If you are a vegan and wondering what food is high in iron, this single pot, easy and comforting rice and beans recipe is great for your weekday meals. Not only this recipe gives a good dose of iron, but it also helps your body to absorb most of that iron more efficiently.
About Brazil
The host of the biggest carnivals in the world, Brazil is the fifth largest nation on the planet and the world’s largest producer of coffee. Brazilian food is greatly influenced by European, American, African, and some Japanese cuisine.
About the dish
Rice and beans! THE peasant meal (historically) on every continent. Most inexpensive to make, yet these have managed to shine and make their place in the culinary scene everywhere. Perhaps they are nourishment on a budget. Call it Jambalaya in America or Rajma Chawal in India (my absolute favorite), Red-Red in Ghana or Feijoada in Brazil, some version of this combination can be found in most countries.
When I reached out to Ingrid (@bestvegveganfood) to cook a Brazilian recipe with me, as a part of my project Across Kitchen Lines, where I am cooking local food with Chefs and Homecooks all over the world, she told me about Feijoada. Brazilian Feijoada is slow-cooked in a clay pot with chunks of pork.
About the guest
I learned about Feijoada from Ingrid(@bestvegveganfood), a vegan food enthusiast from Brazil, when I reached out to her for my project Across Kitchen Lines, where I am cooking traditional food with Chefs and Homecooks all over the world and posting my experience on my Instagram (here) and blog.
From Ingrid: “My name is Ingrid and I am originally from Brasil but I lived in UK since 2002.
I always loved to cook and my journey started when I was 17, my first dish was a pomadoro pasta, my husband says that I got him by the stomach.
I don’t have a cookbook but I created one with my grandmother and my mum’s recipes. I like to cook free style try and error.
I recently join a course with the happy pear vegan cuisine to see what I could add to my knowledge, understand few ingredients better.
I love watching cooking program and recently watched Cooked on Netflix, the bread section is amazing.
The dish we are making is a tipycal dish from Brazil and is believed to be created by the African slaves when Brazil was colonized by the Portuguese.
The legend is that the slaves decided to add the rest of the pork parts that the royals throw away to black beans. So the traditional feijoada is made with pig’s paw, nose, tail…But some people adapted with just sausage and pork loin.
Today I am very happy as we are making the VEGAN version that is delicious and no harm to animals.
This dish is full of nutrients and is served with rice, green cabbage, farofa, and orange.
The orange is to help with digestion from the pork meat, but I love sweet and savoury together so I add that as well.
In my version I add grilled carrots and coconut slices in barbecue sauce to give a crispness to the dish…
The dream is to have a plant based cafe by the sea and where the sun shines most part of the year .
Thank you so much for inviting me and giving me the opportunity to share a bit about the Brazilian cuisine.”
Recipe:
A single pot, vegan, high protein, umami-packed and comforting recipe for Feijoada, a Brazilian rice and bean dish. Serve with rice, sautéd greens and a slice of orange.
Brazilian Feijoada
A single pot, vegan, high protein, and comforting recipe for Feijoada, a Brazilian rice and bean dish. Serve with rice, sautéd greens and a slice of orange
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 medium onion
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 potato (white or sweet)
- 1 zucchini
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cilantro
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 8oz cans black beans
- 1 cup vegetable stock (optional)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Instructions
- Coarse blend onions in a blender by pulsing it a few times and dice potatoes and zucchini into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat and add bay leaf followed by onion paste. Add salt and stir and cook till onion is translucent.
- Add the cut vegetables and cook till you see some color on potatoes. Add all the spices and stir and cook for another minute.
- Add two cans of black beans, mix and let it cook for 3-5 mins.
- Add stock and water, mix and bring the mix to a boil on high heat.
- Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 20 mins or until most of the water has been absorbed by the vegetables.
- Serve with cilantro rice, sautéed greens, and a slice of orange.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 286Total Fat: 8gCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 13gProtein: 13g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate. I would not make any major life decisions based on this.
Closing words:
Ingrid’s love and enthusiasm for vegan food are contagious. You can’t help but get inspired and motivated to try all recipes she is making (without hurting any animals). I am positive that if you see her Instagram page or watch her YouTube videos, you are either going to want to try her homemade vegan cheese or the flourless cakes that look so amazing. I am in awe of the consistency and quality of content she produces.
Try out this high protein, comforting bowl of Brazilian Feijoada which is ready in less than 45 mins. Its stores very well, tastes amazing when served fresh and even better the next day. Add a slice of citrus to your meals, especially the ones with high iron food as the Vitamin C from citrus helps your body to absorb iron more efficiently.
If you are looking for any help in making this recipe or trying a vegetarian diet in general, feel free to reach out to me. You can comment here or DM me on Instagram. If you give this recipe a try, share your pictures with me on Instagram @t_as_in_tarun or use #acrosskitchenlines. If you have a recipe you want to cook with me, count me in! Please send me a message or leave a comment.
