Veggie Chili & Plaintain Chips Revisited . . .

This is a much simpler and cheaper veggie chili. I've had a can of small red beans in a cabinet for way too long and it was about time to bust them out. And it goes a little something like this: first I cooked a big pot of dry black beans. Then I removed about 2 cups of them, added the red beans, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, pimenton, and cayenne pepper. Wicked. Now why that was simmering I got out my new mandolin, which certainly makes life easier, and sliced up some green plantains, fried them in peanut oil, and hit them with some salt & garlic powder. Fab. 

Anyway you slice it, they're still good!

Gorgeous!

By god is that bacon? Nope, it's something much much sweeter. I've had it in my head for weeks now that I wanted to make plantain chips. I love snacks, but hate packaging, and highly processed foods. Munching on dal was cool for awhile, but sometimes I yearn for something with a crunch to it. So, the experiments started. I don't have a mandolin and could not find a plantain slicer so, on the first go round, I cut the plantains free hand with a small knife. It's a no go, at least for me. They tasted fine, but the pieces were too thick for them to be crunchy. Today I remembered that I have a vegetable peeler and used it to delicately slice the fruit. It does get a bit sticky, and the chips were super thin, but damn if they weren't oh so good! I had to force myself to stop eating them and grab my camera.

 What you'll need: peanut oil, black {sweet} or yellow {less sweet} plantains, a plate with a paper towel on top for grease collection, a deep pan to get your fry on, and some tongs. I placed one strip in the oil to see if it was hot enough. You'll have to move very quickly once it is because they fry up fast. Try to shake off as much access oil before placing in on the paper towel. Let them cool for a minute or two before diving in. For attempt number three I will be using a proper slicer. I'll keep you posted.

Dark & Lovely!

Mmmm, sweet lusciousness! Sometimes I like my beans how I like my men, dark & delicious. This was my first attempt at making black beans from scratch. I must admit, it started out as a bit of a disaster. I used maggi cubes which gave them a strange taste. But this bitch can cook her way out of most situations. I had a friend over so I was a tad distracted, but I think it went something like this: chopped garlic, olive oil, kosher salt, maggi cubes {would not necessarily suggest, but a veggie bouillon cube does the trick for my friend Camilla.}, cream of coconut, fresh carrots, and I feel like I threw in some coriander. They grew more and more delicious as the spices settled. Then I paired the beans with some maduros {sweet fried plantains}, pan seared shrimp, and basmati rice. It was heavenly!