This vegan journey has been really interesting. I’ve had to navigate through  a whole lot of recipes. I think my biggest concern going into this vegan journey is keeping my cultural integrity. I don’t want to lose my Dominican roots because I’ve decided to change my lifestyle. So, all these recipes are really a life long experiment. I figure that the more i try different foods, spices, and ingredients, I’ll be able to recreate some of the staple Dominican dishes. I’ve found some Dominican vegan blogs that I plan on tackling. I hope you’ll come along on the journey.

I made this dish the other night. It was freezing in New York and I really didn’t want to leave the house to get something to eat. I also didn’t feel like ordering food. I usually get into these odd moods where I’m hungry but for nothing. So, I opened up my pantry and stared at the inside for a good minute or two. And I slowly grabbed all these ingredients and came up with this simple recipe. This is the type of dish that you can add or delete ingredients as you like. It’s really just everything but the kitchen sink dish.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 15oz can low sodium black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 8oz can of tomato sauce
• 1 8.5oz can whole kernel corn
• Goya Adobo, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• oregano, to taste
• 1 pound elbow pasta

Directions:

1. In a large pot, bring to boil water & lightly salt. Add pasta. Cook until al dente.
2. In a skillet, add olive oil and green pepper. Allow to cook until slightly tender. 3-5 minutes.
3. Add tomato, black beans, and corn. Allow to stir fry on low heat, 10 minutes.
4. Season with Adobo, black pepper, and oregano.
5. Add can of tomato sauce and pasta. Heat through, 3-5 minutes. .
6. Enjoy!