I can’t win. I really can’t. So my new Functional Fitness class is 100% good! The instructor is a young fitness educated professor (she even taught Pilates) and the class is seriously like a high school health class. (We learned how to take out pulse and did simple assessments like push-ups and weight circumference yesterday). I found the new building fine and even got there early. Yay! But now I’m sick. I haven’t been sick in years. But my throat and chest are killing me. 🙁 When will it end?! This never ever happens to me. So I am hoping my normal drink gallons of water and tea and use tons of spices remedy will kick it to the curb like it usually does when I feel something coming on. I just hope this doesn’t progress to where I need to go to the doctor (we have to pay to be seen at the health center…). I guess my body is just so unaccustomed to so many people, the city, germs EVERYWHERE! (Even though I am my normal ultra-clean-safe self). Plus, the weather is crap, cloudy, chilly, and rainy 🙁 No good. Life is rough. Now…
Hold on! Don’t put your grills away just yet! Who really says grilling ends after Labor Day? That’s absurd and I have a recipe that needs to be shared and requires a grill. It I still had access to my wonderful gas grill right now, I would still be out there everyday. Alas, I sadly don’t. Grilling was so much fun and I can’t wait to get to do it again when I go home. Until then, I’ll just let you do the grilling for me and gaze at the pictures of these delicious gems.
That’s right, Grilled Plantains! Baking plantains was fun, but grilling is the new way to go. This way you can achieve the ultimate smokey taste. The flavor from the grill, plus that perfect smokey taste from my second favorite spice…smoked paprika!
What’s sad though is I’ve only had one plantain in the last 3 weeks. The one sad plantain I brought down to college with me. I’ve seen plantains at the Safeway down the road from my campus, but they were all not up to plantain par. Hopefully they will get some good ones soon. Man how I miss my starchy smokey plantains :/ Grilled or not!
Not only have plantains been hard to come by, but good sweet potatoes have yet to be found. I had high hopes for Whole Foods and that they would have some killer sweet potato varieties, but no, there was non. Just the boring old original that just does not satisfy my potato needs :/
But I’ll keep looking and crossing my fingers I will find these wonderful starchy creations of the Earth. Maybe one of these Farmer’s Markets in the city will have some? Gotta check them out ASAP! Now plantains are in a field of their own, but aren’t potatoes and squash a Fall thing? Shouldn’t an overflowing abundance be blooming right about now or at least soon? At least my grocery in NJ had good varieties throughout most of the summer. I can’t believe I am going to say this, but I do miss their produce :/
Grilled Plantains
Ingredients: (for 1 plantain, serves 1)
+ 1 Light Green Plantain
+ 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika
+ 1/4 Tsp Cumin
Directions:
+ Peel and cut your plantain into thin slices.
+ Toss plantains with spices until evenly coated.
+ Lightly oil a piece of foil and spread your plantains out on it. Place the sheet on a grill over high heat.
+ Close the cover to the grill and cook for 6-7 minutes. Flip the plantains and cook for another 6-7 minutes, checking to make sure they don’t burn.
Gosh, I really want a plantain right now. This week I will be on the lookout! I need to satisfy this craving! I did find some good parsnips to roast though. But they won’t satisfy that plantain craving very much. So I guess this is my request from you. If you happen across some beautiful green plantains, please send them my way 😉 I will be forever grateful!
I wonder if I can grow a plantain tree…outside my dorm… However, I think the approaching winter season might now allow it to thrive to well. In my dreams I guess. I’ll be counting plantains (and potatoes). But really, grill one last plantain for me and tell me how good it was before you put that grill away!
So tell me:
+ If you had to choose between a plantain and a sweet potato (of the Japanese/White/ or Purple variety), which would you choose? I’m going to abstain from choosing 100%. That’s so hard! But I think maybe if I could have a perfect Stokes PSP right now, I would be pretty happy.
+ Are you still grilling or do you stop this “seasonal” activity when the cold weather comes? At least it isn’t cold yet!
*Recipe linking up for the week! WIAW, Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeFridays, #RecipeOfTheWeek, #StrangeButGood, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays, Tasty Tuesdays, Savoring Saturdays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, #Foodie Friday, Real Food Recipe Roundup, Gluten-Free Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays!*
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Camesha | Mama Motivator says
My family loves plantains! I’ve never tried to prepare them before. We get them from this great Cuban restaurant. Mmm mmm good!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
They are so easy and much more healthy to whip up at home!
lindsay Cotter says
feel better soon! i hate being sick. but these allergies have really effected me this year. ACK! i think plantains would cure me ASAP! send some, and broth! haha
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Lol, this is an old post Linsday!
