you take the lime and the coconut

Post thanksgiving always leaves me wanting something 1. green 2. not seasoned with sage or thyme 3. not involving potatoes.

I love leftovers, really, but I like to break up the potato, cranberry, stuffing monotony with something crazy....

So although my fridge is packed with the remnants of a tofurky and spicy sweet potatoes and other festive treats, I decided to recreate MY FAVORITE DISH:::the Jamaican bowl::  from my FAVORITE BAR  ::: the sweet hereafter ::: This delightful vegan bar happens to be located a convenient 7 blocks from my apartment... What is does to my wallet and bank statements--- not so sweet.

This bowl is great, if I do say so myself.... My version has coconut kale, black beans, jerk tempeh over a bed of rice. Just the right mix of spicy and salty and green.



JERK bowl  Serves 4-6

• 1 1/2 cups rice
• 3 cups water
• 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained.
• 8oz tempeh
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube dissolved in 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 2-3 tsps Jerk seasoning ( I like Trader Joe's "Jamaican me Crazy" )
• 2 bunches dinosaur kale, stalks removed, chopped 
• 3 tbls olive oil
• 1 tbl flour
• 1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 yellow onion, diced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 14oz can light coconut milk
• 1 tsp salt (more to taste)

Preheat the oven to 350F

Start your rice (the beauty of a rice cooker really shines in this situation)

Once you are confident your rice can cook on its own, move on to the tempeh.
Cube tempeh into small bite size pieces and place in one layer in a small lightly greased casserole dish. Pour boiling vegetable bouillon mixture over tempeh and then sprinkle with jerk seasoning.
Place in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

While tempeh is cooking, start the kale krazy.
Heat oil in a large deep saute pan for 1-2 minutes. Add diced onion, red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook over medium-low heat until onion begins to soften (about 5-7 minutes) Add flour and stir until dissolved. Pour in coconut milk and mix. Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat.

Rinse and chop your kale. You'll have a lot, but it will cook down!
Stir coconut milk occasionally, it should start to thicken.
Add kale to mix and stir to incorporate, Sprinkle with salt. Turn heat to low and cover pan. Let kale cook down for 5-10 minutes until bright green or tender.

let the kale is do its thing and check on your tempeh. I realize that your timer has probably gone off, but if your are like me, you've probably ignored it. thats great.
Remove tempeh from oven. Carefully pour off marinade into small bowl and set aside. Turn your oven up to 400 and place tempeh back in oven. Its okay to throw it in while preheating, you just want to get it crispy. Let it cook for another 5-7 minutes, flip over and cook for another 4 minutes. There is no exact science to this... clearly...

Rinse your black beans and set aside. Because I'm lazy and have no desire to make yet another dish, I just add these guys to the bowl at the very end.

Okay hopefully everything should be done. Check your kale-- tender? smells good? need salt? Check tempeh-- lightly crispy? spicy?  Check rice-- did it survive on its own?

great you did it!

Okay layering is each persons own preference, but i like half cup of rice, 1/4 cup black beans, 1 cup of kale business, topped with 2 oz of tempeh. Drizzle some leftover marinade over the top and sprinkle with salt and jerk seasoning.