Last week I was at the grocery store searching high and low for the Indian spice fenugreek. I failed that mission, but instead I stumbled upon Jamaican allspice. What is the difference between Jamaican allspice and "regular" allspice, you ask? Umm...honestly I don't know. I bought it anyway.Now, let's fast forward to last night when I looking for inspiration for Taco Tuesday tonight. As I was flipping through this great new cookbook that I got for Christmas called The Taco Cleanse, I found a recipe for "redemption beans" which are a Jamaican style red bean that features allspice. Sounded good to me. I Dr. G'ed the recipe a bit and created these yummy tacos. One love, Jamaica baby.
Here is what we are making:
The kale chips take the longest, so let's make those first. If you are feeling particularly lazy you can buy them, and then you can skip your lazy butt to the next step.
The Kale Chips
You will need:
1 bunch of kale
garlic powder, to taste
nutritional yeast, to taste
drizzle of olive oil
pinch of salt (optional)
Come on, just make them yourself, they are so easy to make.
Ok, here is what you do. First wash and dry your kale. Get as much water off as you can. Now pre-heat your oven to 300F. Rip the leaves off the stems and tear them into bite sized pieces, toss them into a big bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt to taste. Massage those leaves until they are coated with all that good stuff you just sprinkled them with. Spread the kale in a single layer on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven for 25 minutes. So easy, right?
When they are done they will be crispy and delicious.
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| Notice that I chose habanero salsa, because I'm not a wimp. |
The Tacos
You will need:tortillas of your choice
whole lettuce leaves, any lettuce will work (one for each taco)
salsa of your choice or guacamole
Set this stuff aside for taco assembling later!
The Beans
You will need:
3 cups of red pigeon peas (or red kidney beans)
1 1/2 cups almond/coconut milk blend (you can also just use coconut milk, but the blend cuts the calories)
1 habanero pepper
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon allspice
3 cloves of garlic, pressed or smashed
3 scallions, crushed but left whole
pinch of salt to taste
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| The hot habanero hangs out alone. |
To get the beans started, heat the milk, scallions, garlic, bay leaves, spices and the habanero in a sauce pan. Don't bring it to a boil just a simmer...be cool. You want to almost steep the herbs and spices in the milk, like tea. Let those flavors get to know each other for 10 minutes or so. Then add in the beans and heat through, another 5 minutes or whatever, doesn't really matter...just leave them in there until you are ready to assemble the tacos.
Steeping the herbs and spices...
Herbs, spices, and milk making friends with the beans.
When you are ready to use the beans, take the herbs and spices (and pepper) out of the pot. If you need to thicken the liquid a little you can add some corn starch or flour. Set the beans aside for taco making in a few minutes.
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| FYI this is not a ripe plantain, when ripe they should be yellow with brown spots. Think over ripe banana. But, if you only have an under ripe one available, peel it and put it in the microwave for about 1 minute, problem solved. |
The Plantains
You will need:1 ripe plantain
cooking spray
These take 2 seconds to make. Cut your plantain up into rounds, spray a frying pan with cooking spray, and plop your plantains in. Cook them until they are golden brown on both sides. Sprinkle with salt if you wish. These can be dry fried if you would prefer to skip the cooking spray.
Ire man, let's build some tacos. Put your tortilla down first, then a lettuce leaf (helps protect the tortilla from the bean liquid), then pile on the beans, kale, plantain, and your condiments of choice. Enjoy a taste of paradise!
Who said that all tacos have to be Mexican? Certainly not me.
One love, happy eating, and best health,
Dr. G
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