We are finishing up our Whole30 this week, and had some meals prepped for the final two days, which included a batch of my favorite IP pork carnitas. Since we're still off All The Things, we couldn't use regular tortillas yet, but I had great success with making plantain tortillas a couple weeks prior and was eager to try to improve upon it. The flavor and consistency of those were mostly good, but they were a bit dry and dense. I hoped to simply mix up a little bit more moist batter, and add some compliant baking powder to maybe add some fluffiness.

Well, best laid plans... My green plantains intended for my tortillas had turned brown in the middle, and all I had were ripe ones. What came next was messy but delicious! The "batter" is more sticky and temperamental, due to the more ripe plantain, but the sweetness from the plantains were amazing and the texture of the tortilla was stellar. Chris made a point to tell me I needed to write this recipe down, so here it is!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 yellow plantains, mid-ripe ideal, with some browning
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil, refined, melted
• 1 Egg Whites
• 1/8 tsp Whole30 compliant baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp Tapioca Flour, or more (or whatever non-gluten flour you like)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut plantains into 2-3" chunks. Boil for 5 minutes to soften and remove skins. (you can also microwave for a couple minutes, if you prefer).
2. Put all ingredients except for tapioca flour in food processor and blend. If it seems too sticky and wet, add a little tapioca flour to help bind. It should be pretty wet, but able to be molded into soggy ball/lumps with your hands (sounds SO appetizing, doesn't it?!).
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. Lay out a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and sprinkle with a little tapioca flour (you can skip this, but I felt it helped work the batter). Divide plantain mixture into four balls and place well spaced apart on the floured paper. Spread into desired shape with your fingers, wetting them with water as needed to prevent sticking. Optional: Sprinkle flour over the tops, then place a second piece of parchment paper on top. Roll/press out plantain mixture until desired size and thickness. With a couple small plantains, mine came out to about 4" across and 1/4" thick. I would try to make them a little thinner and wider next time.
5. Remove top parchment paper, if used, and place in oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip and bake another 5 minutes. Check for doneness and remove when browned.

Okay so I just finished baking up the Strawberry Coconut Breakfast Bake from Wholesomelicious (awkward name alert), and it's...okay.

Photo Credit Wholesomelicious Blog

The main issue I have is that, like many paleo recipes, they include non-compliant ingredients that are often kinda important to the outcome and then say, "Just leave it out for Whole30!" It's like giving a recipe for a grilled cheese sandwich and saying, "Just leave off the cheese! and the bread! and the butter!" Okay, this wasn't THAT bad, but, when you are making a baked good that calls for baking powder, and you flippantly add, "Just leave that out!" I am already on alert to shenanigans. Baking powder is kinda important in some baked goods, to get it to fluff up and have the proper body and texture.

But I forged ahead, because I didn't want to make any tweaks right off the bat, and just trust. Foolish? Let's see...

Ingredients: Easy to source, compliant (without the baking powder)
Preparation: Easy, Fast
Cook time: Meh. 45 minutes for a breakfast prep isn't my favorite.
Finished result: Okay, but would try again.

The finished result was an unappealing flat, wet, brownish casserole. Semi-soggy, really. I had to scoop it out with a spatula, as it wouldn't hold its form like a little square cake, as shown in the original recipe photos (see above). It needs something more to beef it up to hold its form better.

Not super appetizing. Photo credit: Me

For flavor, it works for me. I like my sweet things to not be too sweet, and this hits that spot well. If I were drinking sweetened tea with it, I think this would not be the case, but with black tea or coffee in the mornings, this pairs well. The banana in the wet ingredients along with the pop of green sweetness in the strawberries is satisfying for me. The crunch of coconut gave the otherwise overly-soft texture a little boost.

What I would do differently: Many websites recommend substituting baking soda for baking powder. I like this recipe enough to want to try it again, so will finish up this batch over the course of this week and maybe try again next week with a fresh batch.