Paleo Empanadas

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Since going Paleo/Primal there have been only three grain foods that I miss: empanadas, soft pretzels, and churros. These Paleo empanadas crossed one out of my list, now I have to work on the other two.

Made with  green plantains, lard, cumin and other spices, these Paleo empanadas taste very similar to the corn flour ones I grew up with. You can fill them with cheese, vegetables or any kind of meat you want. I used the Cuban Picadillo recipe I posted yesterday

Ingredients:

4 green plantains
5 eggs
5 tbsp of lard, coconut oil of preferred cooking fat, plus more for coating the plantains
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of garlic powder
Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
• Peel the plantains, the easiest way to this is to cut the ends, cut the plantain in half, cut a slit lengthwise and remove the peel.
• Cut the plantains into 1 inch rounds.
• Bake for about 15 minutes or until tender.
• Wait for the plantains to cool down, transfer to a food processor and grind the plantains until they become fine crumbs.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until a dough is formed. Make sure the plantains aren’t too hot or the egg will cook.
• Roll the though into 1 ½ to 2 inch balls
• Place over a piece of parchment paper, cover with another piece of parchment paper and using your hands or a rolling-pin flatten them into a 1/8 inch thick tortillas.
• Place a small amount of filling in the middle of the tortilla.
• Using the parchment paper, fold the tortilla in half.
• Press the sides of the empanadas with your fingers to secure the filling inside
• Place empanadas in a cookie sheet and bake at 425 F for about 20 minutes on each side or until golden brown
• Serve as is or with fresh salsa, guacamole or chimichurri

Paleo Empanadas

Recipe Type: Paleo Appetizer

Author: Edible Harmony

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 55 mins

Total time: 1 hour 15 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4 plantains
• 5 eggs
• 5 tbsp of lard, coconut oil of preferred cooking fat, plus more for coating the plantains
• 1 tsp of cumin
• 1 tsp of garlic powder
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Peel the plantains, the easiest way to this is to cut the ends, cut the plantain in half, cut a slit lengthwise and remove the peel.
3. Cut the plantains into 1 inch rounds.
4. Bake for about 15 minutes or until tender.
5. Wait for the plantains to cool down, transfer to a food processor and grind the plantains until they become fine crumbs.
6. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until a dough is formed. Make sure the plantains aren’t too hot or the egg will cook.
7. Roll the though into 1 ½ to 2 inch balls
8. Place over a piece of parchment paper, cover with another piece of parchment paper and using your hands or a rolling-pin flatten them into a 1/8 inch thick tortillas.
9. Place a small amount of filling in the middle of the tortilla.
10. Using the parchment paper, fold the tortilla in half.
11. Press the sides of the empanadas with your fingers to secure the filling inside
12. Place empanadas in a cookie sheet and bake at 425 F for about 20 minutes on each side or until golden brown
13. Serve as is or with fresh salsa, guacamole or chimichurri

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