BLA CK RICAN VEG A N LYANA BLOUNT Founder of Black Rican Vegan Fire Plant-Based Recipes from a Bronx Kitchen Growing up in a Puerto Rican and Black household, Lyana Blount knew from a young age that food was a love language, and it was one she intended to master. After going vegan, she set out to capture the flavor, vibrancy and love in her family’s recipes with lighter plant-based ingredients. And with that, her NYC pop-up Black Rican Vegan was born! In this personal collection of recipes, Lyana shares the secrets behind the vegan, Latin soul food she’s famous for, so you can make her incredible meals right in your own kitchen and enjoy healthier versions of beloved classics. These 60 dishes combine crowd-pleasing favorites from the Black Rican Vegan menu, OG meals from the five boroughs and passed-down family recipes. Make Puerto Rican fare like Holiday Vernil, Vegan Chicharrón sin Carne, Mofonguitos con Vegan Camarones and Sopa de Salchichón. Celebrate the diverse NYC food scene with recipes like One Word . . . Moxtails, NYC Bacun Eggin Cheeze, Succulent Birria Tacos, Titi’s Lasagna for Dad and Bronx Fried Oyster Mushrooms. Lyana’s ingenious plant-based swaps will have you wowing your friends and family with ridiculously good meals no one will believe are vegan. Because after all, food is love, and nothing helps you share that more than the incredible plant-based recipes in Black Rican Vegan. LYANA BLOUNT is the founder of the pop-up restaurant Black Rican Vegan. She has been featured in the New York Times, Buzzfeed, The Infatuation and more. Black Rican Vegan has appeared at the New York Times Food Festival, Vegandale and was the first vegan vendor at the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York. Lyana runs a one-woman show out of her commercial kitchen in Harlem, and lives in the Bronx. BLACK RI C A N V E G A N LY A N A B LO U N T 9 781645 677734 52399> ISBN 978-1-64567-773-4 $23.99 PAGE STREET PUBLISHING CO. COOKING / Vegan US $23.99 / CAN $30.99 PAGE STREET PUBLISHING CO.48 84 134 FAMOUS BLACK RICAN VEGAN SWEETS & TREATS All About the Family 8 Acknowledgments 157 About the Author 157 Index 159 112 WE BRUNCH ON SUNDAYS 144 BOOGIE DOWN ROOTS48 84 134 FAMOUS BLACK RICAN VEGAN SWEETS & TREATS All About the Family 8 Acknowledgments 157 About the Author 157 Index 159 112 WE BRUNCH ON SUNDAYS 144 BOOGIE DOWN ROOTS8 Black Rican Vegan 9 ALL ABOUT THE FAMILY Hi everyone, first and foremost—if you’re reading this, it means you are supporting my effort to bring nostalgic Puerto Rican/soul-inspired vegan dishes to everyone in the country, and for that, I thank you. Writing this book helps me share my recipes by passing the plate into your home and heart. Let me share my story so you can get an idea of how this Black/Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx became the Black Rican Vegan. Let’s start with my maternal grandparents. Grandma Margarita Larriu and Grandpa Ramon Martinez were both born in Puerto Rico. My grandma is from Aguadilla and my grandpa is from Vega Baja. They both migrated to New York City—the Bronx specifically—where they met, married and went on to have four children, two boys and two girls, the youngest of the siblings being . . . Lizandra, my mom. While she was growing up, my grandma was the primary caregiver and cook in the family, but my grandpa was also a great cook. He cooked with a flourish and made sure there were vegetables with every meal. He came to New York City at an older age than my grandma, so he was more in tune with the native delicacies of the island. He made elaborate breakfasts at times which included omelets filled with bacalao (salted codfish) and okra. He would make lunches of fritura (fried foods), including bacalaitos (codfish fritters) and chicharrón (fried chicken or pork chunks) with panapan (breadfruit). For dinner, he would make dishes with root vegetables, such as ñame, yautia, malanga and more. My mom, being the youngest, was connected at the hip to my grandpa, and she watched and learned to cook and appreciate those same dishes while growing up. Though she grew up with both her parents in the house, I was raised primarily by my mom and maternal family. My father, who was African American, was in the home until I was six years old. My dad was from the South, so my diet was made up mostly of Puerto Rican and southern soul food. My mom learned to make the dishes my dad liked, which included smoked neck bones with black-eyed peas, fried catfish with baked mac ’n’ cheese and collard greens, and fried chicken with potato salad, just to name a few. We had a diverse menu at