plantain chips

After 2 years of Spanish in Jr. High, three years in high school, and two semesters in college I can say this with certainty: verde means green. Therefore, that means salsa verde is green salsa. Mind-blowing things revealed on my blog today, I know. DIY Wednesday: Roasted Salsa Verde | Life Healthfully Lived

In my brain I understood that salsa verde had to be made with some kind of green vegetable but I never really thought about it. I just ate my regular salsa and left my green dip needs to guacamole. Then I saw a sale on tomatillos at my grocery store, bought a few on a whim, and then headed home to figure out what to do with them. After a little research AKA Google search, I realized tomatillos are what make salsa verde, well, verde.

I also found out that roasting them was common and helped bring out their flavor. Since I am the Queen of roasting any and everything, I roasted them up, blended them up, and then ate them up.

That’s how simple this recipe is. If you’ve never worked with or had tomatillos before, don’t be intimidated. They come in a papery husk and kind of look like a giant green berry. Like this: DIY Wednesday: Salsa Verde | Life Healthfully Lived

All you have to do is peel away the husk, like this: DIY Wednesday: Roasted Salsa Verde | Life Healthfully Lived

Rinse it off and you’re good to go! I kept this really simple but you could add other things like jalapeno peppers if you want a kick, roasted apples if you want a little bit of sweet, or stir a little salsa verde into your guac for a delicious twist.

Roasted Salsa Verde:

3 to 4 medium-sized tomatillos
1 small onion, about 1/2 a cup cut into quarters
3 to 4 whole cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Peel the husk off the tomatillos and rinse with cool water. Dry completely.
Place the tomatillos, quartered onion, and garlic cloves into a large bowl. Drizzle a little olive oil and toss until everything is coated. Sprinkle with salt and pour everything out onto the baking sheet.
Roast everything for about 15 to 20 minutes until the tomatillos are a little brown around the edges and soft. It’s ok if they explode a little while roasting.
Remove from the oven and let everything cool for about 10 minutes. Then, pour the whole pan into a blender, add the chili powder and blend. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

This salsa is awesome on tacos, with homemade tortilla chips, and even as a dip for plantain chips! DIY Wednesday: Roasted Salsa Verde | Life Healthfully Lived

Snack foods are one of the biggest things that people buy in the store rather than make themselves. It is just so easy to buy those prepackaged and prepared foods to grab and go rather than create a snack for yourself.

I’m not going to completely knock bought snacks, there are a few healthy options out there. But for the most part, they are full of sugar and other ingredients that have no need to be in food or your body.

That leaves us with making our own snacks and often people default to cut up fruit and vegetables, especially if they are trying to be healthier with their choices. While fruit and vegetables are a great snack option, they can get a little boring after awhile. Boredom with food can lead to unnecessary snacking or choosing something not quite as healthy.

So what do you do? You leave it to me! Well, don’t leave it to me to actually make your snacks because there is no way I could get snacks to you personally every day even if I wanted to. No, leave it to me to come up with some tasty snacks that you can make on your own and will fuel you through your day.

Plantains chips are kind of a trendy food/snack right now. Plantains have been around for a very long time and are usually grown in warmer climates like South America. They are part of the banana family and actually look like bananas, but they are much starchier. Which makes them amazing for baking and making things like chips.

These plantain chips are really easy to make and you can make a big batch to snack on throughout the week. You also probably have all the ingredients other than the plantain in your kitchen right now. Just one big note: Make sure you get a greener plantain rather than a yellow or yellow/brown plantain. The yellow variety is sweeter and while tasty, it won’t make the nice crispy savory chip that the green variety will.

Plantain Chips

1 to 2 large green plantains, peeled
half a lime
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt, divided
olive oil

Slice the plantains very thinly. The thinner the slice, the crispier the chip!
Place the plantain slices in a large bowl and squeeze the lime juice over them. Sprinkle with the chili powder and 1/2 tsp of salt and then toss to coat them
Place a paper towel onto a large plate and set aside. Heat a little olive oil in a medium cast-iron or non-stick skillet and once the oil is hot layer the plantain chips in an even layer with plenty of room. You may have to work in batches.
Cook the chips until the bottom is golden brown and then flip over. Watch carefully so you don’t burn the chips. Once they are cooked move them to the plate. Take another paper towel and blot the top of the chips and while they are still hot sprinkle with the rest of the salt.

Simple and crispy chips that are a fun twist on regular chips but will still satisfy your snack craving! You can keep these in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days, if they last that long!