Food, News, Recipes, Sauces, Seafood, Vegetables

Three Recipes For That Snack Attack!!

I really like corn chips.  Give me some corn chips AND guacamole and I will love you forever.  The problem is, I don’t feel so great after gorging out on corn chips and although I could eat them every day, we all know that’s not the best idea.  So, when I am getting that snack attack for some chips and guacamole, I will instead substitute the chips for plantains fried in coconut oil.  Plantains are amazing.  Depending on the level of ripeness they can be slightly sweet and a bit tangy, almost like a green banana – and when they are black and bruised looking, they fry up crispy on the outside, with a creamy subtle sweetness on the inside.  Dive these chips into some smashed avocados and welcome to snack attack heaven!!!  Other snack attack recipes included in this post are Spicy Shrimp Tacos and Sweet Potato Fries.

Plantain Chips and Guacamole

3 ripe plantains (they are ripe when they look really beat up, black, and nasty)

1/4 cup coconut oil

4 avocados

juice from 1/2 a lime

garlic powder and black pepper to taste

Leave the peel on the plantain and cut off the ends.  Still with the peel on slice the plantain as thin as possible lengthwise.  Leaving the peel on while slicing will help prevent smashing the plantain.  After the plantain is sliced, carefully remove the peel and place the sliced plantains into a skillet of hot coconut oil. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side, using tongs to flip, and being careful not to burn.  Mash the avocados with the lime juice, garlic powder, and black pepper and serve with the plantain chips.

Shrimp Tacos

1 bag of frozen already cooked tail removed shrimp – thawed and drained

1 cup cherry tomatoes halved

1 green bell pepper sliced

1/2 red onion sliced

1 tbsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

3 garlic cloves smashed or minced

3 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 a jar of salsa verde (I prefer Trader Joe’s brand)

1 head of iceberg lettuce leaves for taco shells

Cut the thawed shrimp in half and set aside.  In a skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium heat and saute the onions, garlic and bell peppers until tender, add the cherry tomatoes and saute for about 1 minute.  Add the shrimp, the spices, and the salsa, mix well and cook just until the shrimp are warm.  Serve in the lettuce leaves with sliced avocados and shredded purple cabbage.

Sweet Potato Spears

2 bags of sweet potato spears from Trader Joe’s or 2-3 sweet potatoes cut like french fries

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cayenne

black pepper to taste

sprinkle of sea salt

1/4 – 1/2 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, whisk all spices together with the olive oil and then toss the sweet potato spears in the olive oil mixture until all the spears are coated.  Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and evenly spread the potato spears on the foil.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning the spears over half way through the cooking time.

Enjoy!

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Sarah Fragoso

Sarah Fragoso is an international best selling author of 6 books, co-owner of the Chico, CA based gym JS Strength and Conditioning, and founder of the Everyday Paleo franchise. Sarah is the co-host of the popular Sarah and Dr. Brooke Show podcast and she also conducts workshops and retreats on the subjects of nutrition, lifestyle and fitness.

Her message is from the heart and she carries a genuine desire to help other families looking for guidance. These attributes have contributed to her successes and provide the drive to keep the discoveries coming.

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33 Comments

  1. John says:

    My favorite, plantains cooked in coconut oil and then sprinkled with cinnamon. Awsome! Of course the level of ripeness plays a role in sweetness.

  2. David says:

    Looks delicious. I will have to pick up some plantains from the store. I have been missing chips to eat my guacamole with. Not to mention I’m in love with sweet potato fries.

  3. Sarah says:

    Thank-you! I have been trying to think of a corn chip substitute to dip in guacamole.
    I love fried plantain so I am going to try this.

  4. Tertia says:

    Yum, that plantain and guacamole looks amazing! I have only tried plantains once at a restaurant, and I loved them, but I admit I’m a bit nervous to cook them on my own for the first time.

    1. Sarah says:

      You can do it Tertia, it’s not as hard as it looks, I promise! : )

  5. Wow…those plantain chips look phenomenal. I’ve just recently become addicted to plantain chips and guac, but my chips are of the Whole Foods variety. Homemade look (and probably taste) so much better! I’m definitely trying this recipe!

  6. I love fried plantains, I grew up eating them on a weekly basis, but I’ve never had them with guacamole before! Great idea.

  7. Those plantains look marvelous. I guess I’ll have to go back to the store! 🙂 Great ideas.

  8. Nicole says:

    I love paleo so far, but it’s only day 2, lol. I am wondering if anyone can help me out, I am alergic to coconut and pineapple; I see that A LOT of recipies call for coconut oil, does anyone have any viable substitues??
    Thank you!

    1. Sarah says:

      Hey Nicole! Olive oil is great for just about everything except for high heat cooking. For cooking with, instead of coconut oil you can use good ol’ bacon grease, or ghee (clarified butter), or even organic butter. Here’s a great link to Mark’s Daily Apple with a guide to oils. I hope this helps!

      1. Martin says:

        Great recipe and will definitely will have to give the plantain chips a try, but I’m still confused on which oil to use. Looking at wikipedia it appears even olive oil has a higher smoke point then olive oil, am I missing something?

        Here is the wiki link, it can be sorted by the oils smoke point.
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point

  9. It’s hard to find snacks when out and about, so I always have a foil packet of tuns fish and a packet of almonds or pistachios in my purse.