home, but the one thing that remained constant was, like my grandpa, my mom made sure we had vegetables at every meal. Times were hard back then; fresh veggies weren’t always available and affordable, so even if it meant it was canned corn or frozen green beans, we had a vegetable on our plate every night. Because of that rule, my love of vegetables started early. Once my parents split, my mom was a single mom of three at the age of twenty-three. She wanted to finish her educa- tion to give us a better life, so she worked a full eight-hour day, then attended school at night, so we ate our meals at grandma’s house where we were cared for by my grandma, grandpa and my mom’s brother, Tio Ramon. Tio Ramon would cook on most days and, being the inquisitive kid I was, I would go into the kitchen with him to escape my brother and sister’s shenanigans. I watched as he made a lot of the same dishes my mom had learned to make from my grandpa, as well as many of his own creations. His soups and stews are A1 (hence a whole chapter dedicated to them). By age eight, I was cooking alongside him and my mom on the days she was home early. Even though my mom was the youngest of her siblings, she always took care of everyone, and our house was where all the family gatherings took place. It was always a great time for us as my mom loved to host the family. There was always salsa music playing (she and Tio Ramon also taught me and my siblings how to dance salsa, merengue and bachata) and enough food on the table to feed everyone and provide take-home plates for all the guests. This was her love language. Our family was always connected by love, food and togetherness, which makes most of my childhood memories so special. I am the middle child in my family. I have an older sister and a younger brother. As I got older and my mom worked two jobs to make ends meet, I began cooking for my siblings. I didn’t see it as a chore; it was my love language to them. Of course, I was still learning, and my mom would help me tweak the recipes or correct me when I made a mistake, but overall, the kitchen was my happy place. While my childhood dishes were delicious, they weren’t the healthiest. Traditional Puerto Rican/soul food dishes are made with a lot of fats, oils and butter and are high in starches and sugars. While growing up, I noticed that this contributed to quite a few of my family members’ suffering and some even passed away from food-related ailments, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. I wanted to end that cycle and provide a healthier alterna- tive for my family and friends. In 2016, I made the decision to go vegan. I wanted to live a more holistic lifestyle and remove animal products from my diet. I did it for my health and overall well-being. In 2020, I realized that the vegan food I was eating lacked something. I missed the flavors of love I was used to and did not want to lose the culture and tradition from my childhood meals, so I decided that I would cook nostalgic dishes, such as pasteles (meat-filled tamales), pernil (pork shoulder) and arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), and meatloaf and mashed potatoes, but put my own vegan twist on them. During the pandemic, I was on lockdown and began cooking my vegan Puerto Rican/soul dishes for myself and then posting pictures on social media just for fun. The feedback I received was overwhelming! I began to get requests for the meals! People were willing to pay for my food?! What the hell?! It all began with putting out a basic menu that I cooked in my little kitchen in my Bronx apart- ment in April 2020. The orders came pouring in and I sold out in minutes. The next week, the same thing happened . . . and that’s when the lightbulb went on! Black Rican Vegan was born! I haven’t stopped putting out a menu or selling out ever since! I now cook in a professional commercial kitchen in Harlem. My motto has been “What the people want, the people get!” I ask my followers what their favor- ite dishes are and what they would like to see on the menu any given week. If you are familiar with the nonvegan versions of the dishes in this book, I want you to take a trip down memory lane and taste your childhood. Transport yourself to another time and place with these flavors that are both new and familiar at the same time. If you are new to these recipes, my hope is that this cookbook will change your perspec- tive on veganism and show you that flavor doesn’t have to be compromised to live a plant-based lifestyle. I want these recipes to be continually passed down and re-created as your own. These recipes