Scotch Bonnet (or Habanero) Hot Salsa

 
My husband discovered scotch bonnet peppers when his love of Reggae music lead him to investigate Jamaican food so that I could cook it for him. We discovered that to make truly authentic Jamaican jerk we needed to have scotch bonnet peppers, which are as hot as habanero peppers but tangier.

We have never found scotch bonnet peppers for sale, so we ordered seeds online to see if they would grow well in Minnesota and as it turns out they have been very prolific every year. On the seed packet it says they should ripen to red, but ours always stay orange which makes for a very unique colored salsa. However, if you don't want to grow scotch bonnet peppers you can use habanero peppers and replace the apple cider vinegar in this recipe with distilled white vinegar to get a bit of the tang that habaneros lack. Later I'll post some jerk recipes, but I happen to be making this (my favorite) salsa today.

1/2 c. apple cider vinegar (or distilled white vinegar if you are using habanero peppers)
Juice of 1 lime, about 3-4 Tbsp.
3 tsp. agave nectar (I don't measure, I just do 3 squeezes of the bottle that look to be about 1 tsp. each)
3 large or 4 medium tomatoes, cores removed and roughly chopped (don't bother peeling them)
3-5 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
1 white onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 c. fresh cilantro (just tear off a big handful)
1 tsp. sea salt

1) Place all of the salsa ingredients into a blender and blend until chunky-smooth (more smooth than chunky but not totally pureed).
 
2) Pour the salsa into a large enough sauce pan so that you have at least 2 inches of space at the top of the pot because it foams as it begins to boil and it could boil over if your pot is too full.

3) Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a high-simmer. You want steam constantly coming off of the salsa so that you know it is evaporating and thickening.

4) Lightly boil the salsa for between 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, depending on how thick you want it. This is something you can have going on in the background without paying too much attention to it. Stir the salsa occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn at the bottom of the pot.

5) Once the salsa reaches a consistency you like, remove it from the heat and let it cool and then transfer to mason jars or a glass container and refrigerate. This keeps quite a long time (at least a couple of weeks) in the fridge but it's never stayed in ours long enough to know how long it would take to go bad.

The volume of salsa will depend on how big your tomatoes were and how long you boiled it. I usually end up with about 3 cups of salsa.

Garlic Bread

This is way better than the garlic bread you can buy in the store and much healthier since it has no preservatives (other that what's in the bread you buy). It's delicious with soups, stews, pasta and salads.

1 large loaf of crusty whole wheat or multi-grain bread
4-6 cloves of garlic
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
sea salt

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the loaf of bread in half lengthwise and place the two halves face up on a large piece of foil

2) Press the garlic into a small sauce pan (like the kind used to melt butter), add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat on the stove until it begins to boil. Sizzle the garlic in the oil for about 45 seconds and then remove from the heat.

3) Spoon the garlic & oil over both halves of the bread, sprinkle a little sea salt over each half, close the loaf and wrap it in tinfoil.

4) Bake the loaf in the oven for about 10 minutes until warm and crusty.

Germexican Beans

There is a precedent for this. According to Wikipedia a bunch of Germans started to immigrate to Mexico in the mid to late 19th century. That's where all of the bad Mexican lager beers come from. Why not, then, boil pinto beans in lager and then serve them with sour kraut atop toasted rye bread thus bringing together the fartiest foods from both cultures?

Germexican Beans on rye toast with sour kraut and rosemary garlic roasted potatoes.

1 lb. pinto beans, sorted, rinsed and soaked for 4-6 hours
1 white onion, roughly chopped
3 bay leaves
6 bottles of a German or Mexican lager, something not very hoppy
1 Tbsp. sea salt

1) After the beans have been soaked, rinse them and place them in a large soup pot or dutch oven along with the onion and bay leaves and cover with about 3 bottles of beer.

2) Bring the beer to a boil and reduce the heat to a low boil (more than a simmer). As the beans cook continue to add more beer as the liquid evaporates to keep the beans submerged in a good amount of liquid. When you run out of beer you can just add water after that.

3) After the beans have cooked for about 2 hours add 1 Tbsp. of sea salt and start testing the beans for softness. When the beans are completely tender let the liquid start to evaporate until they are in a thick rather than watery sauce.
 
Serve on toasted rye bread spread with whole grain German style mustard and topped with sour kraut. This makes about 5 cups of beans. 

Rosemary Garlic Potatoes

This is good for breakfast, brunch lunch and dinner...yes, not "or" dinner but "and" dinner. I could eat these all day. Whenever you are asked to supply a side dish for a get together (because all vegans eat are side dishes, right?) you can bring this and everyone will like it better than the meatloaf.

 
2-3 lbs. of potatoes (red, Yukon gold, new, fingerling, etc.), scrubbed & cut into 1" chunks
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
1.5 Tbsp. rosemary, minced (about 3-4 sprigs)
1 medium red onion, sliced however you like it
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1) Preheat the oven to 325. Place the chopped potatoes into a large baking dish and add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine well.

2) Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

3) Remove the foil, stir, and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes uncovered until the potatoes are tender.

Fermented Cucumber Pickles (raw)

You know how when you start college or join a team or take a class where they want there to be a lot of discussion they always have everyone go around and, "Say your name and something interesting about yourself"? I hate that. As soon as you say something is interesting it ends up sounding dorky unless the interesting thing about yourself is that you invented post-its. So I always say, "My name is Sarah and I love pickles a lot" because it's already dorky. But I do, I love pickles a lot.

You know those delicious kosher dill pickles that cost $4 per jar? Yeah, these are like those but better, and you can get 5 or more pounds worth in one batch. But you really need to get some good, fresh pickling cucumbers. We got a 5 pound bag at the local farmer's market. So go find some and make these. As I said in my post detailing fermented sour kraut, raw fermented vegetables contain that good bacteria for your intestinal flora that people think you need to eat yoghurt to get.

Fresh pickling cucumbers from the Mankato Farmer's Market

5 lbs. of pickling cucumbers, washed
Filtered water
Sea salt
Any desired flavorings, this time we used:
15 cloves garlic, halved lengthwise
2 tsp. caraway seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. allspice berries, lightly crushed
1 Tbsp. peppercorns, lightly crushed
6 stems of fresh dill flowers

1) Wash the cucumbers and place them in a large glass or ceramic jar or crock, making sure there is enough room to cover them with water and for the water to rise a little. We got a glass crock at Target for about $14.00.

2) Add your other spices and flavorings and intermingle them with the cucumbers.

3) Add the water and the salt by mixing them together in a measuring cup and stirring to dissolve the salt.
The amount is going to depend on the amount of cucumbers and the size and shape of your crock. The equation is that you need 3 Tbsp. of salt per 4 cups (32 oz.) of water. We had to mix 2 2/1 batches of water/salt solution and pour them over our cucumbers which turned out to be 10 cups of water and 7 1/2 Tbsp. of salt.

4) Once the cucumbers are submerged in water they must be weighted down to keep them submerged, you don't want floaters. We fill two 1 gallon baggies with water and double bag them and place them on top of the cucumbers.

5) Place the crock in a dry place that is not too hot and not too cold, about 65 degrees F (and it must be dark if you are using a glass crock), we use our hall closet. Let them ferment for about a 5-7 days. To make sure they're fermenting check for bubbles at the end of the first day or second day. When they taste like pickles and are still crisp they are done.

6) Once they are done transfer them to jars and cover them with the pickling liquid and store in the fridge for several months. Note: the liquid will become cloudy as they ferment.

Avocado Salsa

I use this solely as a topping for Black Bean Enchiladas but I'm sure it would also be good with tortilla chips, tacos, or even as a salad.

Dressing:
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. dijon or whole grain mustard
2 Tbsp. rice or white wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 Tbsp.)
1 scant tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Dash of hot sauce (optional)

Salsa:
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1-2 jalapenos, diced
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 a red onion, diced
3-4 avocados, diced
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced

1) In a large bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients.

2) Chop the vegetables and add them to the bowl. If you are making this ahead of time, don't chop up the avocados and tomatoes until you're ready to serve it. Toss and enjoy.

Black Bean Enchiladas

I don't love vegan cheese so when I make these enchiladas I make a fresh Avocado Salsa to spoon over the top of each serving, but top them with whatever you like.

You can make this by using canned black beans, but it is also delicious way to use the black beans from the recipe I posted earlier: A Big Pot of Black Beans. 

 
1/2 a recipe for  A Big Pot of Black Beans
or 2 15 oz. cans of black beans and 1 large onion, diced
1 recipe for Pico de Gallo (page down)
10 large tortillas, I like whole wheat
1 32 oz can of vegan enchilada sauce (I like Carlito's brand), or home made
1 recipe for Avocado Salsa

1) Preheat the oven to 350. If using canned black beans, heat a little olive oil in a saute pan and saute the diced onion until soft. Add the drained and rinsed beans and heat through. If using my black bean recipe just have the beans ready to use in a bowl.

2) Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of an 8 x 12 or 9 x 13 inch baking dish and spread a layer on the bottom of the dish. create an assembly line with the tortillas, black beans and pico de gallo.




3) Spoon some of the beans and some of the pico de gallo onto a tortilla and roll it up so that it is facing seem side down and transfer into the baking dish.

4) Once you have filled the baking dish spoon the rest of the enchilada sauce over the tortillas to completely cover them, you don't want them to dry out in the oven, and cover with foil.


5) Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees and then remove the foil, add vegan cheese if you are using any, and bake for another 5 or 10 minutes until lightly browned and bubbling. Serve topped with your favorite accompaniment.