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Christmas, Main Course, Vegan Mexican Recipes

Vegan Espagueti Verde Recipe

This vegan poblano cream sauce pasta, which is my version of an espagueti verde recipe is creamy, spicy, and delicious! This creamy poblano sauce is made with a combination of almonds, roasted poblano peppers, garlic, and cilantro. It’s blended until smooth then poured over your favorite pasta. My family usually makes it for Christmas, along with tamales, pozole, and buñuelos. It’s one of those dishes that is easy to make in large quantities so it’s perfect to take to a potluck or family gathering.

This is the first Mexican recipe I veganized and published on this blog. I can’t believe it’s been 4 years of blogging professionally!! So much has happened since I started, and I’ve learned so much. But there’s still so much more to do and learn, and there are hundreds of vegan Mexican recipes yet to be made vegan.

Along the way, I’ve discovered an amazing community of people just like me who are Mexican or Mexican-American who have taken the plunge into veganism and sorely missed the food of their mamas and abuelas. People like me who realize that food is such a big part of our culture and simply don’t want to miss out.

I hope my recipes inspire you to go vegan if you’re not already one, and if you are one, that these recipes can help keep the traditions alive in your family without the cruelty or detrimental effects to your health that eating an animal-based diet brings.

The Recipe: Espagueti Verde

This “cream” sauce is made with raw almonds. You can use cashews instead if you like, but I think cashews are too sweet for this. It’s pretty amazing that you can make a cream sauce with nothing but some nut and a blender!!

If you do not have a high powered blender, you will have to soak the almonds the night before, and peel.
Toss the sauce with the pasta in a large bowl. Do not heat up sauce, if the sauce gets too hot it could break.
You can pour this on pasta or vegetable noodles. It also makes a great salsa for tacos.
If this is not spicy enough for you, throw in a jalapeño with the poblano peppers in the oven.
Enjoy!

spaghetti on green poblano sauce in a white bowl

Poblano Cream Sauce Pasta

This vegan espagueti verde recipe is creamy, spicy and rich. The roasted poblano cream sauce is perfect for tossing pasta in.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: poblano cream sauce, vegan mexican, vegan pasta

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: servings

Author: Dora Stone

Ingredients

¾ cup Almonds, raw
¼ cup Unsweetened almond milk or vegetable oil (see note)
1 clove Garlic, peeled
1 tbsp. Chopped cilantro
1 tbsp. Lemon juice, fresh
1 cup Water
3 -4 Poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded
To taste Salt
To taste Pepper
1 lb. Spaghetti

Instructions

Boil salted water in a large pot.
Cook spaghetti according to the directions on the box.
Meanwhile, place the almonds, almond milk, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro,water, and poblano peppers in the blender.
Process until smooth, season with salt and pepper.
Drain spaghetti and place in a large bowl.
Add desired amount of sauce and toss.
Serve immediately.

Notes

You can add more poblano peppers or an extra jalapeño to increase the heat factor, but I wouldn’t recommend using less than three.
If you want a really creamy sauce use oil instead of almond milk.
If you do not have a high powered blender, pour boiling water over the almonds and let sit overnight. The following day, peel them, and use in the recipe as directed. You will have to reduce the amount of water to 1/2 cup, then adjust accordingly.

12/17/2018/9 Comments/by Dora S.

Gluten-free, Main Course, Vegan Mexican Recipes

Vegan Chiles en Nogada

These vegan chiles en nogada will transport you to the city of Puebla in the fall. This dish is one of the stars of Mexican cuisine, because it perfectly embodies why Mexican cuisine was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. It is painstakingly laborious, but don’t worry I have adapted it so you can make it at home in less than an hour. A roasted poblano chile is stuffed with a picadillo of pork (lentils in this version), sautéed in onion, garlic, and tomato puree with almonds, apples, olives, plantain, pear, capers, and raisins. It is bathed in a walnut cream sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.

The earliest versions of this dish can be found in cookbooks as early as 1817, and there are several theories or legends as to where it originated. Some say that the Agustinian Recollects of the Convent of St. Monica created the dish in honor of the emperor Agustin Iturbide who was in town and had played an important role in the recently won war for Mexican independence. The dish was meant to symbolize the three colors of the Mexican flag green, white, and red.

