La Latina in Midtown: Try the Vegan Sweet Plantain and Black Bean Arepa

The sweet plantains are sliced, deep-fried, and then jammed inside an arepa alongside stewed black beans. The beans -- simmered with onions, red peppers, and cilantro -- are vegan. The corn cake? It's also vegan. And those greasy, delicious maduros are vegan too. See also: Miami's Top Ten Hidden Gems...

By Emily Codik

November 18, 2013

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The sweet plantains are sliced, deep-fried, and then jammed inside an arepa alongside stewed black beans. The beans -- simmered with onions, red peppers, and cilantro -- are vegan. The corn cake? It's also vegan. And those greasy, delicious maduros are vegan too.

See also: Miami's Top Ten Hidden Gems

You can try this arepa ($5.95) at La Latina, a bright midtown shop that specializes in homespun Venezuelan eats such as empanadas and cachapas -- sweet corn pancakes packed with cheese and pork, chicken, or beef.

The restaurant offers a few vegetarian options, such as arepas filled with scrambled eggs or black beans and cheese. But coming from a country that runs on asados and queso guayanés, the vegan portion of the menu is a greater surprise.

Choose between the sweet plantain variety or a version stuffed with avocado and beans. Or just go ahead and order both. They're vegan. Those fried plantains must be healthful, right?

Follow Emily on Twitter @EmilyCodik.

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