Sunday's Soup/True Vegetarian Vegan Chili

I've told this story before, so forgive me if you've heard it ;)

A number of years ago, I made a pot of traditional chili, with meat. Now I love a spicy dish, but if it's too hot for me, no one in my household will be able to eat it. This chili was REALLY hot, even for me! For the life of me, I don't know how I convinced myself that the spiciness of the dish was a matter of mind over matter. If I acted like it was fine, no one else would notice. I don't know, maybe the overly hot chili had given me a momentary lapse in saneness ;)

So, when dinner time rolled around, I served up the chili. I sat down and began to eat it as though there wasn't a pepper in it. After a few minutes, my exchange student, who was from the Canary Islands, and did not like spicy food, said, "I'm sorry Rhonda, but this is just too hot!" My husband then chimed in and said that he thought it was just him and then asked if I thought it was hot. I admitted that it was extremely hot, but I thought they wouldn't notice. He said, "Not notice!!! How can you not notice when your mouth is on fire???" I have yet to live that story down :)

I do love a bowl of chili, but, since I no longer eat meat, I want a truly vegetarian bowl, no fake meat, just vegetables. The recipe I'm sharing today has a couple of secret ingredients.

For this chili, you'll begin with a large chopped onion sauteed in oil, along with 1 tablespoon of minced ginger. The smell will be heavenly.

Add 2 cloves of minced garlic, and 2 chopped bell peppers. I used an orange and a yellow pepper, but green will do just fine.

Now, this is where it begins to turn into chili...
Add 3 teaspoons of good chili powder, 2 teaspoons of cumin, and 2 teaspoons of paprika. Allow to saute on low for about 5 minutes. 

At this point, add 2, 28 oz. cans of diced tomatoes(I like fire-roasted tomatoes), and 3, 14.5 oz cans of your favorite beans, drained and rinsed. I used garbanzo beans, pinto beans, and small northern beans. Besides the ginger, the other little secret ingredient is a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce which you will add at this point. 

Allow the mixture to simmer for at least 30 minutes. 

I like to make a pot of bulgar, which is cracked wheat to serve with my chili. Serve up a bowl of the chili and then add a mound of bulgar on top. Delicious! You could also make a pot of your favorite rice rather than the bulgar. I just really love bulgar :)

True Vegetarian Chili With a Twist

ingredients;
1 large onion chipped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
2 bell peppers chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
3 14.5 oz. cans of beans, pinto, garbanzo, and small northern beans drained and rinsed
3 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste 

directions;
Place oil in a large soup pot. Add onion and ginger. Saute over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add garlic and bell peppers. Saute another 5 minutes until peppers are tender. Add chili powder, cumin, and paprika. Stir well to combine. Saute for about 2 minutes to begin to release flavors.

Add dice tomatoes, the 3 cans of rinsed beans, the chipotle pepper, and the adobo sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer on a low fire for 30 minutes, or longer. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

To serve, ladle into bowls. A mound of cooked bulgar, or cooked rice of your choice makes a nice accompaniment. 

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As always, if you give the recipe a try, I hope you enjoy it. Don't leave out the fresh ginger! It really adds a lovely flavor. As for the adobo sauce, it can be a bit spicy, so put in a tablespoon of the sauce, and give it a try before you add the second.

Enjoy!
Rhonda

Sunday's Soup/Voodoo Hippie Chili

There was an episode of the television show, 'Friends,' where Phoebe wanted so badly to be Monica's maid of honor. But, of course, Rachel thought she should be the maid of honor. Realizing that she had lost the battle, Rachel said, "well, okay, let's see how Monica likes your Voodoo Hippie bridal shower." My quote isn't exactly perfect, but it was the Voodoo Hippie part that stuck in my mind as I thought it was hilarious! Now, I finally have a place where I can use the words!!!

I love chili. There's just something about a bowl of chili that warms my soul. My only problem with making chili is that I like it rather spicy. After setting many mouths on fire, I have learned to turn down the heat, and allow all to add their own level of fire! So, the only magical aspect of this chili is that it tastes great just as it is, and all can customize it for their own level of heat.

