Maybe it’s being snowbound in the Carolinas because of Winter Storm Jonas . . .
Or maybe it’s binge-watching Mozart in the Jungle . . .
But I’ve been craving Brazilian food.
(OK, I know that Rodrigo is from Mexico City, but I’m at the point in Season 2 where the New York Symphony is touring Latin America!)
Whatever the reason, I decided to resurrect one of my all-time favorite vegan recipes for dinner on a snowy evening.
Feijoada has been a staple in my culinary repertoire ever since I was introduced to the dish by Frances Moore Lappé in her seminal book, Diet for a Small Planet. It seemed super exotic to me as a teen, and the hearty flavor of the beans is very satisfying on a cold winter evening.
This is a new variation on the version I included in Fool a Carnivore. I’ve revised the steps to make it in my Cuisinart 3-in-1 Cook Central Slow Cooker, which allows me to sauté my onions and veggies in the slow cooker using the brown/sauté function. This eliminates the need for a skillet, as well as the liners I used in my old slow cooker, because the Cook Central is so easy to clean. I’m sure there are good slow cookers with the brown/sauté function from other manufacturers. But when I did my research, the Cuisinart Cook Central was the one that topped all the reviews, so it’s the one I bought and have enjoyed using.
Here is a photo of my sautéed veggies in the slow cooker:
I’ve also upped the spiciness of this version by adding cayenne, cloves, more cumin, and using only the Field Roast Mexican Chipotle, instead of mixing it with the Field Roast Italian Sausage, as I did in my original version.
Another big difference in this recipe is that I used Organic Black Beans from Fig Food Co. I truly love Fig Food Co. products and their organic black beans are first rate. Since they only contain organic black beans and water (no salt!), I’ve eliminated the stock, and just used the tasty liquid from the convenient BPA-free pouch. I’ve tasted the Fig black beans against canned organic black beans from several other sources, and the difference is amazing. Of course, nothing beats making your own organic black beans from dried beans – but that takes a lot of extra time. So, if you forgot to soak your dried beans overnight (like I did!), it is super convenient to have some good quality cooked beans in your pantry that are ready to use.
I served this new version with a delicious Toasted Coconut Cornbread
and a refreshing Avocado and Citrus Salad over Spinach and Arugula.
I’m sending those recipes out soon to my wonderful subscribers, so if you’d like to receive them, please click on the sidebar and become a subscriber now. Becoming a subscriber is free, and you’ll also receive my free guide to The Good, the Bad, and the Not So Tasty, so that you don’t waste your money on meat analogues (my pet name for plant-based protein products), that aren’t tasty and appealing.
I’d love to hear what you think of my new version of Feijoada!
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large organic onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 organic red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 organic green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 teaspoon organic ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon organic cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon organic ground cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup chopped organic fresh tomatoes (try quartered grape tomatoes since they hold their shape well)
- 3 15-ounce pouches of organic black beans from Fig Food Co., including the liquid
- 2 oranges, zested and juiced
- 1 orange, peeled, sectioned and chopped
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- ¼ cup red wine
- 4 Field Roast Mexican Chipotle Sausages
- 1–2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (optional)
- ½–1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)
- Cooked organic long grain brown rice
- If you’re using the Cuisinart Cook Central (or another slow cooker that has a brown/sauté function), put it on brown/sauté, and turn the temperature to 275 degrees. Add the olive oil, and sauté the onion for 7-8 minutes. When the onion is translucent, add the garlic, and then the celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes and add the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, cumin, cayenne, cloves, bay leaves, salt and pepper. If you aren’t using a slow cooker with a brown/sauté function, just do step 1 in a skillet, and then add the skillet contents to the slow cooker before you begin step 2.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, black beans (including the modest amount of liquid in the pouch) orange zest and juice, orange, lime zest and juice, and red wine. Cook on high for 5 hours.
- About 30 minutes before you are ready to serve, remove the casings and chop or crumble the Field Roast sausages into small pieces. Add the chopped or crumbled sausage pieces to the slow cooker and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Add the optional cider vinegar and hot pepper sauce right before serving your Feijoada over plenty of cooked long grain brown rice.
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