Plantains a la "Gloria"

I probably shouldn't talk about how my husband and I ate the entire pan of these - inhaled! The other inhabitants of our home were only slightly "put out".

When I lived in Guatemala, I fell in LOVE with plantains, or platanos as we called them. It didn't matter how they were cooked...we would be walking down the street and we would catch wafts of air, full of sweet platains. Then, we would have plantains on the mind. Mmmmmm

Baked, fried, boiled, microwaved, black & moldy (which makes them super sweet), green or in between - it doesn't matter how you cook them, plantains are super versatile and delicious!

This plantain recipe is a knock off of a treat Guatemalan friends made for me while I lived there - with a couple of my own twists.

For this recipe, you will want ripe plantains. If you can't find ripe ones, you'll have to be patient. You can put them in a brown paper bag and in a cupboard for several days (or weeks) so that they can ripen.

To test for ripeness, they should be soft to touch, almost to the extent of a banana that you would throw out for being too soft - almost.

They may also be black and a little moldy on the outside - this is okay, softness is the key indicator (just depending on how they have ripened, they may get black, and they may not).

4-6 medium to large plantains

1/2 cup coconut milk

1-2 Tablespoons coconut sugar, or 100% maple syrup

Salt

Cinnamon

Ground Cardamon

Trim both ends of the plantains, then run a knife along the length of one side. Use this slice, to open and peel plantain.

Slice into slight diagonals just shy of 1/2" slices.

Place in the bottom of a baking dish.

Sprinkle with salt - think of salted caramel, the salt makes the sweet "pop".

Sprinkle with cinnamon, and ground cardamon.

Pour coconut milk over, then sprinkle with coconut sugar.

Cover with foil, and bake at 350* for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and allow to cook for an additional 10 minutes.

*Fresh pear slices can also be added to this treat

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