Black Bean and Poblano Chile Torta

 

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Author: Jason Wyrick

Yield: 2 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 1 poblano chile

Roasted Garlic Aioli:

• 10 cloves roasted garlic
• ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
• Juice of 2 limes
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Indian black salt, optional, for garnishing

Filling and Toppings:

• 2½ cups meatless strips or 3 cups chopped oyster mushrooms or 2 cups quartered cremini mushrooms
• ½ cup water
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons guajillo chile powder
• ¾ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar or distilled white vinegar
• ¾ cup refried black beans
• ½ cup shredded vegan cheese, optional

Bread:

• 2 bolillo or telera rolls, halved (see note)

Instructions

1. Pan-roast the poblano, seed it, cut it into ½-inch thick strips, and set aside. While the poblano is pan-roasting, make the aioli. Purée the garlic, mayonnaise, lime juice, and salt in a blender or food processor and set aside.
2. In a small pot over medium heat, simmer the meatless strips or mushrooms in the water, garlic, chile powder, oregano, salt, and vinegar for 10 minutes. If you need to add a splash of water to keep the sauce hydrated, do so. Ultimately, the sauce should cook down so it coats the filling. Pull out a small amount of bread from the center of each half of the rolls, creating shallow boats in which the filling and toppings can sit. Toast the bread in a toaster, in the oven, or in a buttered skillet. Spread the filling on the bottom halves of bread and top with the poblano strips. Spread the black beans and then the aioli on the top portions of bread and sprinkle it with the Indian black salt. (Don’t close the sandwich, because the Indian black salt makes a nice presentation.) For a more decadent version of this sandwich, sprinkle the cheese on top of the filling and toast the bottom part of the sandwich until the cheese melts.

Notes

Note: If you can’t find bolillo or telera rolls, you can use ciabatta rolls or small baguettes instead.

Recipe from [i]Vegan Mexico[/i], copyright © 2016 by Jason Wyrick. Used by permission Vegan Heritage Press.

3.5.3226

The post Vegan Black Bean and Poblano Chile Torta appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Northern Mexico Chimichangas

 

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Author: Jason Wyrick

Yield: 4 chimichangas

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon corn oil, plus more for frying
• 1 cactus paddle or large zucchini, trimmed and cut into ¾-inch dice
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup shredded seitan or 1 large portobello mushroom, cut into ¼-inch dice
• ¼ cup adobo sauce from 1 (7-ounce) can chipotles in adobo
• 4 burrito-size flour tortillas
• 1 cup refried beans
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• Salsa of your choice

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the cactus paddle or zucchini and salt to the skillet, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Set aside. Toss the seitan or portobello in the adobo and set aside. Add enough oil to a deep fryer or Dutch oven to cover a burrito by 1 to 2 inches and bring it to 375°F.
2. Along the left side of a tortilla, spread ¼ cup of the Refried Beans, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on both the bottom and top of the tortilla. Place ¼ cup of the seitan or portobello on top of the beans, followed by 2 to 3 tablespoons of cactus. Roll the tortilla closed about halfway. Fold the top and bottom of the tortilla inward, then tightly roll the rest of the tortilla closed, tucking the top and bottom folds into the tortilla as you roll it, making a burrito. Repeat this with the remainder of the filling and tortillas.
3. Working one at a time, add a burrito to the hot oil, holding it closed with tongs, and fry it for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a paper towel to drain. Repeat with the remaining burritos. Serve with shredded lettuce and your favorite salsa.

Notes

From Vegan Mexico, copyright © 2016 by Jason Wyrick. Used by permission Vegan Heritage Press.

3.5.3226

The post Northern Mexico Chimichangas appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Just as he did with his first book Vegan Tacos, Jason spent a lot of time researching Vegan Mexico. He begins the book with a bit about the history of Mexican food, explaining the basic foods that can found in each region of the country, and what their influences are. Did you know that most of the cuisine in the Veracruz area of Mexico has a Spanish influence, whereas dishes in Baja are designed to cater to American and Japanese tourists? I found it pretty interesting to learn that most of the food in Mexico was plant-based until the Spanish brought animal foods with them in the early 1500s. They also spices, citrus fruits, onions, and garlic with them.