Laura @MotherWouldKnow says
I love plaintains (in the Cuban Chinese restaurants in NYC they are always served with rice and beans) but I’ve never made them myself. We do a lot of grilling, so this recipe would be a natural for us. Will have to try it.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Plantains are so easy to make at home! Grill, bake, puree, saute, anything!
Stephanie says
I have yet to try plantains as well! They look delicious! I need to go get some and try this..
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Yes! They are so so so good!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
Please tell me how I STILL haven’t tried plantains!! I need to try sauteeing them, roasting them, AND grilling them! 😉
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
WHAT!? You haven’t?! Please tell me you’re lieing!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
No lie… I know, it’s wrong 🙁
Herry Hermawan says
I think plantains are very good for health
with grilled plantains will produce different flavors
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Yup! Their a perfect startchy nutrition powerhouse!
Christie says
I honestly need to learn to cook plantains. There’s three Puerto Ricans in my office and they all talk about them. Thank you for linking up with #FoodieFridays! Please stop by and link up with us again this week.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Haha, they are so delicious! And easy so don’t be intimidated! Once you peel them (the hardest part!) everything else is a breeze 😉
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says
This looks really good! Would you believe I have not had a plantain since college, which was a LONG time ago? I see them every once in a while in the grocery store…sounds like I need to pick some up! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Yes! Everyone needs plantains in their life!
Honest Mum says
Wow not had plantain (in the form of crisps I might add) since my Uni days! Looks delicious! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Thanks!
Clotilde/Craftybegonia says
Hi, visiting you via Healthy Vegan Fridays. I am Puerto rican, so I can assure all your visitors that those will taste amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Hahaha 😉 Plantain love World-wide!
Deborah Davis says
Hi Rebecca,
What healthy, delicious delight! I have enjoyed plantain prepared in a number of ways and they are so satisfying. I am so delighted that you shared this awesome Grilled Plantain recipe for with us at the Plant-based Potluck Party! All the best, Deborah
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Plantains are so good!
Alecia says
Love plantains but never thought of grilling them. Yum! Stopping by from #foodiefridays
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
You’ll love them grilled!
Jo-Lynne Shane {Musings of a Housewife} says
Yeah, at noon yesterday I realized I’d already put in an 8-hour work day! LOL
Jo-Lynne Shane {Musings of a Housewife} says
I have never had plantains. Are they sweet at all? What do you serve them with (Sorry if you said – I scanned.) But I hope you are feeling better by now!!! xo
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
The greener they are when you cook them, the less sweet, drier, and more starchy. The yellower the peel, the sweeter and more soft they get.
When grilling I like them greener, when baking, I like them either way!
(Thanks! I am!)
Joyce @ It's Your Life says
Okay you got with this recipe I have never ever had plantain, so while at the store I picked some up. If you really want I will send you some, the grill is not operating so I’ll have to find another way of making them, any suggestions?
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Check out my baked plaintain recipe! Baking is what I usually do anyway!
Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma) says
Wow, these sound amazing, I have to try!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Do it! They’re such a yummy healthy side!
Rachael@AnAvocadoADay says
That looks so good! I always struggle to grill plantains so I’ll have to try your trick with tin foil.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Just keep your eye on them and you can’t mess them up!
My Family Ties says
I have never tried plantains but this recipe sounds really delicious, hope you feel better soon and thanks for sharing 🙂 #tastytuesdays
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Give them a try!
And thank you 🙂
Francesca says
I never tried making plantains. I think now I will. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
You’re missing out! Try them and you’ll love them 😉
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine says
Funny– I live in the tropics, where summer never ends, and yet I still BBQ so much less after September! Silly, I know. BBQ flavor is the best!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Any thing smokey!
I never go with the seasons with my food or cooking though! Soups in the summer, smoothies in the winter 😉
Sharon says
We’ve never grilled plantains. We always fry them. I’m sure this is much healthier, though.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Yes it is! (Never fry!) Grilling and baking plantains is the best!
Bailey K. says
I got sick a couple of times during my first semester in college, too, when I had never really gotten sick before. Apparently it happens a lot. You’re living in a different place, in a building with tons of people, with different germs and even different allergens from your hometown…it’s bound to happen! Your body just needs to get used to it. But I know, it still sucks!! It sounds like you’re doing everything you can to help it run its course. Have you found a community in your new city to do yoga yet? I’m hoping you’ll be able to do that, and then feel more at home. Not everyone needs college, and you just might be one of those people – but I’m glad you’re giving it a go. Continue to be courageous! Okay, enough about that…. I love plantains!! We just fried up some sweet plantains yesterday. Mmm. It brings me back to when I traveled around Puerto Rico. But I’ve never grilled plantains! I’ll have to try. 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
It does suck 🙁
My body was just to used to my clean sanctuary at home!