are an extension of me. I want to welcome you into my heart and share my love language with you. This cookbook will make you laugh (hopefully), cry (happy tears) and teach you unique and innovative ways of cooking vegan food that will definitely make you the star of the show at any gathering you host. These recipes will not only fill your stomach, but fill your soul. With mucho love y cariño, The Black Rican Vegan Repro: Silhouette8 Black Rican Vegan 9 ALL ABOUT THE FAMILY Hi everyone, first and foremost—if you’re reading this, it means you are supporting my effort to bring nostalgic Puerto Rican/soul-inspired vegan dishes to everyone in the country, and for that, I thank you. Writing this book helps me share my recipes by passing the plate into your home and heart. Let me share my story so you can get an idea of how this Black/Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx became the Black Rican Vegan. Let’s start with my maternal grandparents. Grandma Margarita Larriu and Grandpa Ramon Martinez were both born in Puerto Rico. My grandma is from Aguadilla and my grandpa is from Vega Baja. They both migrated to New York City—the Bronx specifically—where they met, married and went on to have four children, two boys and two girls, the youngest of the siblings being . . . Lizandra, my mom. While she was growing up, my grandma was the primary caregiver and cook in the family, but my grandpa was also a great cook. He cooked with a flourish and made sure there were vegetables with every meal. He came to New York City at an older age than my grandma, so he was more in tune with the native delicacies of the island. He made elaborate breakfasts at times which included omelets filled with bacalao (salted codfish) and okra. He would make lunches of fritura (fried foods), including bacalaitos (codfish fritters) and chicharrón (fried chicken or pork chunks) with panapan (breadfruit). For dinner, he would make dishes with root vegetables, such as ñame, yautia, malanga and more. My mom, being the youngest, was connected at the hip to my grandpa, and she watched and learned to cook and appreciate those same dishes while growing up. Though she grew up with both her parents in the house, I was raised primarily by my mom and maternal family. My father, who was African American, was in the home until I was six years old. My dad was from the South, so my diet was made up mostly of Puerto Rican and southern soul food. My mom learned to make the dishes my dad liked, which included smoked neck bones with black-eyed peas, fried catfish with baked mac ’n’ cheese and collard greens, and fried chicken with potato salad, just to name a few. We had a diverse menu at home, but the one thing that remained constant was, like my grandpa, my mom made sure we had vegetables at every meal. Times were hard back then; fresh veggies weren’t always available and affordable, so even if it meant it was canned corn or frozen green beans, we had a vegetable on our plate every night. Because of that rule, my love of vegetables started early. Once my parents split, my mom was a single mom of three at the age of twenty-three. She wanted to finish her educa- tion to give us a better life, so she worked a full eight-hour day, then attended school at night, so we ate our meals at grandma’s house where we were cared for by my grandma, grandpa and my mom’s brother, Tio Ramon. Tio Ramon would cook on most days and, being the inquisitive kid I was, I would go into the kitchen with him to escape my brother and sister’s shenanigans. I watched as he made a lot of the same dishes my mom had learned to make from my grandpa, as well as many of his own creations. His soups and stews are A1 (hence a whole chapter dedicated to them). By age eight, I was cooking alongside him and my mom on the days she was home early. Even though my mom was the youngest of her siblings, she always took care of everyone, and our house was where all the family gatherings took place. It was always a great time for us as my mom loved to host the family. There was always salsa music playing (she and Tio Ramon also taught me and my siblings how to dance salsa, merengue and bachata) and enough food on the table to feed everyone and provide take-home plates for all the guests. This was her love language. Our family was always connected by love, food and togetherness, which makes most of my childhood memories so special. I am the middle child in my family. I have an older sister and a younger brother. As I got older and my mom worked two jobs to make ends meet, I began cooking for my siblings. I didn’t see it as a chore; it was