Lentil Soup with Plantains

Now that I've recovered from my Thanksgiving-induced food coma, it's time to get cooking again.  Tonight I tried a new recipe for Lentil Soup with Plantains.  Plantains--the starchier relative of the banana--are delicious when prepared on their own (in fact, I had some fried plantains over the weekend at a Cuban restaurant in Jersey City), so combining them with lentils, another great staple food, seemed like a good idea.

A bowl of thick, hearty soup.

Note: Plantains can be used at any stage of ripeness, but this recipe is best made with plantains whose peels are turning black.

Recipe:
Lentil Soup with Plantains

• 6 cloves garlic, minced and divided in half
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 5/8 teaspoon ground thyme
• 8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1.5 cups lentils
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 ripe plantains, peeled and diced
• 3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3/4 cup chopped cilantro

 

First, in a large soup pot, bring half of the garlic and all of the cinnamon, cloves, thyme, and vegetable broth to a boil.  Stir in the lentils and cook for 15 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and sauté the onion for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.  Reduce the heat to medium and add the plantains, carrots, and salt.  Continue sautéing for 10 minutes, or until the plantains are golden.  Then stir in the remaining garlic and the allspice; cook for three more minutes. 

 

Add the plantain mixture to the lentil pot and simmer for 15 minutes.  Finally, stir in half of the cilantro and remove from heat.

 

Garnish with remaining cilantro and serve hot.  Yields 4-5 servings. 

Comments:
Taste:            

The flavors in this soup are both deep and complex.  The lentils, carrots, and onions create a nice, savory base; then, the spices come together with the plantains' subtle sweetness to add a little something extra. And finally, to top it all off, the cilantro adds some welcome freshness.  Rachel noted that the soup's texture was a little off (it had absorbed most of the liquid by the time she ate it).

Accessibility:            

Plantains grow all year long in tropical places, so it should be easy to find them in the produce section of the grocery store (welcome to the 21st century).  If you have trouble finding fresh cilantro, you can leave it out or add another herb. 

 Ease of Preparation:      

I wrote the recipe above to involve a lot of (time-saving) multitasking.  If you'd rather take it slow, you could start cooking the onions and plantains first; then, begin to cook the lentils, and finally, combine them together. 

Non-vegan friendliness:           

This is a really hearty, filling, and interesting dish.  I'd be confident serving it to anyone. 

Grilled Coconut-Crusted Pineapple

In true D.C.-in-the-summertime style, it was blazing hot outside over the weekend.  Luckily, Simon and I were able to escape to the beach.  We spent three days on Long Beach Island with my family, and it was really nice to relax and spend some time away from the sweltering swamp (or, I should say, tidal plain) that is D.C.

We had tons of delicious summer foods on the shore (think grilled sweet corn and watermelon), but one of my favorite dishes was actually a dessert.  We had dinner with Simon's dad one night and he prepared us some delicious Grilled Coconut-Crusted Pineapple.  I'm not sure what the exact recipe was, though I do know he coated the pineapple with honey and toasted coconut flakes; so, here's a pretty close version I found online: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/specialoccasionrecipe1/r/grilledpineapp.htm. 

We served it alongside coconut sorbet for a sweet, hot and cold, melt-in-your-mouth dessert.  Yum! 

Cool Caribbean Curry with Plantains

Last night was a night of firsts for the ladies and gentleman of this apartment: we used both plantains and black-eyed peas for the first time.  I'm just as surprised as you are that we hadn't cooked up some black-eyed peas before now (seriously, though, I think my soft spot for black-eyed peas can only be attributed to the fact that they remind me of black-eyed Susans).  Our adventure was successful, as you can see:

Warning: This is Not Your Average Curry.

