Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers (17 page)
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Authors: Terry Hope Romero
BOOK: Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers
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Variation
Chipotle in Adobe:
Omit the dried ancho chiles and vegan ketchup. Replace with 1 to 2 chipotles in adobo, removing the seeds from chipotles before blending. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce, as desired, and blend with the dressing.
Omit the dried ancho chiles and vegan ketchup. Replace with 1 to 2 chipotles in adobo, removing the seeds from chipotles before blending. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce, as desired, and blend with the dressing.
Here’s a lineup of tossed salad ideas that go together
rápido
while you’re making the rest of your dinner or even just microwaving tamales straight out of the freezer. Most any of these salads can be transformed into a light but substantial meal with the addition of any baked tofu or grilled tempeh (see pages 100-108). There’s enough to serve four or five as an appetizer or three or four as a large entrée. Use the ingredients as a guide, or go ahead and add less cabbage or more tomato or anything, really. Hey, it’s your salad and I’m not going to tell you how to live it!
rápido
while you’re making the rest of your dinner or even just microwaving tamales straight out of the freezer. Most any of these salads can be transformed into a light but substantial meal with the addition of any baked tofu or grilled tempeh (see pages 100-108). There’s enough to serve four or five as an appetizer or three or four as a large entrée. Use the ingredients as a guide, or go ahead and add less cabbage or more tomato or anything, really. Hey, it’s your salad and I’m not going to tell you how to live it!
The instructions are the same for all of these salads: Place the ingredients in a large bowl, pour on as much or as little dressing as desired, and toss with tongs to completely coat everything with the dressing. Serve immediately!
My favorite fast salad and typical of the shredded fresh cabbage salads found in many parts of Central and South America.
Cilantro-Citrus Vinaigrette (page 69) or
vinegar + olive oil + dried oregano + salt
and pepper +
4 cups finely shredded cabbage
2 large carrots, shredded
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
Top with sizzling Tempeh Asado (page 110) for a kick-butt hearty entrée salad.
Creamy Ancho Chile Dressing
(page 70) +
5 cups spinach leaves, well rinsed and
spun dry
1 small red onion, peeled and sliced
into thin rings
1 to 2 large tomatoes, seeded
and diced
2 ripe avocados, peeled, seeded, and
diced
Yet another way to dig into everyone’s favorite pals, black beans and corn.
Fresh Gazpacho Salsa Dressing (page 70) +
6 cups Bibb or butter lettuce, torn into
bite-size pieces
2 cups roasted corn kernels
(see page 64)
2 cups or 1 (14-ounce) can cooked black
beans, rinsed and drained
1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded,
and diced
Cool, fruity, and so pretty with red cabbage, pastel orange dressing, and red onions.
Creamy Ancho Chile Dressing (page 70) +
6 cups shredded red cabbage
2 large oranges, sliced into thin segments
and seeded
1 small red onion, sliced in half and then
into thin strips
½ cup toasted sliced almonds
Your everyday spinach salad on a sassy tropical vacation.
Fresh Gazpacho Salsa Dressing (page 70) +
4 cups spinach, washed well and torn into
bite-size pieces
1 (14-ounce) can hearts of palm, drained,
rinsed, and sliced
2 cups or 1 (14-ounce) can cooked black
beans, rinsed
½ cup toasted chopped Brazil nuts
½ large sweet white onion, sliced into
thin strips
A sweet and tangy slaw that’s delighted to be in the presence of your favorite tacos or sandwich.
Cilantro-Citrus Vinaigrette (page 69) +
3 cups shredded carrot
1 large jicama, peeled and shredded
2 apples, shredded and immediately
tossed with 1 tablespoon of lime or
lemon juice
Snappy Caesar salad gets a Mexican makeover.
Chipotle variation of Creamy Ancho Chile
Dressing (page 70) +
5 to 6 cups romaine lettuce, torn into
bite-size pieces
2 cups freshly made fried tortilla strips
(see page 174)
2 cups seeded and diced ripe red tomato
•
Generously serves 6 or more•
Time: About 1 hour, not including•
cooking the beets•
Gluten Free, Soy Free
This massive salad is inspired by the handsome sweet and savory fruity Mexican salads traditionally served on Christmas Eve, Noche Buena. Such an exciting medley of fruits, beets, greens, and even peanuts is too much fun to save for only one holiday night a year, so I’ve adapted this salad for any season.
Pomegranate seeds traditionally garnish this salad during the winter holidays, but for a warm-weather variation, strawberries make a pretty red substitute. This colorful salad is right at home at parties or for feeding many hungry friends during a leisurely summer lunch or brunch.