my love language to them. Of course, I was still learning, and my mom would help me tweak the recipes or correct me when I made a mistake, but overall, the kitchen was my happy place. While my childhood dishes were delicious, they weren’t the healthiest. Traditional Puerto Rican/soul food dishes are made with a lot of fats, oils and butter and are high in starches and sugars. While growing up, I noticed that this contributed to quite a few of my family members’ suffering and some even passed away from food-related ailments, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. I wanted to end that cycle and provide a healthier alterna- tive for my family and friends. In 2016, I made the decision to go vegan. I wanted to live a more holistic lifestyle and remove animal products from my diet. I did it for my health and overall well-being. In 2020, I realized that the vegan food I was eating lacked something. I missed the flavors of love I was used to and did not want to lose the culture and tradition from my childhood meals, so I decided that I would cook nostalgic dishes, such as pasteles (meat-filled tamales), pernil (pork shoulder) and arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), and meatloaf and mashed potatoes, but put my own vegan twist on them. During the pandemic, I was on lockdown and began cooking my vegan Puerto Rican/soul dishes for myself and then posting pictures on social media just for fun. The feedback I received was overwhelming! I began to get requests for the meals! People were willing to pay for my food?! What the hell?! It all began with putting out a basic menu that I cooked in my little kitchen in my Bronx apart- ment in April 2020. The orders came pouring in and I sold out in minutes. The next week, the same thing happened . . . and that’s when the lightbulb went on! Black Rican Vegan was born! I haven’t stopped putting out a menu or selling out ever since! I now cook in a professional commercial kitchen in Harlem. My motto has been “What the people want, the people get!” I ask my followers what their favor- ite dishes are and what they would like to see on the menu any given week. If you are familiar with the nonvegan versions of the dishes in this book, I want you to take a trip down memory lane and taste your childhood. Transport yourself to another time and place with these flavors that are both new and familiar at the same time. If you are new to these recipes, my hope is that this cookbook will change your perspec- tive on veganism and show you that flavor doesn’t have to be compromised to live a plant-based lifestyle. I want these recipes to be continually passed down and re-created as your own. These recipes are an extension of me. I want to welcome you into my heart and share my love language with you. This cookbook will make you laugh (hopefully), cry (happy tears) and teach you unique and innovative ways of cooking vegan food that will definitely make you the star of the show at any gathering you host. These recipes will not only fill your stomach, but fill your soul. With mucho love y cariño, The Black Rican Vegan Repro: Silhouette1011 Grandma’s Relleno de Papa 13 Luz’s Corned Beef Hash 16 Pastelillos 21 Alcapurrias 22 Holiday Vernil 25 Vistec Encebollado 26 Arroz con Gandules Wepa! 29 Chopped Cheese Ya Heard! 30 Mom’s Potato Salad Reinvented 33 Vegan Chicharrón sin Carne 34 Vegan Puerto Rican Pastelón 37 Maggie’s Quick and Easy Gazpacho 38 Titi’s Lasagna for Dad 43 Succulent Birria Tacos 46 This chapter is near and dear to my heart. These are some of my favorite foods that I grew up eating and did not want to give up when I went vegan, so I found unique ways to make them with a plant-based twist. You’ll learn a lot about Puerto Rican cuisine and soul food and about my crazy family. This chapter will be nostalgic and heartfelt. Cook- ing is a love language to me, and I am so happy to share my food with you. Get your plants and pots and pans ready; you’re in for a treat!1011 Grandma’s Relleno de Papa 13 Luz’s Corned Beef Hash 16 Pastelillos 21 Alcapurrias 22 Holiday Vernil 25 Vistec Encebollado 26 Arroz con Gandules Wepa! 29 Chopped Cheese Ya Heard! 