Baked Plaintain Fritters

Plaintains look like a larger version of bananas except they have a thick skin and have a high starch content similar to potatoes and cannot be eaten as-is.They are a cooking banana.Plaintains are usually boiled, mashed,added to stews, deep fried, or dehydrated.A staple of Eastern & Central Africa,parts of Asia, and Latin America,plaintains are usually prepared in these countries in numerous ways.In Latin America, they are cut into slices and fried in oil and eaten as banana chips,platano frito or are boiled and mashed and served as a side dish like mashed potatoes.In West Africa, they are used in the dish fufu, boiled plaintain porridge.

Plaintains are usually available in most supermarkets but your best bet are Latin grocers where they also go by the name platanos.Unripe plaintains are green and usually take up to 1 1/2 weeks to become ripe.You should purchase either the yellow or black which are ready for cooking.One cup of plaintains is a good source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

Yield:4 Servings
Ingredients:4 Moo-shu Roll Wrappers
2 plantains, ripe

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Peel the plantains and put them in a bowl and mash them.Put equal amounts of plantain puree in the middle of the moo-shu wrapper.Wrap the ends inward and roll the sides just like a burrito.Repeat with the remaining three.
3.Put the banana fritters in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.Remove from oven and let cool slightly then serve.

Cashew Apple Smoothie

There is nothing more odd looking than the cashew apple aka cashew fruit.It's a smaller and thinner version of an apple , with the color varying from yellow to dark orange with a cashew nut sprouting at the top end. Cashew apples are native to Brazil and are cultivated along Brazil's Northeast coast.The Spanish name for cashew apple is maranon, which presumably derives its name from the Brazilian city of Maranhao.

Cashew apples are very hard to come here in the USA because of their perishability, but I was lucky enough to find some in a Latin supermarket,albeit frozen.But not bad considering I got 4 for $2.10. Cashew fruit is usually enjoyed fresh but throughout Central and South America is used in fruit juice mixes, smoothie blends,ice cream, and preserves.In Brazil, it is reduced to a sweet syrup called "honey cashew".Below is a traditional smoothie (liquado) recipe using this exotic fruit that is enjoyed throughout Latin America.

Yield:1 large serving

Ingredients:

1 cashew fruit, thawed, ends removed, chopped into pieces

1c low-fat milk

1 medium banana, sliced

1/2tsp. vanilla extract

crushed ice

1.Put all ingredients in a blender and process till smooth.Enjoy immediately.