This is another recipe my husband asks for on a regular basis.  The plantain chips give you that crispness you’re looking for when it comes to nachos that you’d be missing from regular chips.  You prepare the ground beef like you would a chili, but it definitely takes less time.

This is another recipe from Well Fed 2 that has stuck around in the meals I make regularly.

Nachos with Plantain Chips

Ingredients:

• 2 GREEN plantains
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• 1/2 medium onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• any toppings you want (as you can see, I used salsa, a little bit of shredded cheese and also put the whole thing on top of mixed greens which wilted nicely under the hot meat)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cover two large baking sheets with parchment paper.  Brush with melted coconut oil.
• Cut off both ends of the plantain, then slice down the sides with a small knife into the outside, but not into the plantain on the inside.  Strip the green peel from the plantain to expose the yellow inside.  If you’ve never worked with plantains before, they smell a lot like bananas.  You can either use a mandolin on it’s thinnest setting and slice the plantains.  Place the circles onto the baking sheets with parchment paper and brush with melted coconut oil.  You can be creative here- make little flower shapes, etc. but they tend to come apart anyway.  Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes until they’re beginning to brown.  Once finished, set aside and sprinkle with salt as desired.
• Meanwhile, heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until translucent and soft, about 10 minutes.  Add the spices and stir until fragrant.  Add the ground beef into the pan and cook until no longer pink.  Push the mixture to the side of the pan and add the tomato paste, cooking until it darkens slightly.  Add the chicken broth and vinegar to the pan and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until the liquid has reduced and the whole mixture has thickened.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Create a plate, add your favorite toppings and enjoy!