12/31 Gwen’s Vegan Picadillo
Happy Meatless Monday and Happy New Year’s Eve
My mother-in-law Gwen is a wonderful cook. She is adventurous and can veganize anything. When I am with her it is abundantly clear where Sandy got her reckless, anything goes attitude in the kitchen. Gwen cooks for us every time we are together and it always feels like such a great honor. The night we showed up in Atlanta after a thirteen hour drive from Michigan, she had prepared a kitchen full of vegan snacks for us. The next day she had whipped up vegan stuffed red peppers. The day after that she had made vegan cream of broccoli soup. She is one of the few people in our lives that cooks for us and it has always made me feel so loved. Gwen and my father in law Frank have veganized several portions of their lives in an effort to protect and repair their health. Sandy and I have had a hand in that and that makes me feel proud and grateful because I love them so much.
The last time we were all in Florida together for our half marathon, Gwen veganized a traditional Cuban entree for us called Picadillo (pron: pick-a-deeyo). Picadillo is a regular dish found in many eateries in Miami, where Sandy and her parents lived for many years. It is an easy dish to prepare and only requires some upfront chopping of veggies.
Gwen’s Vegan Picadillo
(inspired from the cookbook Birds of Paradise) veganized by Gwen Boulton
Ingredients
1 lb meatless ground beef
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of freshly ground pepper (add more to taste)
1 Tbsp of olive oil
1/2 C finely chopped onion
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
1 small tomato, peeled, seeded, finely chopped
10 pimento stuffed green olives, finely chopped
1/4 C raisins
2 Tbsp drained capers, plus 1 Tbsp caper brine
1/2 to 3/4 C dry white wine
1 Tbsp tomato paste
Garnish with lime slices and dollop of guacamole
Make it Happen
In a medium sized bowl combine the meatless ground beef, cumin and pepper, set aside. Lightly coat a large saute pan with olive oil (or spray oil) and bring up to medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until soft but not brown, about 2 minutes, add garlic and cook another minute. Add tomato and cook for 2 minutes. Add the meatless ground beef mixture and continue to cook another minute. Stir in the olives, raisins and capers and continue to cook another 2 minutes.
Open the wine and pour a glass for yourself then stir in 3/4 C of the wine, tomato paste and caper brine and reduce heat. Gently simmer the mixture for 6 to 8 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. The Picadillo should be moist but not soupy. We started with 1/2 C of wine and added another 1/4 C during cooking as it looked a tiny bit dry and you want to keep it moist. While making a double batch last night we ended up drinking one glass of wine then adding the rest of the bottle to the Picadillo as we let it simmer and get flavorful. If you would like to use something other than wine, consider low sodium veg broth or water. Serves 2 to 4.
I topped ours with a dollop of store bought guacamole, and served with a slice of lime and blue corn tortilla chips for dipping. The Picadillo was filling and flavorful, the perfect dinner. We are planning on using our leftovers to create Empanadas. As soon as we do, I will share.
Have a delicious New Year.
Tags: easy vegan recipe, healthy Cuban food, vegan Cuban food, vegan entree, vegan Picadillo, vegan recipe, vegan wannabe
