbsp cheese, and return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.