Normally we get all the cooking advice we need from this site but every now and then we like to let a pro in the kitchen to cook us up a storm.
First up is American snowboard superstar and fingers crossed soon to be Sochi Olympian Elena Hight (who we also interview for the current issue, go buy now!). And she’s done us this awesome plantain and black bean dip recipe for a fresh take on your typical chips and dip. Wow your friends with it pronto.
//Baked plantain chips with black bean dip//
Ingredients- (use organic ingredients when possible)
Plantain chips-
2 plantains
1 tablespoon coconut oil (plus extra for greasing the pan)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt
Black bean dip-
1 can black beans- drained
½ diced sweet onion
3 garlic cloves minced
1 jalapeno minced
200g grape tomatoes halved (English people use cherry tomatoes!)
½ tablespoon coconut oil
130ml coconut milk
2 1/2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons of salt, or to taste
handful chopped fresh cilantro
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Begin by peeling the plantains and then slicing them about an 1/8th of an inch wide. Place plantains in a bowl. Melt coconut oil by putting the jar under warm water. Cover plantain slices with coconut oil, cinnamon, cumin and salt. Toss so that all the slices get evenly coated. Spread slices out on greased baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until desired crispiness is achieved. I like my plantain chips to have a little bit of a moist middle rather than super crispy like normal chips.
While the plantain chips are in the oven start the dip. Start by sautéing the garlic and onion in the coconut oil over a medium heat. Cook about 3 minutes or until browned. Stir in the jalapeno and tomatoes. Let cook for about 5 minutes before adding in beans, cumin, pepper, chilli powder and salt. Stir to combine all the ingredients in the pan. Then add in coconut milk and let cook for 3-5 more minutes stirring occasionally. Transfer dip to a bowl and use a potato masher or a fork to mash to desired consistency before adding in cilantro.
Remove plantain chips from the oven and bask quietly in your obvious awesomeness!
When not cheffing Elena likes to fly like this:
