Jamaican Feast!

We have a great little Jamaican restaurant here, Evelyn & Olive. And we were supposed to eat there last week for February's Vegan Drinks, but I had to cancel the event due to an ice storm. I'd been craving Evelyn & Olive's rice & peas, but no dice. Stupid ice.

But I had a can of Jamaican red peas in coconut milk in my pantry that I'd picked up from the international aisle at Kroger back in November. And there was a recipe on the back!

So tonight, I finally satisfied my Jamaican food craving!

The Jamaican Rice & Peas were so simple. I just combined the can of soft red peas in coconut milk with dry brown rice, green onion, garlic, water, and chopped habanero pepper. And then I cooked the dish just like I'd cook plain brown rice. It tasted so very similar to rice & peas at Evelyn & Olive!

I'd share the recipe, but it's on the can. And I think you'd need these specific peas to make this dish the same way. The coconut milk is all thickened and paste-like, and I'm not sure how it would convert using regular coconut milk and red beans.

But I will share a couple other recipes! To serve alongside the rice & peas, I made Fried Plantains with Sriracha Mayo.

When Megan hosted her Veggin' Out potluck back in October, she served Tostones with a Spicy Mayo, and it was so good! I wanted to recreate her sauce, and I could have just asked for the recipe. But I figured it'd be more fun to come up with my own version.

Fried Plantains with Sriracha Mayo
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1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 plantains, peeled and sliced
Salt to taste
1 Tbsp. vegan mayo
2 Tbsp. vegan sour cream
2 Tbsp. plant milk (I used coconut)
1 Tbsp. sriracha

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the plantains, and fry on one side until golden, about 5 minutes. Use tongs to flip each side, and fry on the other side until golden. When they're done, remove with tongs and place the slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Season with salt.

While the plantains are frying, mix the mayo, sour cream, plant milk, and sriracha in a small bowl. Drizzle the sauce over plantains to serve.
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At Evelyn & Olive, they serve a fresh Tomato-Cucumber Salad as a side. So I knew I wanted that with my home-cooked Jamaican feast, too. Here's what I whipped up. It would have been best with summer tomatoes, but hey, you gotta work with what you can in February.

Tomato-Cucumber Salad
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1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
3 roma tomatoes, halved and then sliced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Allow to sit and marinate for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

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To wash it all down, I drank some home-brewed Ginger Beer!

I've been brewing kombucha for more than a year now, but I've just started brewing ginger beer, and it's so easy. First you make a starter with sugar and fresh ginger, and then you use that to ferment a gallon-sized jug filled with ginger, sugar, and water. After a few weeks, it gets all fizzy, and then you bottle it. I'll be demonstrating how to make ginger beer and kombucha at Vida Vegan Con in Austin in May!