Colombian Arepas - Vegan Style

I told you that I was going to go south for the winter....  I have been wanting to make tamales for quite awhile, but I have a hard time pulling together multi-step meals that require several days of prep.  OK that is an excuse because tamales are not that hard, but still, there is no way that I could prep all of the fillings and not eat them before they reached the steamer.  A few months ago I purchased some South American basics and pledged that I would make some things from my old pre-vegan playbook.
Arepas are something that you do not see very often in the states, but are a standard in the south.  I purchased the precooked corn meal, PAN is the best, I was very excited that I was to be able to buy it.
I decided that I wanted to experiment rather than make traditional arepas, which I would describe as somewhere between a tortilla, gordita, cornbread, and a pancake.  Arepas are served as a side like bread, often with sauces, and in some areas are split and served with fillings like sandwiches.  The corn meal/flour being precooked makes a significant difference in the taste and the texture of the final product.
I decided that I wanted to experiment and combine a couple of things that were floating through my mind at the same time.  I really wanted tamales, so I decided to start with basic arepa batter and add.
The traditional recipe is:
2 cups of PAN corn flour
2.5 cups of water

Here is what I did:
2 cups PAN Arepa Flour
1/2 cup Maseca Tamale Flour(I love the taste of tamale flour, that's why I added it)
1/2 White Onion + 2 Teeth of Garlic + 1 cup Water in the vita mix/blender until smooth

1.5 cups of soy milk (this is variable because you want the batter to be just thick enough to pour, it will also thicken over time so you may need to add)
1 teaspoon salt
Mix all of the ingredients above to a smooth consistency.  With this batter you can start making arepas, by pouring, like pancakes, on a medium hot griddle that has been lightly greased.  Serve with warm salsa of your choice.
I chose to add some additional items for the sake of experimentation:
1 cup frozen organic corn
3/4 pound of small diced smoked tofu
This satisfied my desire for tamales, I cooked them as described above.
To complete the plate I made sauteed onions, just seared and finished with a 1/4 cup of salsa.
I made a warm salsa with a can of Rotel, fresh chili's, 1/4 white onion, run through the vita mix then simmered for about 5 minute.
I also made long grain rice, cut some avodado, warmed some Morningstar Farms seitan strips.
So to recap, this was not really much less intense than making tamales, but they were very good and I will make them again, soon?

Vegan Feijoada [Brazilian Black Beans]

I have been on a South American kick lately..... I wanted some homemade black beans the other day and actually remembered to start soaking the beans in advance. While they were soaking and I was doing other things I decided to go Brazilian in theme with the final presentation, Feijoada, the Brazilian national dish.
The beans were simple..... Buy a bag of black beans and follow the instructions on the bag!!! I always reinforce the disclaimer on the bag about the black beans being a natural product that try as they may, occasionally dirt clods and rocks get missed!!!! If you like your teeth take a minute and look through, I have found many natural non bean items over the years! Back to cooking, I like to add two bay leaves and a couple of dried whole cayenne chilis. When the beans are finished cooking, I take about 5 teeth of garlic(minced) and one half onion(small diced) and saute' then add to the beans, along with 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke. I also lightly mash the beans with a potato masher to help thicken the beans.
I served the beans with Jasmine rice, reconstituted Bacos(yes I take Bacos and add a bit of water and put in the microwave for about a minute, makes nice little smokey bits). Then I topped the beans and rice with green onions, cilantro and Farofa.
What is Farofa you ask? Farofa is manioc/cassava/tapioca that is dried and coarse ground like corn meal, I take the manioc and toast it in a skillet with garlic. When it is toasted it turns golden brown and has nice earthy flavor and adds a bit of crunch to the mixture. I have had good luck finding manioc in natural foods stores and online at specialty South American food stores.
Now had I really been on the ball I would have made fried bananas and served with collard greens and orange wedges, but all said and done it was pretty darned good.

Vegan Colombian Cazuela Soup

Man...... what is with this cold weather???? This is the longest, cold snap we have had since we have lived in Kansas. Cold weather puts me in the mood for soup, and nothing satisfies like a good rich Colombian Cazuela.
Traditionally this is a seafood dish, but it is better without it... in my opinion. This is a rich, herbed, tomato, coconut milk broth that I learned how to make from a good friend from Colombia, back when I was the chef at Cafe' Brazil in Denver in the mid 1990's.
Since it is wintertime and fresh tomatoes are not any good, I did cut a couple of corners, but I added kale which was a nice addition.
Here is what I did:

• 1 white onion, halved then sliced thin
• 3 teeth of garlic, minced
• 1 table spoon oil

Saute onions and garlic over high heat until beginning to soften, deglaze pan with 1/2 cup white wine.
Add the following and simmer for about 10 minutes:

• 1 can mild red enchilada sauce (or two cups diced tomatoes)
• 1 can lite coconut milk
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon no chic Better Than Bullion
• 3 tablespoons of smoked paprika

Finish by adding 8 cups of rough chopped kale (which will shrink down to about 2 cups), stir into soup until it wilts, hurry up and put it in bowls, then garnish with green onions, cilantro and some red chili sauce. The best part about this dish is it only took about 25 minutes to make.
Enjoy!!!! And think warm thoughts!!!