Jason also spends some time explaining the different ingredients that are used in Mexican cooking, so if you don’t know the difference between a poblano chile and a Serrano chile, you’ll learn. He also has a list of kitchen equipment that’s handy to have when cooking Mexican food. I can vouch for my tortilla press – it’s inexpensive and I’ve made the most amazing homemade tortillas with it, using Jason’s recipe, of course!

The recipes in Vegan Mexico start with Corn, Beans, Rice, and Chiles, where you’ll learn the basics of cooking with these integral ingredients. Jason explains how to dry chiles, as well as how to roast and fry them. The next chapter is full of salsas and dips, which accompany many of the book’s dishes.

The food in Vegan Mexico includes street food, tacos (of course!), sandwiches, enchiladas, tamales, salads, soups, main dishes, grilled fare, snacks, breads, drinks, and sweets. If you don’t know the difference between a chalupa, a gordita, and a chimichanga, don’t worry – Jason will explain what they are. There’s also a glossary that includes some of the Spanish terms that are used throughout the book.

When Vegan Mexico arrived, I sat down with it and marked off what I wanted to make. I found myself marking off most of the recipes in the book! I decided to start with Green Rice, since green is my favorite color. This dish was extremely flavorful, and it was the perfect accompaniment to many of the other dishes I made. The recipe makes a big batch, but it kept well in the fridge, and we ate it with our meals throughout the week.

Next up were the Tostadas with Hearts of Palm Ceviche, which came together in a flash. These were a refreshing change from the usual tacos on a Tuesday. (I think #TostadaTuesday should be a thing!) Served with Mexican Street Corn, it was the perfect meal. I don’t know how I’m ever going to be able to go back to eating plain corn on the cob after slathering it with the easy-to-make dressing in Jason’s recipe!

Before Vegan Mexico, I didn’t know that chimichangas are basically deep-fried burritos. I made Northern Mexican Chimichangas using mushrooms and zucchini and I dry fried them, rather than frying them in oil, so I guess they were somewhere between a chimichanga and a burrito. I also didn’t know that a torta is a sandwich – for some reason I thought it was a dessert. The Fried Shredded Seitan Sandwich was incredibly delicious. I opted to bake the bread rather than fry it for this dish, but I don’t the flavor was compromised at all.

There are several breakfast recipes in Vegan Mexico, and I was anxious to try some of them. I have no idea how to pronounce chilaquiles, but I do know that the breakfast version is delicious! It consists of tortilla chips smothered in salsa, and topped with tofu scramble and beans. Tofu and Tortillas in Red Salsa, or tofu rancheras, is a similar dish, and equally as tasty.

The recipes in Vegan Mexico are versatile. You can make your own tortillas, or you can use store-bought. You can make one of Jason’s salsas, or you can use your favorite jarred salsa. If you’re into DIY, you can even make your own chili powder, or you use your favorite store-bought variety. I went the lazy person’s route, and I used store-bought for most things, so all of the dishes that I made came together very quickly. Jason also includes options, so if you can’t find cactus paddles, you can use zucchini. If you’re gluten-intolerant, you can use portobellos instead of seitan. Some of the fried recipes I made also had options for baking, for those worried about oil.

Vegan Mexico is the perfect book for anyone who wants to cook authentic Mexican food at home!

Review reprinted with permission from Dianne’s Vegan Kitchen.

We have a copy of Vegan Mexico for one lucky winner. Follow the instructions below to enter. U.S. residents only, please. Contest ends at midnight on December 4th. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Tostadas with Hearts of Palm Ceviche from Vegan Mexico appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Guys, I am so excited to be today’s stop on the blog tour for Jason Wyrick’s new book: Vegan Mexico! The book is packed with deliciousness based on Jason’s family’s traditional Mexican recipes. This tomato black bean soup from the book was super easy to make, and I’ll walk you through the process and share the recipe below.

More hearty soup recipes: Dairy Free Cream of Broccoli Soup, Sunny Split Pea Soup

This recipe is a pureed black bean soup, so it’s thick and hearty. It took me less than 30 minutes to make. I topped mine with air fried poblano chile rings and chopped avocado, but you can also throw on some tortilla chips and vegan sour cream, if that’s your jam. The recipe for the air fried chiles are below too, don’t worry!

