Vegan MoFo Day 3: Guiso de maiz

The other half of the household is part Cuban. As you may know, traditional Cuban food is rather meat-y, so I've never had much of it. However, a Cuban restaurant in downtown Asheville (Havana) has an amazingly delicious veggie plate.

I recently picked up a discount copy of Alex Garcia's In a Cuban Kitchen. This book could have used a better editor, as details are sometimes missing from the instructions. For example, he will call for a can of something but not tell you how big the can should be. Nonetheless, the 3 or 4 recipes we have made thus far have turned out well. (If you have a favorite Cuban cookbook, recommend it in the comments!)


Here is our veganization of a lovely corn soup, which is our favorite recipe thus far, and very appropriate to the cooler weather:

Guiso de maiz

2 T olive oil
1 package SmartBacon, chopped fine (or tempeh crumbles or reconstituted TVP and a little liquid smoke, or more chorizo or whatever - or leave it out)
2 vegan chorizo sausages, chopped fine (Soyrizo or home-made)
1 medium white onion, chopped fine
1 medium bell pepper, chopped fine (red is nice for color)
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 15 oz can whole tomatoes, smushed
3 T sherry
8 cups broth (I added a handful of Bryanna's chicken style broth powder to 8 cups of water)
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped squash (calabaza, butternut, pumpkin, or even zucchini)
4 cups corn kernels (frozen is fine)
salt and pepper to taste
chopped cilantro to taste


Fry chopped veggie bacon (or whatever you are using) in big pot in the oil, for a few minutes. Then add chorizo, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until vegetables soften. Add tomatoes, sherry, broth, potato and squash. (If using summer squash, wait and add it with the corn, so it does not overcook.) Bring to a boil. Cook covered for 20 minutes. Add corn. Return to boil. Cook partially covered for 20 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper. Top with chopped cilantro.