Make-ahead Tip:
Cook and peel the beets up to three days in advance and store covered in the refrigerator. Make the candied chile peanuts up to two weeks in advance and store in a tightly covered container in a cool, dark place.
Cook and peel the beets up to three days in advance and store covered in the refrigerator. Make the candied chile peanuts up to two weeks in advance and store in a tightly covered container in a cool, dark place.
Candied Chile-Peanut Topping
1 cup peanut halves
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground chile powder or
cayenne, or more as desired
Salad
½ pound beets, green tops removed and
ends trimmed
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ pound red apples, cored but
unpeeled
½ pound jicama, peeled
½ pound fresh pineapple chunks, cut into
bite-size pieces
2 large oranges, peeled, seeded, and
sliced into sections
1 large head romaine lettuce,
washed, dried, and ripped into
bite-size pieces
1 small red onion, sliced in half, then into
very thin rings
½ pound strawberries, stems removed,
sliced
Vinaigrette
⅓ cup light-flavored oil, such as
grapeseed or sunflower
¼ cup lime juice
1 tablespoon agave syrup
½ teaspoon salt
A big pinch of ground white pepper
1. Make the candied peanuts first. Spray a large piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, combine the peanuts, brown sugar, and water. With a heatproof silicone spatula, stir occasionally as the sugar melts into the water to form a bubbling syrup. Continue to stir for about 1 minute, then sprinkle in the salt and chile powder. Stir and cook the peanuts until syrup has thickened and coated them with a golden brown caramel, 6 to 8 minutes, watching carefully so they don’t burn. Quickly spread the peanuts onto the prepared foil, breaking up any large chunks, and let cool completely before using. When ready to use, coarsely chop the peanuts into small pieces.
2. For the salad: Place beets a small saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook the beets for 25 to 35 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain the beets, rinse with cold water, and let cool enough to be handled. Remove and discard the skins from the beets; slice in half and then into ¼inch-thick slices. Chill until ready to serve.
3. Pour the orange juice into a mixing bowl. Slice the apple into quarters, then into ¼-inch-thick slices, and toss with the orange juice. Slice the jicama into ¼-inch-thick matchsticks or bite-size pieces and toss with the apples. Stir in the pineapple chunks and orange sections.
4. In a measuring cup, whisk together all the vinaigrette ingredients until emulsified. In a very large salad bowl, toss together the lettuce, onion slices, and half of the dressing, stirring to coat the lettuce thoroughly with the dressing.
5. Arrange the juice-soaked fruit and the beets in an attractive pattern on top of the salad. Arrange the strawberries on top and drizzle the remaining dressing over everything. Sprinkle with the candied peanuts or serve them on the side. This salad is best eaten within a few hours of assembling.
Variation
Fall-to-Winter version:
Omit the strawberries and replace with 1½ cups of pomegranate arils (the deep red seeds and surrounding pulp); about one large, heavy pomegranate should have enough. Pomegranate is a traditional ingredient in this salad for Christmas Eve celebrations.
Omit the strawberries and replace with 1½ cups of pomegranate arils (the deep red seeds and surrounding pulp); about one large, heavy pomegranate should have enough. Pomegranate is a traditional ingredient in this salad for Christmas Eve celebrations.
•
Serves 5 to 6 as a starter course or side salad•
Time: About 45 minutes•
Soy Free
Pear-shaped, bright green, and puckered on one end like your granny’s face after she’s removed her dentures, chayotes are a fixture in Latin American tropical and Caribbean cuisine. And so are potato salads, so here’s a happy meeting of the two! This recipe makes a ton of potato salad to serve with grilled foods or feed your next picnic.
This tropical squash is popular in soups and stews and also tossed into salad. Chayote squash has mild flavor and a subtle grassy aroma, with a crunchy texture. Boil this squash only long enough to remove any bitter undertones and its slightly sticky texture, but not too much, to retain its crispness.
Tip:
Chayotes are also known as mirlitons (its Creole name, I do believe) or christophenes or cho-cho in the Caribbean. Next to plantains and yuca, they’re a common item wherever Latin produce is sold.
Chayotes are also known as mirlitons (its Creole name, I do believe) or christophenes or cho-cho in the Caribbean. Next to plantains and yuca, they’re a common item wherever Latin produce is sold.
2 chayote squash
1½ pounds white potatoes, scrubbed
2 carrots (about ¼ pound), peeled and
diced into ½-inch cubes
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh
cilantro
3 green onions, minced finely
¼ cup capers, drained
⅓ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon prepared Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
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