And Another Brilliant #WFPB Supper at Packsun

It was a quiet affair, just Fr. David (St. Helena's) and myself with the owner of the restaurant (Khokon), plus one other Bangladeshi visitor who wanted to sample what we were having.

Muhammed (Khokon) Rahman

Cucumber Salad

Super simple, but effective:

• Cucumber, diced
• Cilantro
• Peppers
• Salt & Pepper
• Chilis
• Lemon juice

Okra in Lentil Sauce and Eggplant over GABA Brown Basmati Rice

Two dishes, first a lentil sauce:

Lentil Sauce with Okra

• Onions
• Garlic 
• Turmeric
• Chilis
• Lentils
• Okra(added last, so as not to overcook it)

 Along with this a Eggplant sauté (yes, oil-free - sautéed in water)

Eggplant Sautée with Peppers and Onions

• Eggplant
• Peppers
• Onion
• Garlic
• Cilantro

It all really ends up being incredibly simple once you have a sense for the condiments. 
You set up every vegetable dish with onions (some thinly sliced chilis if you want), and then add garlic when the onions get soft. As needed, you can add some water or vegetable broth, but some veggies will produce enough water by themselves when you cook them.
Besides knowing the right level of spiciness (the chilis), what matters is to know where the condiments add the most flavor and where they don't fit at all. Cilantro, turmeric etc. are strong flavors, so you need to know what you are doing.

To Khokon it all comes natural. He is the philosopher in the kitchen.

Rogier's Black Bean Salsa

This recipe is based on Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr.'s book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, where on page 161 is his recipe for Best Black Bean Salsa. I wrote about some of my variations on the recipe before, but here it is in full:

Using ingredients from the neighborhood:

1. 1 lb. Wild Harvest organic black beans (from Pioneer at 1345 Castle Hill Avenue)
2. Optional: one 15 Oz can of Corn (Goya, other).
3. 1 17.6 Oz. Jar of Green Salsa (Pioneer, Key Foods and Chang-li all have it _ Goya or other brands).
4. 1 7 Oz. or 12 Oz. can of Chipotle peppers in adobo saus (La Morena, La Costeña, at Chang-Li, Pioneer or Key Food)
5. 1 can of sliced Jalapeño Peppers
6. 2-3 limes
7. One bunch of fresh Cilantro
8. Chunk of Kombu seaweed, sheets, or knots (from Chang-Li), alternatively use Savory (either summer or winter variety of Savory is good). Note: either kombu seaweed or savory is very helpful for the digestion of beans, and either adds depth to the flavor.

Preparation:

• Sort and rinse the beans and the seaweed.
• Cook the beans with the Kombu, or Savory about 45 minutes on a slow simmer after you bring it to the boil.
• While it cooks, squeeze the 2-3 limes (depending on size), chop the Cilantro leaves, and chop the Chipotle peppers. Drain the corn.
• Drain, remove Kombu, if you used it.
• Add in the chopped Cilantro leaves, the lime juice, chipotle peppers and the adobo sauce. 
• Mix, put away in the fridge. Best served next day.

Serving Suggestion:

Serve on puffed rice crackers, or you could use corn chips, but I don't like them because they are made with oil, and often it is canola oil, which I believe is unfit for human consumption and should be reserved for axle-grease, even aside from the no-oil directives of Dr. Esselstyn.