A Vegan Foodgasm: Double IPA Braised Bean and Salsa Verde Bowl

This is one badass vegan and gluten free recipe that is sure to satisfy even the most carnivorous of friends kicked up with some California craft beer action!

So proud, this is my very first attempt at a Vegan recipe and it is pretty badass at that! It also happens to be gluten free! Not just some normal meal with no animals harmed in any way... but it is filling and totally kick ass complete vegan meal busting at the seams from the flavor EXPLOSION! Did I also mention it is made with some BEER!

It is well known, there are two things I don't fuck around with, FOOD and BEER!

So yeah I went ALLLL the way over the top for this puppy! I have been talking to my friend The Beer Wench and she wanted to know if any good vegetarian recipes existed for beer, there is of course the obvious beer mac and cheese, maybe beer cheese soup. But I took this shit to a whole nother level and went straight to vegan.... did I mention I like a challenge?!

I recently went to Brooklyn Uncorked and talked to a vegetarian chef and asked him, what kind of vegetarian dish would you make with beer? He told me he would braise the beans in some beer... then I got to thinking vegetarian chili, but when considering the West Coast and the fact it's summer, I decided to go with an IPA and that hoppiness would not lend itself well to a tomato base. So I thought outside the box and went TOTALLY outside my comfort zone and made a green base with tomatillos. But that was not crazy enough.... no I needed to fire roast ALLLLLL the components of the sauce since it is summer and roasting is generally my favorite way to make a sauce and to eat veggies. But that was not enough still... it needed rice, vegan yellow rice. But still that's not enough, my brother mentioned plantains- YES! It needed to happen STAT!

So this is not the easier or quickest thing to make- I need to be straight with you. But in the end you will have LOTS of delicious food, a vegan meal that eats like a steak dinner and you get to marvel at the beautiful fire roasted vegetables. They are super pretty!

This is a perfect summer meal: it can almost be done entirely on the grill, it's light, but filling and it's made with beer and would go incredibly well paired with a pint Stone Ruination Imperial IPA.

If anything you NEED to make this fire roasted salsa verde- it is MAGICAL, sweet and just a little spicy! I love Mexican food!

Oh and this mofo is healthy.... super healthy, no cholesterol and only healthy fat from EVOO and Coconut Oil with LOTS of fiber! So this is a GREAT recipe to make if you are participating in The Summer Weight Loss Challenge.

What you need

Beer Braised Beans

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups Double IPA (I used Stone Ruination)
(Note:Use Gluten Free beer for those who cannot eat Gluten

Yellow Rice

2 cups brown rice
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon tumeric

Fire Roasted Salsa Verde

14 tomatillos (small, ripe and unhusked)
3 large cloves of garlic
1 1/2 large green frying pepper
1 large serrano chili pepper
1/2 large vidallia onion, sliced as rings (for easy grilling)
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Grilled Plantains

2 large ripe plantains
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon vegan sugar
juice of 1/2 lime

 

How to make it

Beer Braised Beans

Preheat oven to 350º
1- In a cast iron skillet on medium heat, drizzle in the olive oil and let it heat up for about a minute.
2- Add in your onions, let them cook until caramelized for about 5 minutes.
3- Add in your beans and garlic, saute' and let the beans get a little browned and crack open a bit for about another 5-8 minutes.
4- Pour in your beer let it simmer a minute and then transfer skillet into the oven for about 25 minutes.

Fire Roasted Salsa Verde

1- Heat your outdoor grill on medium-high flame.
2- Toss all ingredients on the grill aside from liquids and grill for abour 10 minutes on each side.
3- Carefully husk tomatillos and remove singed skin from peppers and the seeds from the serrano chilli for a more mild flavor.
4- Pulse all grilled vegetables in the food processor, add in your EVOO, lime juice and add some salt and pepper to taste.
5- Mix into beer braised beans or serve on top.

Yellow Rice

1- In a medium saucepan on medium heat, add all ingredients. Let cook at medium until most of the liquid has been evaporated (about 15-20 minutes)
2- Cover pan and place on low for another 10 minutes, be sure to check on it. When done leave covered to keep flavor in.

Plantains

1- in a small bowl melt coconut oil in the microwave for about 20 seconds.
2- Add in sugar and lime juice and whisk until dissolved.
3- Cut plantains in half lengthwise and halve again horizontal if desired, brush on coconut oil mixture and grill on medium-high heat 1 minute on each side. CAREFUL flipping them and when brushing on that mixture, it make the grill flame up.