30 Mom’s Potato Salad Reinvented 33 Vegan Chicharrón sin Carne 34 Vegan Puerto Rican Pastelón 37 Maggie’s Quick and Easy Gazpacho 38 Titi’s Lasagna for Dad 43 Succulent Birria Tacos 46 This chapter is near and dear to my heart. These are some of my favorite foods that I grew up eating and did not want to give up when I went vegan, so I found unique ways to make them with a plant-based twist. You’ll learn a lot about Puerto Rican cuisine and soul food and about my crazy family. This chapter will be nostalgic and heartfelt. Cook- ing is a love language to me, and I am so happy to share my food with you. Get your plants and pots and pans ready; you’re in for a treat!12 Black Rican VeganNostalgic Food That Brings Me Back Home 13 GRANDMA’S RELLENO DE PAPA Makes 8 Rellenos de papas—fried mashed potato balls stuffed with ground beef—are a popular Puerto Rican street food. When I was seven years old, my grandmother, who was born in Puerto Rico, made me my first relle- no de papa, and I instantly fell in love. And who could blame me? The warm hug of the mashed potatoes and the savory meat filling was incredibly delicious. Fast-forward to 2016, when I became a vegan. Tradi- tional rellenos de papas were off the menu, but I was determined to keep this taste memory alive by creating a vegan twist on my childhood favorite. With a few tweaks, I was able to make the potatoes vegan. The filling took a little more work, but I brought in meaty oyster mushrooms to stand in for the beef and cooked them with sofrito to infuse the filling with Latin flavor. For a more traditional beef texture, you can also use plant- based meat for the filling. If you’re new to rellenos de papas, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind. Be sure there isn’t too much fill- ing, because the ball will be hard to close and too big to eat. When it’s time to fry, grab a pot or a skillet with high sides. If you want to make them ahead, stuff and shape the balls, then refrigerate or freeze them. If they’re frozen, let them thaw in the fridge before breading and frying. Once they’re fried, serve them hot and watch them disappear! COMPRA LIST Potato Mixture 3 lb (1.4 kg) russet potatoes 1 tbsp (18 g) plus 2 tsp (12 g) kosher salt, divided 6 tbsp (85 g) vegan butter ¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch Filling and Deep-Frying 1 lb (455 g) fresh oyster mushrooms ½ medium-sized bell pepper, any color 1 large clove garlic 4 cups (946 ml) plus 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil, divided 2 tbsp (30 ml) Sofrito (page 147) 1½ tsp (1 [4-g] packet) Sazón or my homemade Sazón (page 152) 1 tsp kosher salt ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 8 pitted green olives (optional) ¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch (continued) Circa 1996. From left to right is me, my grandma, my brother and my sister.12 Black Rican VeganNostalgic Food That Brings Me Back Home 13 GRANDMA’S RELLENO DE PAPA Makes 8 Rellenos de papas—fried mashed potato balls stuffed with ground beef—are a popular Puerto Rican street food. When I was seven years old, my grandmother, who was born in Puerto Rico, made me my first relle- no de papa, and I instantly fell in love. And who could blame me? The warm hug of the mashed potatoes and the savory meat filling was incredibly delicious. Fast-forward to 2016, when I became a vegan. Tradi- tional rellenos de papas were off the menu, but I was determined to keep this taste memory alive by creating a vegan twist on my childhood favorite. With a few tweaks, I was able to make the potatoes vegan. The filling took a little more work, but I brought in meaty oyster mushrooms to stand in for the beef and cooked them with sofrito to infuse the filling with Latin flavor. For a more traditional beef texture, you can also use plant- based meat for the filling. If you’re new to rellenos de papas, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind. Be sure there isn’t too much fill- ing, because the ball will be hard to close and too big to eat. When it’s time to fry, grab a pot or a skillet with high sides. If you want to make them ahead, stuff and shape the balls, then refrigerate or freeze them. If they’re frozen, let them thaw in the fridge before breading and frying. Once they’re fried, serve them hot and watch them disappear! COMPRA LIST Potato Mixture 3 lb (1.4 kg) russet potatoes 1 tbsp (18 g) plus 2 tsp (12 g) kosher salt, divided 6 tbsp (85 g) vegan butter ¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch Filling and Deep-Frying 1 lb (455 g) fresh oyster mushrooms ½ medium-sized bell pepper, any color 1 large clove garlic 4 cups (946 ml) plus 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil, divided 2 tbsp (30 ml) Sofrito (page 147) 1½ tsp (1 [4-g] packet) Sazón or my homemade Sazón (page 152) 1 tsp kosher salt ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 8 pitted green olives (optional) ¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch (continued) Circa 1996. From left to right is me, my grandma, my brother and my sister.Next >