Plant Based Carne Asada

I'm a sucker for latin foods...oh me oh my! 

This carne asada is one of my most visited recipes here, and it's probably in my top 5 favorite foods. My daughter asked for carne asada for her birthday and while I made hers with skirt steak, I was bound and determined to figure out how to make carne asada vegan style so that I could enjoy it too. 

I bet you can guess what we'll be having for Mother's Day??! Can't wait! 

I hope you'll enjoy this much as we do. I've tweaked my marinade and added mushrooms and honestly, could eat this raw as a salad as well as cooked.  

Carne Asada Marinade or Mojo
1/4 c. key lime juice (the very small green limes)**this is key for the flavor
1/4 c. coconut milk
2 T. white vinegar
4 garlic cloves - pressed or very finely diced
1/2-3/4 c. chopped cilantro
1/2 t. ground cumin
2 t. kosher salt (less if table salt)
Jalapeño or serano chiles, minced (optional - to taste)
1/4 t. crushed red peppers (optional - to taste)
2 t. pure maple syrup (more or less to taste)

3-4 cups sliced mushrooms - portabello and shiitake

Combine ingredients except for mushrooms in a non-metal bowl. 

Add 3-4 cups sliced portabello and shiitake mushrooms and toss to coat. 

Allow to marinade for at least 1 hour, gently tossing - occasionally.

Heat grill. 

Place ingredients onto a sheet of foil, and fold edges to seal. Wrap with an additional layer (or two) of foil. 

Grill for 10-15 minutes, turning once. 

Remove and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. 

Serve inside of warmed corn tortillas, with black beans, rice, pico de gallo and guacamole. 

Black Beans, Blended Beans, Refried Black Beans

In addition to the plantains, I also fell in love with black beans in Guatemala since we typically ate them three meals a day. When eaten together, black beans and rice form a complete protein. Additionally, just one serving of beans and rice contains nearly 1/3 of one's daily fiber needs.



Here's the basic black bean recipe I learned while in Guatemala. Variations also follow

2 c. dried black beans (rinse and sort out any bad beans, rocks, or debris)
5 c. water
1/2 c. chopped onion
1-2 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
2 t. chicken bouillon
Salt to taste
1 bay leaf
Optional - fresh cilantro, cumin, key lime juice (once thoroughly cooked)

Place all ingredients into a medium large pan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to cook for 2-4 hours until soft. These also work great in a crock pot on medium for 3-4 hours. Remove bay leaf, & strain.



Variations
Black Bean & Rice Soup
After the beans are cooked, add 2 c. chicken broth and 1 c. rice. Continue to cook until the rice is cooked and serve as soup.

Blended Black Beans
After the beans finish cooking, scoop 2 cups (with juices) into blender and blend until smooth and viscous, adjusting liquid (adding water or chicken broth) if necessary. Repeat process using all of the beans and juices. As the beans cool, they will thicken. Great for rice accompaniment, burritos, side dishes etc.

Refried Black Beans (Frijoles volteados)

 

As above, blend beans and liquid into a thick mixture.
Over a medium high flame, heat 1/2 c. vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Add beans and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Using a spatula, begin to move the beans around. Adding more oil (as needed) continue to cook the beans. As they thicken begin to toss the beans against the side of the pan until they begin to form into a solid mass. Continue to cook and toss until the outer layer forms a darkened crisp layer, and the mass forms into a loaf like shape.

Slide onto a plate, and slice to serve.

Note - authentic re-fried black beans are made with lard. These recipes substitute olive oil.

Café Rio knockoffs - Pork, rice, beans, dressing

There's a popular restaurant chain called Café Rio which has some really great dishes. I've received several knock-off recipes - here are my favorites.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

3 Tomatillos
1 c. cilantro, Minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 pkt ranch buttermilk dressing mix

Husk and cut the tomatillos into quarters, put under a broiler for 7 minutes, then chop or mince. Mix together all ingredients in blender and chill.
My brother says he could drink this stuff by the quart!
Also yummy served on top of chicken breast salad.


BBQ Pork
2-3 lb boneless pork roast
1 bottle (4-5 oz) A1 Steak Sauce
1-2 c. chunky salsa
3/4 c. brown sugar
juice of 2 limes (6 T)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Blend all ingredients (except pork of course.)
Cook in crock pot for a very very long time. You can either cook pork first, and then add sauce for the last couple of hours, or cook entire thing together all at one time. I haven't noticed a difference between the two methods.


Lime Rice
1 c. white rice
2 T. chicken broth + broth to cook rice
1 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. dried minced onion
pinch of salt
1/2-1 c. chopped cilantro
1 T. fresh lime juice
1 c. green enchilada sauce

Combine first 6 ingredients in sauce pan, substituting broth for water, and cook rice according to package directions. When rice is done, stir in cilantro, lime juice and enchilada sauce.

Black Beans - Double or triple (etc) according to size of crowd
1 can black beans
1/3 c. tomato juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cumin
2 T. oil
1/2 t. salt
2 T. chopped cilantro

In sauce pan, heat oil, cumin, and garlic. Throw in rest until warm.


To make the 'official' Café Rio salad:
One very large tortilla toasted with cheese and filled with: chopped romaine, lime rice, black beans, BBQ pork, pico de gallo, guacamole, chopped cilantro, lime wedge, Cotija cheese, tortilla strips (fried crisp,) and creamy tomatillo dressing.