Cuban Black Beans (but with Black-Eyed Peas)

This was delicious. Between virgin coconut oil and a bit of coconut milk, the stew has a lovely nutty flavor in addition to the pungent acidic flavor of tomatoes and canned chilies. I also doubled the chilies and used black-eyed peas instead of black beans.

Cuban Beer-Infused Black Beans
Adapted from Meatless All Day (via Janet)

Ingredients
1 tbsp coconut oil, or oil of choice
1 small onion, diced
1 medium finely chopped red bell pepper (~1 cup)
2 tbsp (use 1/4 c) roasted hatch chiles (I used the canned ones from Trader Joe’s)
3 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup mild beer
3 cups cooked black beans (or 2 x 15 oz cans of black beans), rinsed and drained (I used black-eyed peas instead)
3/4 cup light coconut milk
1/2 cup water (or vegetable broth)
1 tsp nutritional yeast (if not using broth)
1/4 tsp no salt seasoning (ie, TJ’s 21-Spice Salute)
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp low-sodium tamari
salt, to taste
chopped cilantro, for garnish

Instructions
In a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Once hot, add the onions and red bell pepper. Saute until softened, around 5 minutes. Add roasted chiles, garlic and cumin and saute until the garlic is fragrant, around 1-2 minutes more. Add tomato paste and cook until slightly browned. Deglaze with the beer and simmer for a minute. Stir in the beans, coconut milk, water/broth, nutritional yeast, no salt seasoning, lime juice and tamari. Simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened and the flavours meld, around 15 minutes. Season with additional salt, if desired. Top with cilantro. Serves 4.

Spicy Black Bean Twice Cooked Potatoes

This was at the bottom of my drafts folder, marked only as "special potatoes." Now I remember why! A delicious recipe--the only thing is that I unwisely used black bean paste instead of straight-up black beans, and it was of course too salty as a result. Obviously, if you feel like doing that, cut way back on the soy sauce.

Spicy Black Bean Twice Cooked Potatoes
(from the woks of life)

Ingredients
4-5 medium Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized chunks
salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon five-spice powder
oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped
1-6 dried red chilies, chopped and de-seeded (depending on your tolerance for heat)
2 tablespoons black beans (see notes above)
1 tablespoon shaoxing or rice wine
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons water
1 cup leeks, sliced on the diagonal into thin strips

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and spread the potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Toss with salt to taste, white pepper, and five-spice powder. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for about 30 minutes, or until fork tender.
Once the potatoes are done roasting, heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a wok over medium low heat. Add the garlic, chili, and black beans.
Cook for a couple minutes, and be careful not to burn the ingredients. Add the wine, soy sauces, sesame oil, and water.
Stir everything together and add the roasted potatoes and leeks. Turn up the heat to high and stir-fry for another 2 minutes.
Serves about 4.

Braised Baby Bok Choy with Garlic and Shiitakes

Spicy Oven-Roasted Okra

At this point I'll admit that I'm a total goner for okra. How can you be so simple, so interesting, so satisfying all at once, okra??

This recipe for spicy oven-roasted okra couldn't be easier, and it's so good. Both times I've made it, I've ended up eating all of it as soon as it's out of the oven. I used cornmeal rather than millet flour, cut back the salt, but not too much else was changed.

Also want: fried okra with black lentils and spices.

Spicy Oven-Roasted Okra
(from the fitchen)

Ingredients
1/2 lb okra (stems removed and sliced into halves)
1 jalapenos (sliced thinly)
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. chipotle pepper (I used smoked paprika)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 TB cornmeal

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450º.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Wash and prepare okra and jalapenos as directed above.
4. In a large bowl combine chili powder, chipotle pepper, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and cornmeal.
5. Add okra and jalapenos and toss until coated with seasoning.
6. Place on parchment lined pan and bake for 17-20 minutes.

Chana Saag with Collards

Yum! Usually subbing collards for something else is disastrous, due to the bitter cabbagey flavor. But here it was magical--I think the spices and the creaminess stand up to the flavor of the collards so that it's not overpowering at all. This was rich and interesting and delicious, and healthy to boot.

Chana Saag with Collard Greens
(from soy division)

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 TBSP garam masala
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon chill powder
6 oz chopped collards without stems (or kale, or spinach)
¾ cup vegetable broth
1 cup unsweetened soymilk
¼ cup raw cashews
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas
1 cup green peas
pepper to taste

Instructions
Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat.
Add onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, 4-5 minutes, adding water by the tablespoon if needed to prevent sticking. Add the garlic, ginger, and cumin and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining spices and cook for another minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
Reduce heat to medium. Stir in greens and vegetable broth.
Cover and cook until the greens are bright green and tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the greens are cooking, put the milk, cashews and tomato paste in the blender and puree until smooth. When the greens are cooked, add it to the blender and blend until smooth.
Transfer blended mixture back to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Check seasonings and add more to taste. Stir in chickpeas and peas and continue simmering about 10 minutes.
Season to taste. Serves 4-6.

Rou Jia Mo - Chinese "Burger"

This recipe for me didn't seem much like a burger, but it was delicious. Tofu pan-fried, then simmered for a long time in an aromatic, salty broth.

Rou Jia Mo - Chinese Burger
(from Zsu's Vegan Pantry)

Ingredients
¼ cup unflavored coconut oil
1 (14 to 16 ounce) firm tofu, pressed 30 minutes, cut into ½-inch slices
1 medium onion, chopped
4 whole cloves
2 small red chilies (or more)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 anise pod
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, grated
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons fermented black bean garlic sauce
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon brown sugar, divided
1 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice seasoning
to serve:
pickled veggies (I used these)
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
bread

Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the tofu slices until golden brown and crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
2. Add the onion, clove, chilies, cinnamon, anise and coriander to the oil in the skillet. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the ginger and cook for another minute. Transfer to a large pot (with all the oil) and stir in the broth, black bean sauce, tamari, 1 tablespoon sugar and 5-spice. Stir well and add the tofu. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.