Baked Plantain Chips with Spicy Mango Papaya Sauce

Baked Plantain Chips with Spicy Mango Papaya Sauce

Since I have a sweet tooth the size of Texas, I'm always looking for healthy desserts, and sometimes fresh fruit doesn't always do the trick.  But, sometimes making just a little something extra, just that little bit to push it over the edge can ruin a whole day of good calories.

Plantain chips are a traditional Latin American side dish and/or dessert and are usually fried and served with a sweet sour cream sauce.  Today, I lightened it up by baking them in the oven with just a bit of cooking spray and made a DELICIOUS spicy mango and papaya dipping sauce with agave nectar and cayenne pepper. 

These little treats really hit the spot, but they lasted about 2 minutes between baby Bodhi, the hubby and me so doubled the recipe for you when you're making them at home.

A tip for the Plantains:  They always LOOK ripe in the store, like big, browning bananas, but Plantains are best and ripest when they're completely BLACK.  They're much easier to peel, and the fruit inside will still be firm and sweet.

Baked Plantain Chips with Spicy Mango Papaya Sauce 

Prep Time: 10 minutes / Cook Time: 20 minutes / Servings: 4

Baked Plantain Chips

Ingredients:

• 1 strawberry papaya, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 mango, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 4 tbsp. agave nectar
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 4 ripe plantains
• pinch of salt
• cooking spray

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a blender or food processor, combine the mango, papaya, agave nectar and cayenne pepper.  Blend on high speed until smooth.  Transfer to a serving bowl and set aside.
3. Peel the plantains and slice them thinly on a bias, creating 1/2" thick chips.
4. Arrange them on a cookie sheet that's been sprayed with cooking spray.  Spray the chips again on top, sprinkle with salt and place them in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  Flip them over with a spatula and cook for another 10 minutes, until golden brown on the edges.  Remove from the heat and allow them to cool for 5 minutes before serving.