Recipe:   
Cool Caribbean Curry with Plantains

• 3 very ripe plantains, peeled, split lengthwise and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1 large red pepper, diced finely
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 4.5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/8 cups lite coconut milk
• 1 1/8 cups water
• 2 - 15 ounce cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1.5 teaspoons honey
• 1.5 teaspoons lime juice
• 3 cups brown rice, prepared according to package instructions

 

First, steam the plantains.  Insert a steamer basket or metal sieve into a medium-sized saucepan and add an inch or two of water (the water should be below the bottom of the steamer basket/seive).  Bring the water to a boil and place the plantains in the steamer basket/seive.  Cover the pot and steam for about 10 minutes or until the plantains look bright yellow and plump.  Drain the water, re-cover the plantains to keep them warm, and set aside. 

Meanwhile, prepare the curry.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the shallot and peppers and sauté for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the garlic, ginger, and bay leaves and continue cooking for another two minutes.  Next, add a splash of water and stir in the curry powder, cinnamon, and thyme.  Mix for 30 seconds before adding the salt, coconut milk, water, and black-eyed peas.  Cover and cook for 5 more minutes.  Finally, add the honey and lime juice and any extra salt or seasoning, to taste.  Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  

 

To serve, spoon the curry over a bed of brown rice and top with plantains.  Yields 6 servings.

Comments:

Taste:         

This dish is both visually appealing and pleasing to the palate.  The colors are as bright as the flavors.  The creamy coconut milk tempers the curry powder and jalapeno, so the dish is really more mild than spicy.  And I really enjoy the meatiness of the plantains--they're really nice to bite into, which is a sensation that is often missing in many vegan recipes. 

Accessibility: 

Despite the fact that Uganda was the top producer of plantains in 2009 (according to Wikipedia) and I live in the U.S., we had no trouble finding them at the grocery store--along with all of the other ingredients.  Isn't it funny how that works?

 Ease of Preparation:     

This dish depends pretty heavily on having the kitchen tools needed to steam the plantains (or you can always do this).  That said, the actual cooking process is pretty simple.    

Non-vegan friendliness:      

We all enjoyed this dish.  Simon says that the hearty plantains are a welcome addition to the meal. 

Tropical Black Bean Soup

Last night's dinner was not our average one-pot meal.  We made numerous delicious dishes since we had two of my (non-vegan) friends and my (non-vegan) brother with us for dinner.  They brought home-brewed beer and ginger cookies, and we made Tropical Black Bean Soup, Quinoa and Corn Salad, Sweet Potato Fries, and roasted broccoli.  It was quite a spread!  Unfortunately I was too busy eating to take pictures, but I hope the recipes paint a satisfactory picture of our meal.

I'll start with the soup.  I've always been a fan of black bean soup, but this recipe takes things one step further.

Recipe:
Tropical Black Bean Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 onions, finely diced
• 2 red bell peppers, finely diced
• 4 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 medium ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 2 cans lite coconut milk
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• salt to taste

Heat the oil and garlic in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the onions and red peppers and sauté for about 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in the beans, bananas, cumin, ginger, and hot sauce; cook until the banana softens, stirring frequently.  Stir in the coconut milk and vegetable broth.  Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes. 

Serve hot with fresh bread for dipping and sopping.  Serves 6-8 people.

Comments:
Taste:    

Everyone at dinner liked this soup.  Some people were unable to pick out the taste of the banana, specifically; however, I found it to be a noticeably pleasant, though subtle, addition.  Rachel agreed and enjoyed the soup, even though she had been nervous about the idea of bananas in soup.  She also commented that the soup was much heartier than other soups we've made in the past.  It was filling and went great with the rest of the meal.     

Accessibility:    

None of these ingredients are particularly unusual.  Feel free to use green bell peppers instead of red, as green would be cheaper.        

Ease of Preparation:   

This soup is certainly easy to make.  It takes about an hour to make from start to finish, but it's definitely worth it! 

Non-vegan friendliness:  

This soup was enjoyed by all non-vegans at dinner last night, and I would feel comfortable serving this to any group of people in the future.  It's a substantive soup that stands on its own.