LemonVinaigrette

One of my favorite food memories revolves around this rustic dish made with everyday staple ingredients.  I remember first trying this stew at a friend’s house, I was not vegan then so I was not worried about turning her food down.  She brought a pot with a stew of green chiles and potatoes cooked in milk to the table and ladled some onto my bowl, she apologized for serving such simple food but added that it was her favorite thing to eat. She served it with a scoop of the beans she had cooking on her stove and warm corn tortillas. We talked about our kids, family, goals and recipes that have been handed down from past generations.  The food was unpretentious, simple and real just like the conversation we had that day.

I used cashew milk in place of the cow’s milk to recreate this recipe, which works wonderfully because it thickens the sauce and makes it luscious.

Ingredients

• 4 poblano peppers
• 3 potatoes
• 1/2 small onion finely chopped
• 2 cups of water
• 1/3 cup raw cashews
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp vegan butter ( I use Earth Balance Organic )
• 1 tsp vegetarian soup base ( optional )

To serve

• Home cooked pinto beans
• corn tortillas

Preparation

Step 1 – Make the cashew milk; pour 2 cups of water into a blender, add the cashews and a pinch of salt; process until very smooth, set aside.

Step 2 – Roast the poblanos on a grill or comal, turning until they are charred all around; place in a plastic bag and let them steam for 25 minutes; scrape off the burned skin with a sharp knife,discard the seeds and stems and chop into thin strips. Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in the potatoes, cook until fork tender 15 – 20 minutes; drain and set aside.

Step 3 – add 1 tbsp vegan butter to a skillet, add the onion and saute until golden brown; add in the potatoes and the cashew milk; bring to a simmer, add 1 tsp soup base, salt and pepper to taste; stir in poblano strips and let cook for 15 – 20 minutes until milk has thickened and poblanos have turned the milk a little green; taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve with a spoonful of home cooked pinto beans and warm corn tortillas.  Enjoy!