VeganMoFo: Brazilian Feast!

Oh yeah! Today we are eating the fine foods of Brazil! Lucky us!

Mmmmm! Here in Santa Cruz, we have a great little Brazilian breakfast & lunch spot, called Cafe Brazil. They're vegan-friendly, but even so, most of the dishes are definitely heavy on meat and eggs. So, now I finally got to have my very own savory Brazilian feast!

Brazil has a special place in my heart, mostly just because Brazilian music pretty much rules the world. So, imagine some Brazilian tunes wafting through the air... I like this festive song:

Now that you've set the mood... let's move on to the food! I made three great recipes from Viva Vegan for this special dinner: Feijoada, Brazilian Kale, and Orange Rice. Each of these dishes was great in its own right, but together they really shined. The feijoada had black beans, portobello mushrooms, and soy curls... it was hearty and filling. I did look around at some other non-vegan feijoada recipes, all of which included at least six kinds of meat, with things like lamb or blood sausage. Needless to say, I came running back to the safety of Viva Vegan with my tail between my legs! I found the flavor a tiny bit flat, but that's probably my fault for always reducing the salt and oil in everything I cook. However, it was nothing that a good squeeze of lime juice couldn't fix! I really, really loved the rice and the kale, and they were both perfectly balancing elements to the feijoada. All together it was a great meal. In particular, that kale really won me over and I think it will be my go-to kale method from now on.

Well, pack your bags (and your copy of Viva Vegan), we're leaving South America tomorrow for something different!