Mexican food isn’t just about cheese and beef. This healthy alternative is authentic and delicious, thanks to black beans and fresh flavors.
For a delicious and filling vegan Mexican dish, serve black beans on top of warmed tortillas along with cooked soyrizo, cilantro, diced onion and tomatoes, baby lettuces and tomatillo salsa. The recipe is from Hobos Restaurant + Bar.
Black beans:
Ingredients
2 cups black beans soaked with quick-soak method
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon vegetable base
Herbamare and white pepper to taste
1 cup roasted onion
2 tablespoons organic canola
Directions
Soak beans and drain water.
Add new water to the pot of beans, enough to cover the beans. Add vegetable base and 1 teaspoon of the cumin. Bring to a boil, simmer till tender.
Caramelize onions in organic canola oil and when browned add remainder of cumin to onions until seasonings heat and flavor. Set aside.
Purée beans and onions with liquid, add Herbamare and pepper to taste, return to pot.
Soyrizo:
Ingredients
2 extra-firm organic non-genetically modified tofu blocks, crumbled
1 cup textured vegetable protein, reconstituted with 1 cup of vegetable stock
4 tablespoons ancho paste
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon agave nectar
3 tablespoons cumin
3 tablespoons freeze-dried onion
1 tablespoon dried oregano
¼ cup roasted garlic
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon ancho morita chili powder (optional)
Directions
Reconstitute textured vegetable protein with vegetable stock. Add ancho paste, tomato paste and agave nectar.
Put 2 blocks of extra-firm tofu in a food processor on pulse until finely puréed. Add roasted garlic and freeze dried onion. Pulse again.
Mix both batches together with all remaining spices. Sauté in nonstick pan until browned for crumbles. You can scramble this dry or with organic canola oil. All the flavor of chorizo and none of the fat! (If you wish to form soyrizo into patties, add 3 tablespoons of vital wheat gluten to mixture and form into patties.)
Tomatillo Salsa:
Ingredients
6 cups cleaned and husked whole tomatillos
2 cups jalapenos with stems removed only
1 cup whole garlic cloves
1 teaspoon (+/-) chili salt
1 fat bunch cilantro thoroughly cleaned
¼ cup organic canola oil
Directions
Toss whole tomatillos, jalapenos and garlic with canola. Roast the mixture in a very hot oven, preferably finishing under broiler until they are blackened and charred.
Purée with cilantro and salt.
You may vary the quantities of jalapenos and garlic depending on your taste. If you don’t have chili or lime salt, use sea salt instead.