Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers (13 page)

2. Reheat the cast-iron skillet over medium heat and place the sliced almonds, chopped pecans, sesame seeds, and aniseeds in the pan. Toast, stirring frequently, for 2 to 4 minutes, until the almonds are pale golden and the anise is fragrant. Immediately remove from the heat, scrape the seeds into a food processor or spice mill, and add the cloves, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, and tortilla chips. Pulse to a fine grind.

3. In a large saucepan, combine the oil and garlic. Heat the pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the garlic is sizzling and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the onion and cook until translucent and soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the raisins and plantain and fry for 3 minutes, until the plantain is mushy, then sprinkle with the ground spice mixture. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Now stir in the softened drained chiles, tomatoes, and vegetable broth.

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Makes ½ cup salsa

•
Time: Less than 5 minutes

 

⅓ cup vegan mayonnaise
2 tablespoons all-natural ketchup
2 to 3 dashes of red hot sauce

 

1. Whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Serve immediately.

•
Makes about 4 cups salsa

•
Time: Less than 10 minutes

•
Gluten Free, Soy Free

 

1 habanero chile, roasted
3 green onions, trimmed and sliced thinly
3 tablespoons lime juice
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
1½ pounds ripe papaya, preferably
Mexican/Latin American papaya
(see papaya tip, page 215)
1 pound melon, such as cantaloupe,
watermelon, crenshaw, honeydew

 

1. Remove the stem and seeds from the roasted habanero and mince the chile very finely, almost to a pulp if possible. (You may want to use gloves in this case, tough guy.) Place your desired amount of minced chile, green onions, lime juice, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Slice papaya in half, remove and discard seeds, and use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler to remove the papaya peel. Slice the papaya into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl. Slice the melon, remove and discard the seeds, and dice into ¼-inch pieces. Stir the fruit to coat completely with the ingredients in the bowl and serve the salsa immediately. Fruit salsas are best eaten the day they are made.

•
Makes 4 large sandwiches

•
Time: About 50 minutes, including making the filling and roasting the eggplant

 

1 pound eggplant, preferably small young
eggplants
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably
Mexican
½
teaspoon ground cumin

 

⅔
cup vegan mayonnaise
2 chipotles in adobo sauce, seeds removed
1 cup Home-style Refried Beans (page 86),
black or pinto
2 ripe red tomatoes, seeded and sliced
into ¼-inch slices
1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded, and sliced
into ¼-inch slices
½ pound shredded romaine or iceberg
lettuce
4 pickled jalapeño peppers, sliced very
thinly
½ recipe Pickled Red Onions (page 43) or
1 red onion, sliced into thin rings
4 crusty French or rustic-style
sandwich rolls

 

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare the eggplant first: Slice it lengthwise, about ¼ inch thick, place in a colander above a sink, and lightly salt with kosher salt, if desired. Let the eggplant soften and drain for 30 minutes. While the eggplant drains, prepare the marinade by whisking together the lime juice, olive oil, tomato paste, garlic, oregano, and cumin. Add the drained eggplant, coat the slices with marinade, and let stand for 10 minutes, turning the slices occasionally.

When ready to roast the eggplant, lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet and spread with a layer of eggplant, trying not to overlap the slices too much. Brush each side generously with the marinade and roast for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping each slice and roasting for another 10 minutes until the eggplant is tender. Remove from the oven and wrap in foil to keep the eggplant warm.

 

2. Prepare the sandwich ingredients: To make chipotle mayonnaise, pulse the vegan mayonnaise and chipotle peppers in a food processor until smooth. Warm the refried beans either in a microwave or on a stovetop, adding a little water if necessary to create a spreadable consistency. Have ready the tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, and either Pickled Red Onions or thinly sliced red onion rings.

3. Slice each sandwich roll in half horizontally and, if desired, remove some of the bread inside each roll to allow more room for the filling. Toast or grill each roll half until hot. Assemble a sandwich by spreading the inside of a roll with chipotle mayonnaise, then topping that with refried beans. Stack on the bottom half a generous layer each of eggplant, tomato, avocado, shredded lettuce, jalapeño (if using), and some onions, and top with the upper half of the roll. Firmly press down on the sandwich, or to heat it panini style, grill it on both sides on a hot cast-iron skillet, pressing each side until the bread is browned and the edges crisp.

4. Slice each sandwich in half and serve immediately with a fresh lime wedge and slices of crisp radish.