Summer food should feature bright, bold flavors, capitalizing on the incredible bounty of produce available this time of year. 

Summer food should not be over-thought.

It should be light, so as not to weigh you down in the heat. It should feature bright, bold flavors, capitalizing on the incredible bounty of produce available this time of year. It should be portable and picnic-friendly. And, most importantly, it should come together quickly, so that you have more time to spend enjoying it with the people you love.

This recipe fulfills all of the above. Ripe plantains get coated with an addictive yet utterly simple spice mixture of Ancho chile powder, ground cumin, salt and pepper (which, by the way, is also the contents of those stupid packets of taco meat seasoning, so go ahead and stop buying those and make your own for a lot less money instead).

When buying plantains, it's important to look for ones that look like a nearly-rotten banana. Pure yellow or green plantains will be too hard to work with. Using very ripe plantains will ensure that they are sweet enough to counterbalance the smoky spices and onion. That said, do keep an eye on them while they cook. It's fine for them to be soft, but you don't want them to turn to mush in the pan.

These are great on their own, but if you want to round them out into a fuller meal, add black beans and perhaps a crunchy slaw.