Baked Tostones
For those of you who are new here, I used to be vegan for 2 years back in high school. I fell off the wagon when I met my husband and I indulged in way too much food (ha! New love will do it to ya!) I hopped back on the wagon in college and then got pregnant. With pregnancy comes cravings...enough said!
Being vegan gave me so much energy and I have never felt better than when I was vegan. Was it hard? Yes. But, it was so rewarding. Fast forward to this past year, I was so sick with multiple endocrine issues and with that came extreme fatigue, weight gain and the list goes on and on. I was desperate and longing for that energy I had when I was vegan. So, I decided to give it a shot again. I told myself I’d give it six weeks and see how I feel. Well, I wasn’t in the right mind set, and did NOT want to give up my favorite foods. I still ate a healthy, whole food, low sugar, low fat diet. I gained FOURTEEN pounds in 3 weeks. Blah. This was around the same time that lent was rolling around, so I decided to do a spiritual fast. I know I just needed to give it to God and make the sacrifice. With that being said, I went vegan again on Ash Wednesday and with His help I have been successful this far. I feel wonderful, healthy, energetic, and I’m loving my food! My goal is to be a better version of myself for God, my family, and myself. I want to be a healthy and pure vessel for Christ. I’m not sure how long I will continue this way of eating, but one thing is for sure: it is a great cleanse for my body!
Being vegan gave me so much energy and I have never felt better than when I was vegan. Was it hard? Yes. But, it was so rewarding. Fast forward to this past year, I was so sick with multiple endocrine issues and with that came extreme fatigue, weight gain and the list goes on and on. I was desperate and longing for that energy I had when I was vegan. So, I decided to give it a shot again. I told myself I’d give it six weeks and see how I feel. Well, I wasn’t in the right mind set, and did NOT want to give up my favorite foods. I still ate a healthy, whole food, low sugar, low fat diet. I gained FOURTEEN pounds in 3 weeks. Blah. This was around the same time that lent was rolling around, so I decided to do a spiritual fast. I know I just needed to give it to God and make the sacrifice. With that being said, I went vegan again on Ash Wednesday and with His help I have been successful this far. I feel wonderful, healthy, energetic, and I’m loving my food! My goal is to be a better version of myself for God, my family, and myself. I want to be a healthy and pure vessel for Christ. I’m not sure how long I will continue this way of eating, but one thing is for sure: it is a great cleanse for my body!
Everyone always wonders what I eat on a vegan diet, and how boring it must be. The truth is, it’s not boring at all! Being vegan has inspired me to get creative in the kitchen. I enjoy making yummy recipes that are whole foods and plant based. I figured I’d take you all on my journey and share my recipes that I come up with.
Tonight we had a cuban inspired meal. Below is the recipe for our side dish, Baked Tostones. Tostones are made from plantains that are not ripe yet. Green plantains are starchy and taste a lot like a potato. Whereas ripe plantains taste more like a banana, sweet and savory. Like I mentioned before, my goal is to lose weight and stay healthy. So on my vegan journey, I am not cooking with any added fats, I am only eating natural occurring fats in their natural state- even then I am limiting while trying to lose weight. Of course, everything taste better when it’s fried, but weight loss is the goal here. These baked Tostones did not disappoint!
Ingredients:
Tonight we had a cuban inspired meal. Below is the recipe for our side dish, Baked Tostones. Tostones are made from plantains that are not ripe yet. Green plantains are starchy and taste a lot like a potato. Whereas ripe plantains taste more like a banana, sweet and savory. Like I mentioned before, my goal is to lose weight and stay healthy. So on my vegan journey, I am not cooking with any added fats, I am only eating natural occurring fats in their natural state- even then I am limiting while trying to lose weight. Of course, everything taste better when it’s fried, but weight loss is the goal here. These baked Tostones did not disappoint!
Ingredients:
- 2 green plantains
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Chop ends off of plantains and slice the peeling lengthwise.
- With the peelings still on, microwave both plantains for 5-6 minutes. The plantains should be soft and the skin will turn mostly black.
- While microwaving, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove skin carefully and dice into 1” pieces.
- While still hot, place chunks on sheet and mash down into flat “cakes”. I do this using the bottom of a glass cup.
- Sprinkle with salt.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes. Flipping halfway through. Bake until golden.
