New View of Peanuts
Peanuts have been a cocktail or bar snack for decades, and are often referred to as almost a joke, as in “that’s worth peanuts.” Turned into a smooth sandwich spread, peanuts have long been a school-lunch panacea for fussy kids. But for ages, health- and diet-conscious adults have avoided peanuts because of their high-fat content.
Fortunately, we have since learned that peanuts contain many health benefits. They contain healthful monounsaturated fat, which does not raise cholesterol levels, as well as a health-protective phytochemical called resveratrol, which helps protect us against serious chronic health problems like cancer and heart disease. Finally, peanuts are beginning to get respect.
Eating peanuts as a snack is easy, but stopping at the recommended handful (an ounce to one and one-half ounces) is challenging for most of us. One way of avoiding mindless snacking on peanuts is to use them as a garnish a sprinkling of chopped peanuts on salads, for example or using them as one more ingredient to add to stir-fries.
Cooking with peanuts is another easy way to enjoy them without overdoing the quantity. In Asian cooking, a peanut-based sauce is frequently used for noodles or entrées. You can expand your culinary peanut repertoire with the following African dish. Peanut butter enhances the flavor of its spicy tomato sauce and adds creamy texture. African dishes have lots of heat, but feel free to modify or even omit the chile pepper.
Mark Twain called cauliflower “cabbage with a college education.” How, I wonder, would he compare a plantain to a banana? For me, there is no contest between these botanical cousins. Most bananas sold in the U.S. taste as exciting as industrially grown tomatoes, while the plantain has many personalities and uses.
Although clearly a fruit, this staple of the southern hemisphere is called banane-légume in the French Caribbean. Mostly eaten as either a vegetable or starch, it is always cooked. Unlike regular bananas, plantains are always cooked before eaten. But plantains are good to eat at every stage, starting when they are green and their hard, white flesh is bland and starchy, like a potato. As they ripen, turning yellow, so that some people call them amarillos or “yellow ones,” their flesh turns a lovely peachy color and their flavor gains some sweetness. Finally, at their ripest, when their skin is black and their flesh deep orange-yellow, plantains taste mainly sweet, but still with a pleasant tartness. At every stage, their flesh is firm, and it is nearly impossible to overcook a plantain.
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Plantains are higher in calories than bananas, but plantains are far richer in potassium, containing 716 mg per cup of sliced plantain versus 134 mg for bananas, according to the USDA. And they contain a whopping 1400 IU vitamin A per cup vs. 122 IU for bananas. Around the world, plantains are eaten in many ways. Tostones, fried sliced plantains, are a Hispanic favorite.
Elsewhere, and depending on the country, plantains are also boiled, baked, simmered in a spicy sauce, or added to stews, including this tropical one made with pork, curry powder and coconut milk.
Peeling plantains is the only challenge when using them. Tough and thick, their skin does not zip off like a banana’s. To remove it, cut off both ends, then slit the plantain’s skin lengthwise in several places and pull it off with your fingers. Halving the fruit crosswise makes prying it off easier, even for ripe ones, when the skin is thinner and less fibrous.
Pork and Plantain Stew
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. mild or hot curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb. boneless pork loin, cut in 3/4 inch cubes
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, diced small (or minced)
1 large garlic clove, chopped, minced
1 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained, or 1 fresh, seeded and chopped
1 very ripe plantain or 2 large unripe bananas, chopped
1/2 cup reduced-fat coconut milk
2 cups cooked brown rice
Place the flour, curry powder and salt in a paper bag, and mix to combine. Add the pork, close the bag and shake to coat the meat. Remove and set coated meat aside.
Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, bell and jalapeño peppers, and garlic until the onion is translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add the floured meat, pushing aside the vegetables to sear the cubes until they are white on all sides, using
tongs to turn them, for about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes. Pour in 1 cup water. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Add the plantains and cook, covered, until meat is tender, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Stir in the coconut milk. Serve over the rice, accompanied by steamed collard greens.
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 374 calories, 11 g. total fat (3 g. saturated fat), 50 g. carbohydrate, 21 g. protein, 6 g. dietary fiber, 428 mg. sodium. |
African Chicken Stew
1 lb. skinless and boneless chicken breast, cut in
2-inch pieces
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth, or water
Canola oil spray
1 Spanish onion, half sliced, half finely chopped
1 can (28 oz.) tomatoes, with juices
1 habanero chile pepper, chopped
1/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup reduced-fat peanut butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the chicken in a 1-quart resealable plastic bag. Combine the garlic, ginger, oregano, and broth in a small bowl. Add the seasoning mixture to the bag and massage it to coat the chicken with the seasonings. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours to overnight.
Coat a large Dutch oven with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken pieces until they are white on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a plate and set aside.
Coat the pot again with cooking spray. Sauté the sliced onion until limp, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes with half their liquid, the chile pepper and ketchup. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer the sauce 10 minutes, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Blend the peanut butter in the remaining tomato juice until smooth. Add it to the pot. Return the chicken to the pot. Simmer until the chicken is white in the center, about 15 minutes. Serve, accompanied by cooked brown rice.
Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 341 calories, 11 g. total fat (2 g. saturated fat), 25 g. carbohydrate, 33 g. protein, 5 g. dietary fiber, 563 mg. sodium.
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