Another version says that three soldiers of Agustin’s regiment were returning home to Puebla after the war was won, and their girlfriends wanted to prepare a special dish for them. They each found an ingredient that represented the colors of the Mexican flag and said a prayer to our Lady of the Rosary and St. Paschal Baylon, thus chiles en nogada were born.

Regardless of their true origin, chiles en nogada today is a very popular dish only available in the fall, since it uses completely seasonal ingredients found in Puebla. Chiles in nogada season is highly anticipated in Mexico as it is a reflection of our national pride and the celebration of Mexico’s independence which is celebrated on September 16. Mexican cuisine is deeply integrated into the history, culture, and the community identity of the Mexican people, and this dish is only one example of the beauty and richness of it all.

The Recipe: Vegan Chiles en Nogada

You can add peach to the picadillo, but I prefer to leave it out. Traditionally the walnuts are peeled, but this takes insanely long, so instead I have just soaked them the night before. Instead of lentils you could use beefless crumbles, TVP or jackfruit. ¡Enjoy!

Vegan Chiles en Nogada

Vegan Chiles en Nogada, roasted poblano chile is stuffed with an aromatic picadillo, covered in walnut cream sauce and pomegranate seeds.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: chiles en nogada, chiles rellenos, vegan mexican recipes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: Servings

Calories: 446kcal

Author: Dora S.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups lentils dry
½ Onion, large
2 Garlic cloves, peeled, smashed
2 Large tomatoes, (see note)
4 Poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, seeds removed

Lentil picadillo:

¼ cup Water
½ Onion, minced (1 cup)
3 cloves Garlic, minced
¼ cup Pear, diced
¼ cup Apple, diced
¾ cup Peeled, diced green plantain
¼ cup Slivered almonds
2 ½ tbsp. Raisins
8 Manzanilla olives, quartered
1 tbsp. Chopped capers
1/4 tsp. Clove, ground
1/8 tsp. Cinnamon, ground
1/8 tsp. Ground black pepper

Sauce:

1 cup Walnuts, soaked in water the night before, drained
1 cup Almond milk, unsweetened
1 cup Baguette or bolillo, cut crust off, cut bread into cubes
1 tsp. Sugar or sweetener of choice
1 tsp. White wine
Salt to taste

Garnish:

1 Pomegranate, cut, peeled, and seeds removed
1/4 cup Chopped parsley

Instructions

Fill a medium pot with water and add lentils, ½ of an onion, and 2 smashed garlic cloves. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
While the lentils are cooking, place the two tomatoes and the poblano peppers on a sheet tray. Turn your oven broiler to high and place sheet tray on the top rack of the oven. Let them cook for a couple of minutes on each side until the tomato and the chiles begin to soften and have black spots all over. Remove from heat. Place the tomates and chiles in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest 5 minutes.
Drain the lentils, reserve 1 cup of the lentil cooking liquid, and using a potato masher, mash them to break them up.
Peel the poblano peppers, make 1 cut lengthwise with a knife, and remove the seeds. Set aside.
Remove half of the skin off of the tomatoes, and using a blender process them into a puree. Set aside.
Set a large pot to medium heat, add ¼ cup of water, and add onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes until onion begins to soften and look translucent.
Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add cooked lentils, mix well, and pour in tomato puree. Let cook for 3-4 minutes or until the puree begins to bubble and change to a darker red color.
Add clove, cinnamon, black pepper, plantain, apple, pear, almonds, olives, capers, and raisins. Stir mixture.
Add 1 cup of the liquid you reserved from the lentils, and simmer for 20 min or until the plantain is cooke through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
While the picadillo is cooking, soak the cut bread in the cup of almond milk for 5 minutes.
In a blender, place the soaked bread and milk, previously soaked and drained walnuts, sugar, and white wine, blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt. It should have the consistency of a cream sauce. If it is too thick, add more almond milk. Set aside.
Stuff the chiles rellenos with the lentil picadillo. Place the chiles seam side down on a plate. Pour walnut sauce over them, and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley.