Jason’s book is seriously gorgeous. If you’ve been wanting to try out authentic, Mexican cooking, I can’t recommend it enough. His instructions are clear and easy-to-follow, and most of the recipes in the book don’t have an overwhelmingly long list of ingredients.

If you want to try out some other recipes from Vegan Mexico, check out these other blog tour stops (some are coming up later this week, and I’ll add the links to the recipe posts as they go up):

• Tostadas with Hearts of Palm Ceviche at Fried Dandelions
• Black Bean and Poblano Chile Torta at VNutrition
• Plantain Chips with Orange Aioli at Robin Robertson’s Global Vegan Kitchen
• Green Rice at Dianne’s Vegan Kitchen
• Caldo of Sweet Potato and Chard at Zsu’s Vegan Pantry

But back to this tomato black bean soup. Seriously, this recipe couldn’t be easier. Here are my tips on how to make this soup with as little waiting as possible:

• If you’re using the fried chile strips, get those coated and into the air fryer before you start everything else. Don’t turn on the air fryer yet.
• Chop the tomato and chile, and set it on the stove to boil. Start the air fryer, if you couldn’t fit all of the chile rings in at once.
• While they cook, get the onion and garlic into the blender, so it will be ready when the tomato mixture is done. Also drain your black beans.
• Instead of pureeing the beans in advance, puree them with the vegetable broth and salt while you saute the tomato-chile-onion-garlic mixture. If you need to do a second batch of air fried poblano rings, get them breaded and cooking now.

Ready to get cooking? Let’s make some quick-and-delicious soup!

Tomato Black Bean Soup

 

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This soup, named after the Tarascos people of Michoacán, is a soulful blend of black beans, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and chiles. Like many of the best Mexican soups, it’s comfort food that can easily be upgraded with a variety of garnishes. If you want to kick up the heat, add a small handful of chiles de árbol to the mix.

Author: Jason Wyrick

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 ancho chile, stemmed and seeded
• 1½ cups water
• 3 cloves garlic
• ½ medium white onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 to 2 tablespoons corn oil
• 4 cups cooked black beans, puréed
• 2½ cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon salt

Garnishes

• Fried ancho chile strips
• Tortilla chips or strips
• Chopped ripe Hass avocado
• Vegan sour cream, whipped vigorously

Instructions

1. In a 3-quart pot, combine the tomatoes, ancho, and water and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Transfer the tomatoes, ancho, and water to a blender and wipe out the pot. Add the garlic and onion the blender and purée until smooth. (Press the purée through a strainer if you want it completely smooth.)
2. Add the oil to the pot and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the purée and cook for about 5 minutes, slowly stirring. Reduce the heat to medium and add the puréed beans, vegetable broth, and salt. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes. Add liquid if necessary to ensure the soup is creamy but not incredibly thick. Serve with any or all of the garnishes.

Notes

From Vegan Mexico, copyright © 2016 by Jason Wyrick. Used by permission Vegan Heritage Press.

3.5.3226

Crispy Air Fried Poblano Pepper Rings

 

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Author: Becky Striepe

Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients

• ½ cup panko, divided
• ½ teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 poblano chile, cut into ½″ rings
• ½ cup white or garbanzo bean aquafaba (I haven’t tried with other bean liquids, but it should work just fine.)

Instructions

1. Toss together the ¼ cup of the panko and ¼ teaspoon of the salt in a shallow bowl. Do the same with the rest of the panko and salt in another bowl, and set this one aside.
2. Pour the aquafaba into its own shallow bowl.
3. Dredge the chile slices in the aquafaba and then in the panko, getting a nice, even coating.The panko sticks really well to the rings at first, but after you’ve dredged about half of the chile, it starts to clump and not be great at sticking. When this happens, just swap in that second bowl of panko mixture. Arrange the slices in a single layer in your air fryer basket. The single layer is important. No overlapping, please! I had to do two batches for one large poblano.
4. Air fry for 8-10 minutes (Do not preheat.) at 390F, shaking well after 5 minutes. You want the panko browned and the chiles softened. If you do this in two rounds, round two will cook more quickly, since your air fryer is already hot. Cook round 2 and any subsequent rounds for 6-8 minutes.
5. Serve immediately.

Notes

The time variations depend on the size of your chiles, how thick your panko coating is, and (for rounds 2+) on how much the air fryer cools while you’re breading the next batch.

3.5.3226

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