Jerk Black Beans, Garlicky Greens & Plantain Fritters

Black beans, greens and plantains are three of my favorite foods ever and combined they make an incredibly delicious meal. When picking out plantains for these fritters, you want them to be more sweet than starchy. This means you need to look out for black, or yellow/black plantains. Green ones are best for dishes that require starchy, potato-like qualities.

 
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Collard greens and swiss chard cooked with tons of garlic and served with jerk-spiced black beans and the best coconut fritters this side of the Mississippi.

Garlicky Greens
serves 2-3
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 head collards, roughly chopped
1 head swiss chard, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup vegetable broth or water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbl organic cane sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

In a large pot, heat the oil and add the collards and chard. Once the greens start to wilt, add the garlic. Toast the garlic until browned and fragrant. Add the broth, vinegar, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes.
Cook over medium heat for 25 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.

Plantain Fritters
serves 3
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
2 black-yellow plantains, cut into 1 1/2" pieces
safflower oil, for frying
sea salt, for sprinkling

Combine the milk, flour, coconut and sugar and whisk. The mixture should be thick.
Heat 1-2 inches of oil in a pot to 350 degrees.
Coat the plantains in the batter and fry until golden brown. Drain the fritters on a paper towel, sprinkle with salt and serve while hot.

Jerk Black Beans
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, small dice
1 jalapeno, seeded, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp pepper
1-15oz can black beans, drained
1 cup coconut milk

Saute the onion, jalapeno and garlic in olive oil until tender and fragrant, 7 minutes. Season with garlic, nutmeg, allspice, red pepper flakes, salt, cinnamon and pepper and cook 2 minutes more to toast.
Add the beans and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook over medium-high heat for 20 minutes.

Braised Braeburns & Greens, Tarragon Mash, Sausage

Tender-crisp Braeburn apples braised in cider and maple with swiss chard and Field Roast Apple-Sage Sausages. Served on top a heaping pile of tarragon scented yukons mashed with buttery olive oil and dijon.

Braised Braeburns & Greens with Sausage
2 tbl earth balance butter
2 braeburn apples, 1/4" slice
1 bunch swiss chard, stems-small dice, leaves-roughly chopped
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
3 tbl maple syrup
salt and pepper
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbl water
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
4 apple-sage field roast sausages

Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the apple slices, chard stems, cinnamon, nutmeg, 1 tbl of maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Saute over medium heat for 7 minutes until the apples start to become tender. Add the remaining 2 tbl of maple syrup and simmer 3 minutes more.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the apples and chard from the pan. Add the apple cider, vegetable broth and cornstarch and whisk to combine. Add the chard leaves and bring to a simmer to cook the leaves thicken the sauce, 5 minutes. Add the apples back in and toss to reheat.
In a small saute pan, crisp the sausage in olive oil until golden brown. Serve with apples, chard and tarragon mash.

Tarragon Mash
3 large yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, medium dice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tbl dijon mustard
2 tbl minced fresh tarragon
salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and bring the potatoes back to the pan. Add the oil, milk and mustard and mash. Stir in tarragon and salt and pepper to taste.

Blackened Tofu, Smashed Succotash, Baked Air, Peaches

This tofu is very spicy so the sauteed peaches are a welcome accompaniment to cool down the fire in your mouth. If you have never roasted greens before, I really suggest it! They become crisp and incredibly light, almost like air-hence the name. It's fast with little to no preparation and no big pots of boiling water to deal with.

Grilled, spicy tofu served with sweet caramelized rosemary-peaches, crisp swiss chard and a traditional succotash blend of corn, tomatoes and lima beans mixed with mashed potatoes.

Blackened Tofu
3 tbl paprika
2 tbl dried oregano
2 tbl dried thyme
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1 lb extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, cut into 12 triangles

Preheat a grill or grill pan on high heat.
Combine all of the spices and coat the tofu very liberally. Lightly grease the hot pan and grill 5 minutes on each side until dark char marks appear.

Baked Air
1 head red chard, stems and leaves thinly sliced
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
sea salt

Preheat oven to 400. Toss the chard with oil and salt and spread out on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until crispy.

Smashed Succotash
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup corn kernels (from one cob)
1 cup frozen lima beans, thawed
1 tomato, seeded and cored, small dice
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper
1 large russet potato, peeled, small dice
2 tbl no-chicken vegetable broth

Heat 1 tbl of oil into a large pot. Saute the corn and lima beans for 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the tomato, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste. Saute 5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
Fill the pot up with cold water. Add the diced potato and some salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain and add vegetable broth and remaining 1 tbl of oil. Mash until smooth. Add the succotash back into the pot with the potatoes and season to taste.

Rosemary Peaches
3 peaches, peeled, medium slices
1 tbl organic light brown sugar
2 tsp dried rosemary
salt
1 tbl canola oil

Combine the peaches with brown sugar, rosemary and a pinch of salt. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oil in a saute pan and add the peaches. Saute over medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes until they start to soften but do not get mushy. Serve warm.

Sticky Peach Tempeh, Mashed Rutabaga, Chard with Garlic

Sticky tempeh glazed in peach nectar, red wine and onions, mashed rutabaga with carrots, swiss chard with garlic and red pepper flakes.

Sticky Peach Tempeh
4 tbl extra virgin olive oil, divided
12 oz tempeh, cut into thick strips
1/2 white onion, small dice
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 carrot, 1/4" rounds
1 tbl fresh thyme leaves
1 tbl sweet paprika
2 tbl red wine
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cups peach nectar
1-15oz can great northern beans, drained

Preheat the oven to 350.
Season both sides of the tempeh with salt and pepper.
In a dutch oven or a large pot that can go in the oven, heat 2 tbl of oil and brown the tempeh on both sides over medium-high heat. Remove from the pot and set aside.
Add remaining 2 tbl of oil, onion, salt, pepper, carrot, thyme and paprika and saute until the carrot starts to soften, 10 minutes.
Add the red wine and scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the maple syrup and peach nectar and bring to a boil. Add the white beans, cover, leaving a small opening for steam to escape.
Place in the oven and braise for 90 minutes.

Mashed Rutabaga
1 large rutabaga, peeled, medium dice
1 carrot, medium dice
1 medium sized yukon gold, peeled, medium dice
3 tbl earth balance vegan butter
1 tsp sea salt

Combine the rutabaga, carrot and potato in a large pot of salted water and boil until tender.
Drain, reserving some of the starchy water.
Add the butter and salt and mash, using the starchy water to thin out the vegetables a bit.

Swiss Chard with Garlic
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch swiss chard, stems removed and roughly chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
3 tbl vegetable broth

Add the oil, red pepper flakes and garlic in a saute pan and bring up to a medium heat. This will allow the oil to be infused with much more flavor. Add the chard and toss to combine. Saute over medium heat until wilted. Add the broth and salt and cook until the broth has evaporated.