Video

Notes

To save time you can buy pre-cooked lentils, and substitute the tomatoes with 1 cup of pureed roasted diced tomatoes (canned). Do not heat up the walnut sauce. Instead of lentils you could use TVP, beefless crumbles or jackfruit.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Chiles en Nogada

Amount Per Serving (1 chile en nogada)

Calories 446 Calories from Fat 252

% Daily Value*

Fat 28g43%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Sodium 374mg16%

Potassium 1279mg37%

Carbohydrates 70g23%

Fiber 17g71%

Sugar 24g27%

Protein 17g34%

Vitamin A 1630IU33%

Vitamin C 127.7mg155%

Calcium 198mg20%

Iron 5.5mg31%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

09/05/2017/2 Comments/by Dora S.

Classic Vegan Mexican, Gluten-free, Main Course, tacos, Vegan Mexican Recipes

Vegan Rajas con Crema Tacos

Rajas con crema is one of those true Mexican comfort dishes. Poblano peppers are roasted over an open flame, peeled, cut into strips, then sauted with onion, garlic, and corn. A thick, slightly sour “crema” is poured over the whole thing. It is spicy, creamy, and incredibly satisfying. Of course, the best way to eat this is in a taco. These vegan rajas con crema tacos will even impress your omnivore friends.

There’s something about the smell of roasting poblano peppers that evokes so many food memories and recipes. Before going to culinary school my dad had me work at his restaurant for 6 months. Let’s just say the cooks weren’t too happy to have me around. I peeled a lot of potatoes and cracked a lot of eggs. I’ll never forget the time they had me roast and peel tray after tray of poblano peppers. They of course could do it without even thinking, no gloves, quickly, one after the other. I think it took me about 3 hours to get them done, and by the end I was almost crying (or maybe I was crying) because my hands were burning. I’m sure they had a kick out of that.

Poblano chiles are readily available almost anywhere in the United States. I am even able to find them here in Hawaii! They are very versatile and can be used in soups, tacos, pasta, enchiladas, stews, and they can even be stuffed and fried. They are relatively mild on the heat scale depending on where you live. Roasting and peeling them is not complicated, as you can see in this video. This is a perfect summer dish for using up all of the sweet, tender corn at your farmer’s market. If you are staying away from nuts, you can omit the “crema” and serve with a salsa instead.

The heat here in Hawaii is starting to rise and ice cream, paletas, and aguas frescas have been on my mind lately. What recipes would you like to see?

The Recipe: Vegan Rajas con Crema Tacos

This recipe is pretty straight forward. You can skip the roasting of the poblano peppers if you’re in a hurry, but they will not be as tender as if you had roasted them. The crema can me made without oil by substituting it with unsweetened almond milk. I use the almonds with the peel on because I prefer the flavor, but if you are looking for a really white crema, you can use blanched almonds instead. Enjoy!

Vegan Rajas con Crema Tacos

Vegan Rajas con Crema tacos, roasted poblano peppers sautéed with onion, garlic, and corn and bathed in an almond crema.

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: poblano peppers, rajas con crema, vegan tacos

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: servings

Author: Dora Stone

Ingredients

Filling:

5 Poblano peppers,roasted, peeled, seeded, cut into strips
1/4 Water
1 Onion, white, large, thinly sliced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
3 ears Corn, kernels sliced off
½ cup Vegetable stock or broth

Crema: (see note)

½ cup Almonds, raw
1 clove Garlic
¾ cup Water
¼ cup Almond milk, unsweetened or vegetable oil (see note)
1 tbsp. Lemon juice fresh

Instructions

To make the filling:

Heat a large sauté pan to medium heat, add water. Add the onion and sweat for 2-3 minutes or until it is tender and translucent.
Add corn, garlic, and ½ cup of vegetable stock, cover and let steam until corn is tender, about 3 – 4 minutes.
Add the poblano peppers and let cook for 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Almond Crema:

Place the almonds, garlic, water,almond milk, and lemon juice in the blender and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the almond crema over the cooled filling and mix well.
Serve with warm corn tortillas.