What Vegans Eat

OK, so it's two "What Vegans Eat" posts in a month. What can I say? I have food on the brain and food bloggers I follow have been cooking like mad. I can't help but share some of the things that caught my attention:

Krista over at Disposable Aardvarks Inc. has been posting more photos of the bento meals she prepares for her family, sharing logs of what she consumes and reviewing restaurants in the Boston area. Check out her latest post from just yesterday.

Batgirl at Veganincognito recently shared a recipe for "The Best Blended Salsa of All Time".

Over at This Busy (Happy!) Vegan, Allison posted about her love of DIY vegan pizza. I'm a homemade pizza fan, myself. With the right tasty toppings, it's actually become pretty irrelevant to me whether the pizza is cheeseless, or topped with homemade or store-bought cheese subs. Although sometimes I'll shred some Follow Your Heart mozzarella over it or add a bit of nutritional yeast "melty cheeze" sauce, I just as often add a few dollops of hummus or just nothing at all except the sauce and vegetable toppings. Favourite toppings of mine include: bell peppers (green, yellow or red), zucchini, red onion, crushed garlic, spinach, hot banana or jalapeno peppers (fresh or pickled), olives (green or red), broccoli, pineapple, sundried tomatoes, kale and capers--but not all together!

Melissa from The Papaya Chronicles posted a delicious recipe for "Three Sisters Stew" a few days ago, complete with suggestions for different variations on it depending on the ingredients at your disposal or your taste preferences. I made it yesterday and loved it!

Amanda's Vegan Mafia blog continues to offer upbeat product and Salt Lake City restaurant reviews, quick meal ideas, and the occasional mention of the ever elusive and lovely pooch Darby.

Since no "What Vegans Eat" post feel write without the inclusion of something sweet and decadent to round things out, I'll refer you to Jessy's happyveganface blog, where last last month she posted a recipe for "Gluten-Free Chunky Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies". Enjoy!

If you have any vegan food blog recommendations, recipe requests or vegan cooking advice questions, please feel free to ask away by leaving a comment. I'll do my best to answer or lure in someone else in who'd be better able to weigh in.

Recipe: Brazillian Black Bean Stew (aka Feijoada)

This is a recipe adapted from one found in an old issue of "Vegetarian Times". Traditionally, feijoada -- a dish popular in both Brazil and Portugal -- is meat-laden, but this animal-free take on it is delicious, as well as more nutritious and much lower in fat and cholesterol. Feijoada is known as Brazil's "national dish" and it's apparently commonly served in most restaurants there, however fine the dining. The "Vegetarian Times" article suggested serving it with steamed Swiss chard wrapped in warmed tortillas. Traditionally, it's a thick stew served with a pot of hot pepper sauce and the following side-dishes: rice, chopped and refried kale or collard greens, lightly roasted (coarse) casava flour (called farofa), and orange segments. Sometimes it's served with deep-fried casava or deep-fried bananas. It's usually enjoyed with caipirinhas (a popular Brazilian alcoholic beverage) or beer.

Brazilian Black Bean Stew

1 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2-3 medium garlic cloves, minced or crushed
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 (or more) hot green chili pepper, minced
half a large (28 oz / 796 ml) can of diced tomatoes -- don't drain 'em
2-16 oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp salt

Optional: Cooked rice, chopped steamed (and fried, if you'd like) kale / collars / Swiss chard, orange segments.

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until it's softened. Stir in the garlic and cook an extra 3 minutes until the onion is golden.

Stir in the sweet potatoes, peppers, tomatoes w/ liquid and bring to a boil. Lower heart and simmer around 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender but still firm. Stir in the beans and simmer uncovered, ever so gently, until everything is heated through.

Stir in the mango and cook another minute, until heated through. Stir in cilantro and salt to taste. Preferably using ceramic bowls or platters for authenticity, ladle the stew on top of a mound of rice. Place the chopped greens and orange segments (if using) around the edges of the dish. Sprinkle the chopped greens and orange segments with farofa (if available) and splash some hot sauce on the side of some of the stew. Eat while hot! Serves 6.