Vegan Jamaican Style Picadillo

Spicy Latin American hash with rice, beans, veggies, nuts, raisins

Sample recipe from Vegan Fire and Spice by Robin Robertson.

SV NOTE: All the Vegan Fire and Spice recipes are sturdy, easy, and flexible - especially Picalillo, a deliciously spicy Latin American style hash with rice, beans, veggies, nuts and raisins.

The Jamaican Style Picadillo recipe is as written in Vegan Fire and Spice, but Robin says you should feel free to play with it - or any of her recipes.

Total prep & cook time: 50 min

4 Servings

Nutrition Data Per Serving, 274 g: 293 cal, 49g carb, 7g fat, 245mg sodium, 7g fiber, 10g protein, low Saturated Fat & Cholesterol, good source Manganese, Vit C. Estimated glycemic load 23

Picadillo Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp cold-pressed canola oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 or 2 hot chiles
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 2 tsp curry spice blend (Jamaican-style if possible)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp gr cumin

• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 (15.5 oz) can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed*
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat
2. Add the onion, bell pepper, chiles, garlic, and ginger
3. Cover and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes
4. Stir in the curry spices, salt, cumin, thyme, cayenne, and tomatoes
5. Add the black-eyed peas*, rice, peas, raisins, almonds, and water
6. Simmer, stirrying frequently, until the mixture is hot and the flavors are well blended, about 10 minutes

Recipe Tips:

Picadillo is incredibly flexible! The first time I made it, I left out the onions, substituted green beans for peas, cashews for almonds, olives for raisins, green curry paste for curry spice, olive oil for canola oil, and half a jalapeno pepper for the hot chiles. I used more cumin, and less cayenne. And it was still extremely delicious!

The second time I made Picadillo, I had all the ingredients except canned tomatoes and slivered almonds. So I used spaghetti sauce - that's why it's so red in the picture - and whole blanched almonds. Very Tasty! Picadillo would also be tasty with fresh tomatoes.

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