I’m still trucking along doing yoga in my tiny dorm room. It’s difficult, but I am making do and really enjoying my practice.
I’m not for frying anything, but grilling and baking plantains = love! I mean, you can never go wrong with plantains no matter how you cook ’em up!
Bailey K. says
Not for using a frying pan? Because that’s what I mean. I didn’t mean deep-frying or anything, haha. Just cut up ripe plantains, throw some coconut oil or even just water in a pan, and fry (sautee) them up.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Haha, yea that’s better!
Kimberly says
Yummy! I want to try this. Looks good, thanks for the recipe!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
You will love it! 🙂
Gaye @CalmHealthySexy says
Hi Rebecca – You know, getting adjusted to college is really stressful. I’m thinking that is why you’re getting sick. Take good care of yourself and let your body recover – and go to the health center if it gets bad! (Just think of me as one of your “blog moms!”) Also, I hope you are doing some things that are fun. Try to find a group you like and can socialize with/get involved with. I think that is the quickest way to begin to feel comfortable in college. Our youngest son didn’t really do that until his sophomore year (he is a junior this year), and it made such a big difference in his enjoyment of college.
Take care,
Gaye
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
It definitely is from all the changes!
I’m not really sure where my place is yet. I’m even second guessing college as a whole. My true passions lie elsewhere…like yoga and fitness.
Lynda@fitnessmomwinecountry says
We grill all year round {California weather will do that}. Plantains are great, we have added them so some recipes in the past. We are so lucky to have amazing produce all the time in our stores here, I could not imagine any other way.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Lucky warm weather living 😉 (So jealous!)
I’m so happy I started eating plantains this year! They were foreign to me for way to long! Produce is basically the bulk of my diet and what I spend the most on in the grocery! So when a store doesn’t have good produce…I am not a happy customer!
Pure Grace Farms says
We grill even when the snow has to be shoveled to make our way to it. There is nothing like a grilled meal in the middle of winter. Hope you feel better soon.
Blessings,
Shari
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Haha, so true! I think we need grilling most in the dead of winter! (Reminding us that Summer does eventually come!).
Thanks Shari! XOXO
Cassie @ Almost Getting It Together says
We grill year round… it’s too yummy not to!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Haha, my point exactly 😉
Kara Lydon, RD says
YES. Love plantains! I say grill as long as your heart desires! That and until it starts snowing 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
That’s when we breakout the George Foremans 😉
Farrah says
I love plantains! 😀 I had these almost every day while I was in the Dominican Republic and really miss em’. 😡 Thanks for sharing this! (I’m definitely gonna be grilling stuff throughout the year, but on my Foreman grill, hehe.) There’s no way I could feasibly pick between plantains and sweet potatoes, especially if you throw in the purple variety! :O
I hope you feel better soon! Glad your Functional Fitness class is going well! :]
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Plantains are just so awesome 😉 I know…its impossible to pick!
Thanks Farrah 🙂
Shashi @ runninsrilankan says
I hate to admit this but this year I haven’t grilled at all – baked yes – but no grilling! YIKES! It’s been ages since I had plantains and your post brings back memories – love your savory take – when I was a young ‘un my mom used to grill up cinnamon and sugar plantains. Hope you start feeling better soon.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
O no! Start grilling now! Its not to late 😉
I love making my sweet plantains too! Cinnamon is another favorite coating!
Thanks love 🙂
lindsay says
yes! we are for sure still grilling. add these to the list next! YUM
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Woohoo! Keep the grilling going!
Pamela Hernandez says
Love plantains! Roasted, grilled, fresh – yum!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Yes! Plantains every way 😉
Jennifer F says
I never thought to put paprika on plantains —- looks good! BTW, I grill year-round, that’s the benefit of living in Texas
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Smoked Paprika is my love!
Yay for grilling all year! Perfect!
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says
i love me some plantains!! hope you feel better soon girl!! xoxo
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Thanks love 🙂 XOXO
Jo-Lynne Shane {Musings of a Housewife} says
Girl, you’re up early! Everything alright? What time zone are you in? (Maybe you’re up late? LOL)
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
4:30am! This is my favorite time! I go to sleep at like 8pm 😛 Yes, even in college!
Jo-Lynne Shane {Musings of a Housewife} says
Girl. ME TOO. I have started waking at 4am ever since this sugar detox. I cannot sleep past it. 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I work out now! Seriously I feel my best during these early morning hours! *High Five* for earlier risers! No shame! (Our days just seem longer, right!?)