My bastardized central american meal

typically when I make this it's:

• fried plantains
• guacamole
• black beans & white rice
• fried egg (certified humane)
• chips and salsa

This also works well with steak, or another dish of e.g. peppers and mushrooms.

plantains:

after removing the skin and slicing, just pan fry on each side in coconut oil over low to medium heat in a nonstick pan until golden, can add a dusting of salt (before or after frying) for additional flavor. the main thing here is making sure the plantains are ripe (not starchy).

guacamole:

remove cilantro leaves from stems, and set leaves aside for later

Make the cumin seed oil: heat oil in a pan over low (I prefer high quality cold pressed canola*, coconut or avocado oil works too, olive oil discouraged). once the oil is warm, add cumin seeds. I don't know the right amount of oil off the top of my head, but you will want the cumin seeds to be dense in the oil to get enough flavor. monitor closely, it's easy to burn the seeds (which is bad), you want them to gently bubble and brown in a couple minutes, at which point, turn off the heat. strain out the seeds (all of them!) and pour just the oil into a bowl for later. It should smell and taste like cumin.

*Don't use regular canola oil, it's probably bad for you, and no I'm not going to cite a source for this right now

Remove end of jalapeno pepper, cut lengthwise, remove seeds. dice desired amount, add to large mixing bowl. add diced onion and garlic (smashed with the flat of the knife, then diced) to same bowl, but reserve some onion and garlic for balancing proportions later

add avocado to same mixing bowl. IMMEDIATELY add some lime juice on top of the avocado to coat. this helps prevent the avocado from oxidizing.

add cilantro leaves and the cumin seed oil you just made. mix.

if you aren't ready to eat yet, I recommend waiting until the last moment to add the tomato, but you will need to adjust the proportions a bit again after adding the tomato.

anyway, when you're ready, add the tomato (diced, remove some of the tomato water if feasible) and make final flavoring adjustments, typically this is to onion, jalapeno, lime, and salt levels.

When storing left over guacamole in the fridge use an airtight container, and use a spatula to form the guacamole into a convex shape. Then coat the outside of that shape with lime juice, again to prevent oxidizing. This helps your guacamole keep longer in the fridge without turning brown.

black beans

heat pot over stove on low heat. add fat to coat bottom (and/or walls) of pot and prevent sticking, ideally something high in saturated fat like butter or coconut.

don't let the heat get too high (again just to prevent sticking/burning), open canned black beans and add to pot, ideally no sizzling. add bay leaf and cumin seeds.

simmer (low boil) for like an hour or longer if possible, this does a few things:

• makes the beans cause less flatulence (I forget why)
• improved texture and flavor IMO
• gets the bay leaf and cumin flavor in

you will likely have to periodically scrape (if metal) or spatula (if nonstick) the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking/burning

Ideally leave the lid on because you don't want to lose too much water too quickly. If you're about ready to eat and you want it less watery, remove the lid and turn up the fan

Serve all of the above with chips, salsa, and egg (cooked however you prefer, as long as it's over easy or poached ofc)

Ingredients

ripe plantains
salt
coconut oil
certified humane eggs
chips
salsa
white rice

~ Black Beans ~:
canned black beans
bay leaf
cumin seeds
coconut oil or butter

~ Guacamole ~:
white onion
garlic
fresh jalapeno pepper (and/or serrano pepper)
fresh lime
avocado
cumin seeds
cilantro
fresh tomato on the vine*
salt

You want small, flavorful tomatoes for this, with a minimum of water. Roma tomatoes don't have a lot of water, but I don't think their flavor is ideal for guacamole, same for cherry tomatoes. I typically use vine tomatoes (?) but I don't know if there's a more correct name for these.