  10. Lyndi says:

    Okay so I am in love with these!!! I just made some and all I can say is WOW!! Thanks for posting all your recipes! We are a Paleo family of 5 and I really hate to cook! Finding your page through Primal Mama was a great help (as are her recipes!) You Rock!!!

  11. Raven says:

    For a corn chip replacement I use Bugles original flavor. They are made with coconut oil.

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Raven,
      I remember someone else mentioning Bugles to me before, I’ll have to check those out for critical corn chip moments. : )

  12. Daniela says:

    OMG Thanks…this is what I need now!!!

  13. Emily says:

    I just tried making these tonight. They tasted great but weren’t crispy enough to actually dip. Maybe I didn’t cut them thin enough? I fried them on both sides to the point of being dark brown but they only got semi-firm when then cooled. Any thoughts? Thanks!!

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Emily! Maybe your oil wasn’t hot enough, or like you said, maybe they were not sliced thin enough. Where are you finding your plantains right now? The store that usually carries them in my town no longer order them… I’m so bummed…

  14. Emily says:

    Hmm, I think my oil was hot, but maybe not. I think I need to do thinner slices. We’ll definitely try again because they were delicious either way. I can’t remember where I got ours, either our local health food store or maybe our super Target?

  15. Hey Sarah! Sweet potatoes fries sounded good yesterday and I had some extra potatoes in the house so I figured I’d give it a shot. I used your spice mixture (with less cayenne) and it was fantastic!! I love the spicier alternative to the normal sweet and savory sweet potato taste. Thanks so much!!

    I also learned that my kids LOVE raw, unseasoned sweet potato fries, which is no small miracle as I’ve been trying to get them on my Paleo train for months.

  16. For all You sweet potato lovers… Check this out
    http://hickoryworks.homestead.com/Stickysituation.html
    Then ENJOY !!!

  17. Tammy Howard says:

    Hi. I am new to the whole paleo idea, have a ton of weight to lose and am working to transition my family. I was so excited to find your blog, not only for the recipes, but because you are also a busy mom of 3 making it work well for the whole family. We have experimented with kale chips and spinach chips and my kids love them (ate 2 heads of kale in 2 days). I saw these plantain chips and wondered if the method would work with squash and/or sweet potatos. Thanks so much for your blog. I’m looking forward to getting your book.

    1. Hi Tammy! So glad you are enjoying my blog and good for you in getting the family on board! I do use the same method with squash and sweet potatoes, slice them as thin as you can with a mandolin slicer and fry them for around 2 minutes each side in coconut oil. : )

  18. Robin says:

    The plantains with guac is too good to be true! I totally felt like I was cheating. I could just eat that as a meal. But alas, I need some protein so we paired it with beef tacos. I have a random question about coconut oil. Can you reuse it? If yes, for how long?

  19. Jeanni says:

    Something I learned from my best friend’s mom who is from the Philippines about making plantains… you fry them twice! So here’s how to do it: Cut plantain into 1/2 inch slices, fry in coconut oil on both sides over medium heat until lightly golden. Remove from heat, then while still warm, flatten each piece with the bottom of a glass to about 1/4 inch thickness. Refry on both sides again until nice and brown, remove from oil then sprinkle with sea salt. Seriously Yummy!!!
    Tip: I don’t ever turn the heat up past medium. Also, you might have to add additional coconut oil to the skillet as these soak up alot! The oil doesn’t have to cover the entire plantain from top to bottom, but it does need to be liberal!

  20. Jeanni says:

    Clarification on last post: after frying the plantains once, take them OUT of the oil and onto a plate or cutting board where you can then proceed to flatten them with the glass. Then you can stick them back into the oil for refrying!

    1. Michaela T says:

      Thanks for the tip! They came out wonderfully!

  21. Buffy2Bpaleo says:

    I am engaged to a dominican man so plantains have been inverted into all sorts of different recipies, alot of them traditional to his culture. I tend to bake my platain chips, they come out extra crispy, and I find they also work a little better if the plantain is not so ripe. For an extravagent desert, when im feeling a craving for a sunday, we boil coconut cream with vanilla and cinnamon sticks, add a little honey, stick it in the freezer and let it solidify, then take some really ripe plantains and toss them over light heat with coco powder and some coco nut shavins, top the “ice cream” with the mix, so good mmm

  22. Tammy H. says:

    I tried the plantain chips today and so wish I had read all the comments first. I sliced them as thin as I could probably about 1/4 inch and they tasted delish but definitely were not crunchy. I will have to try baking them next time and maybe even the flattening/refrying method. I have gotten my entire family on board with the paleo lifestyle and it’s awesome. My 2 year old woke up mad as a wet hen today and was appeased with … kale chips! How many moms can say that? Thanks so much Sarah for your blog and your book!

  23. Elaine says:

    How is cooking in bacon grease good for you? And Bugles? I remember eating them as a kid, but not sure how they could be good for you either. Do you mind clarifying…thanks.

  24. I finally tried the plantains and guacamole recipe. I’d never tried plantains in any way, shape or form before, and I must say, it was delicious!!!! Loved it. Thanks for sharing this! Oh, and I had to blog about it, too. 🙂

  25. I’d personally use way more coconut oil but that’s just me.

  26. All of these recipes have been super yummy. Thanks! I use peeled and thinly sliced jicama for my tortilla chip replacement for guacamole and salsa.

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