Vegan Ricans

A few days ago a friend of mine posted a picture of a frittata with mofongo on facebook. Having no idea what mofongo was except a hint that it was possibly cuban, my curiosity was piqued and I had to look it up. Mofongo is a dish made with plantains and typically has meat or seafood in the center. Being an ever-curious eater and vegan, I immediately sought out a meat free version and the first result was a blog called Vegan Ricans. This blog is amazing! They take traditional Puerto Rican dishes and veganize them, posting the recipes, accompanied by beautiful pictures. I can hardly wait to try the mofongo and chickpea patties. You can find the recipes mentioned above and many more at http://veganricans.blogspot.com.

Vegan Indian Tacos

The Fry Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup of water

Directions:

Let dough sit 10-15 mins
Break off dough into golf ball sized balls and pat to 1/4 inch thickness
Fry individually in oil to a light golden brown
Drain on paper towels in covered bowl

Topping

2 cans of well rinsed pinto beans
1tsp minced garlic
dash of cumin
1/3rd lg onion, chopped
1/8 cup of water

Directions:
Sautee onion and garlic in saucepan. Add beans, water, and cumin. Cook 5-7 mins on med heat.

Top fry bread with bean mixture and lettuce, tomato and onion.

Pineapple-Coconut Vegan Gelato

Ingredients:

-1.5 cups sugar
-1.5 cups water
-1 15-ounce can of pineapple in juice
-2/3 cup coconut milk

Directions:

-Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool completely.
-Combine the pineapple and coconut milk in a large bowl and stir in the sugar syrup.
-Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice cream maker and freeze according to the maker's instructions. Spoon gelato into a plastic container and freeze until firm. If you don't have an ice cream maker you can also freeze this mixture in a plastic tub for a few hours, scraping every so often until you achieve the gelato texture.

Makes 4 cups.