Vegan Chili
The recipe makes about 12 hefty one cup servings. (hefty meaning, closer to one and a quarter cups... *g*)
STEP 1 Dice a medium onion, two bell peppers (whichever colours you like), and a chili pepper of your choice (we usually use jalepeño). Sautée them in a hot skillet that has had a bit of olive oil drizzled in it with a teaspoon of minced garlic, a Tablespoon of chili powder and a hefty pinch of cumin. Splash in a Tablespoon or two of Balsamic vinegar and cook until the vinegar has evaporated. (feel free to use a different vinegar - currently we're using a melon champagne vinegar - I just don't recommend the plain white variety)
***make sure you remove all the seeds from the chili pepper, unless you really like it spicy...
STEP 2 While the onion and peppers are softening in the skillet, put three different cans of beans (kidney, pinto, black, black eyed peas, northern... etc. your choice) a can of corn and a can of peas in a collander and rinse (substitute fresh or frozen for either of the vegetables).
STEP 3 In a large pot or crock pot mix the beans and peppers with one 16 oz can of diced tomatoes, a can of tomato paste, a can of fat free (vegetarian) refried beans and some sliced carrots and sliced celery. Let it simmer on low for at least three hours.
Additional Notes I almost always have the small cans of spicy V8 on hand, so I usually pour one of those in. If I've got some fresh tomatoes sitting around, I'll seed and dice them and put them in. (if you don't want to seed the tomatoes, consider using another can of refried beans to keep the chili thick and 'meaty'). This is basically a vegetable and bean stew that's flavoured with chili powder, so anything goes. Got some leftove broccoli? Toss it in. Green beans? Why not? You can also use dried beans (instead of canned) provided you hydrate them first - I've just never been particularly successful with that.
For less spice you can use a mild fresh chili and less chili powder (don't skimp on the cumin - that's the 'chili' flavour.) Since Mike's not a fan of spicy food, we make it mild and then keep a variety of pepper sauces on hand for me. Green Tabasco is nice as is the Chalula (sp?) stuff... Go for pepper sauces with flavour, not just heat. (Red Tabasco is really just heat - no flavour...)
Anyway, it's super easy to make, tastes awesome, fat-free except for a negligble amount of olive oil - which is a healthy fat, an easy way to get some of those pesky servings of veggies in for the day, uses whatever you've got on hand, is forgiving to experimentation (change it up some!), great for company and as a pot luck dish... Oh, it's pleasing to vegans and carnivores alike (just don't tell the meat lover that there's no meat in it, and they likely won't notice...)
Lemme know if you use the recipe, and if you do something different with it!
ETA: Oh... and should you wish, feel free to distribute this 'recipe' at will and without credit. It's a compilation of tips from my sister, my dad, my mom, and a few ideas of my own. (if you want to do it mom's way, a can of condensed tomato soup instead of tomato paste...) It's just a jumping off point, anyway and should be changed to suit the tastes of the one making it.
Author Index
STEP 1 Dice a medium onion, two bell peppers (whichever colours you like), and a chili pepper of your choice (we usually use jalepeño). Sautée them in a hot skillet that has had a bit of olive oil drizzled in it with a teaspoon of minced garlic, a Tablespoon of chili powder and a hefty pinch of cumin. Splash in a Tablespoon or two of Balsamic vinegar and cook until the vinegar has evaporated. (feel free to use a different vinegar - currently we're using a melon champagne vinegar - I just don't recommend the plain white variety)
***make sure you remove all the seeds from the chili pepper, unless you really like it spicy...
STEP 2 While the onion and peppers are softening in the skillet, put three different cans of beans (kidney, pinto, black, black eyed peas, northern... etc. your choice) a can of corn and a can of peas in a collander and rinse (substitute fresh or frozen for either of the vegetables).
STEP 3 In a large pot or crock pot mix the beans and peppers with one 16 oz can of diced tomatoes, a can of tomato paste, a can of fat free (vegetarian) refried beans and some sliced carrots and sliced celery. Let it simmer on low for at least three hours.
Additional Notes I almost always have the small cans of spicy V8 on hand, so I usually pour one of those in. If I've got some fresh tomatoes sitting around, I'll seed and dice them and put them in. (if you don't want to seed the tomatoes, consider using another can of refried beans to keep the chili thick and 'meaty'). This is basically a vegetable and bean stew that's flavoured with chili powder, so anything goes. Got some leftove broccoli? Toss it in. Green beans? Why not? You can also use dried beans (instead of canned) provided you hydrate them first - I've just never been particularly successful with that.
For less spice you can use a mild fresh chili and less chili powder (don't skimp on the cumin - that's the 'chili' flavour.) Since Mike's not a fan of spicy food, we make it mild and then keep a variety of pepper sauces on hand for me. Green Tabasco is nice as is the Chalula (sp?) stuff... Go for pepper sauces with flavour, not just heat. (Red Tabasco is really just heat - no flavour...)
Anyway, it's super easy to make, tastes awesome, fat-free except for a negligble amount of olive oil - which is a healthy fat, an easy way to get some of those pesky servings of veggies in for the day, uses whatever you've got on hand, is forgiving to experimentation (change it up some!), great for company and as a pot luck dish... Oh, it's pleasing to vegans and carnivores alike (just don't tell the meat lover that there's no meat in it, and they likely won't notice...)
Lemme know if you use the recipe, and if you do something different with it!
ETA: Oh... and should you wish, feel free to distribute this 'recipe' at will and without credit. It's a compilation of tips from my sister, my dad, my mom, and a few ideas of my own. (if you want to do it mom's way, a can of condensed tomato soup instead of tomato paste...) It's just a jumping off point, anyway and should be changed to suit the tastes of the one making it.
Author Index