horrible no good very bad food

That is what I encountered visiting a local Puertorican restaurant. The food was not tasty at all. The beans were watery and had no taste. The rice were okay. Ordering a vegetarian plate only took away the meat and did not add anything. No vegetables. I ordered a side of platanos because that was the only thing on the menu I could have with it. I was so disappointed. Even my husband was disappointed. He had chuletas and he said it had no taste. That night I kept thinking about how they can do better. Obviously people were ok with their mediocre menu. They had to turn people away because the restaurant was teeny tiny. I went to bodegas bigger than this place. But oh if you would just add some yuca, batatas, yautia, Season it with some adobo, garlic, sofrito dipping sauces WHATEVER. Then it dawned on me. Living at home with my Puertorican mom and Dominican dad, I didn't eat much vegetables unless it is was in a sancocho. My Dominican grandmother would make vegetable stews for me all the time.
Vegetables aren't that much expensive than buying a big ass pernil. Buying vegetables in season are the way to go to keep your grocery bill low.
Tonight this is our dinner....

Basic Yellow Rice
2 tbsps annatto oil plus 1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups brown rice
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tsps salt

heat the oil in a pot. Add the rice and stir to combine. Pour in the vegetable stock and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until the broth evaporates. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 - 40 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes.

Platano Relleno de 'Carne'
2 cups olive oil
6 ripe but firm yellow plantains, peeled
relleno de 'carne'
1/4 lb vegan cheddar cheese

preheat the oven to 350. heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the plantains until golden brown. drain on paper towels. make a slit in each plantain from top to bottom. fill each 2 1/2 tbsps of the relleno de 'carne'. sprinkle the cheese on top. bake for 15 minutes. enjoy!

Relleno de Carne
3 lbs TVP or any vegan 'ground beef'
1 cup chopped manzanilla olives
1 1/2 cup tomato paste
3/4 cup recaito
1/2 cup golden raisins
adobo to taste

brown the tvp in a skillet over medium heat. add everything and cook for 10 minutes.

AWESOME
take that you Puertorican restaurant in LA County!!!