This is a super simple recipe, and can easily be made during the week when time is at a premium, especially during the holiday season . So no excuse not to have a nutritious, and delicious meal.  It's also FULL of protein, so it will leave you very satisfied :)    

Begin by sauteing the chopped onions in olive oil until tender. Add the chopped red and green bell peppers. It will look a little like Christmas in a pot :)

Add garlic, canned tomatoes, red lentils, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, bay leaves, oregano, dried cilantro, chili powder and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and allow to simmer until lentils are tender, about 20-30 minutes. 
Serve and enjoy.
   

Voodoo Hippie Chili
printable recipe

ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 25 oz.cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 14.5 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups dried red lentils, rinsed
2 bay leaves
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried cilantro
8 cups vegetable broth
salt and black pepper to taste 

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add onions and saute until tender. Add green and red peppers and saute about 10 minutes over a medium flame. Add garlic and saute another minute, being careful not to burn the garlic. 
*If you would like a non-vegetarian version, add meat or sausage of choice at this point. Brown until cooked through.   
Add lentils, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, chili powder, dried cilantro, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and cook until lentils are tender, about 20-30 minutes. 
Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Top with slices of jalapeno peppers, chopped green onion, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, and/or sliced avocado. 

A great idea for a casual party is to make the chili and then have toppings available on a buffet so all of your guests can customize to their preference. 

Serve with a hot pan of cornbread and lots of butter ;) 

   
I've learned that entertaining doesn't need to be an elaborate meal. Something as simple as a pot of chili can bring people together and make the best of evenings. So in a way, I guess it is rather magical :)

Hope you will make a little magic of your own!
Rhonda     

Eating For Your Health/Vegetarian Chili

Last week I shared that I will be starting the Daniel Diet on February 1st. There isn't a lot of caffeine in my diet, but I do drink a few cups of green tea every morning. So in preparation, I have been cutting back on my tea intake and limiting my tea to only one tea bag each morning. If you do decide to do the diet, I highly recommend reducing your caffeine over a few days rather than doing it all at once. If you do it all at once, you will experience a headache that may last for a few days. 

A couple of ladies have said that they would like to join me. Thank you! It's nice to know that I won't be alone :) As I said last week, the Daniel Diet is basically a vegan diet, with exceptions. Remember, potato chips are vegan, but fried foods and processed foods are to be avoided. I plan to stay on the diet for at least 21 days, I may extend it to the entire month of February. I'll post how I'm doing on Sundays. You are more than welcome to join me. Leave your progress in the comment section, or you are always welcome to email me, sewbussted@yahoo.com. Good luck!

A friend of mine sent me a recipe for a vegetarian chili that sounded very interesting. The recipe is packed full of vegetables, but the interesting ingredient is the orange juice soaked bulgar. I decided to give it a try and I am so happy that I did. I was afraid that it might be a little bitter to the taste, but not at all. In fact, it has a savory and somewhat sweet taste.

The recipe is from Charlie Palmer's Kitchen. The only change I made to the recipe was to use fire-roasted tomatoes rather than just the plain chopped tomatoes.

Charlie Palmer's Vegetarian Chili

½ C bulgur wheat
1 C fresh orange juice
¼ C olive oil
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 T kosher salt
1 T chili powder
¼ t cayenne pepper
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
1 T oregano
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and diced
1 eggplant, trimmed and diced
2 small yellow squash, trimmed and diced
2 small zucchini, trimmed and diced
1-1/2 lbs. mushrooms, quartered
1 28-oz. can chopped tomatoes, with their liquid
1 T tomato paste
1 16-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 16-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Crumbled goat cheese for garnish

*A note about the chili. What sets this vegetable chili apart is the bulgur wheat soaked in orange juice.  Adding it in the final step gives the chili the weight and mouth-feel of protein;  and, the mild acidity of the absorbed citrus juice plays well against the richness of the cooked spices.

In a bowl, soak the bulgur wheat in the orange juice until the liquid is fully absorbed, about 45 minutes.
In 4-quart stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the bay leaves, salt, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, coriander, and oregano.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring to thoroughly incorporate all of the ingredients.
Add garlic.  Cook for about ½ - 1 minute.
Add all vegetables, the canned tomatoes with juices, and tomato paste.  Stir carefully to combine all of the ingredients and prevent the paste from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cover the pot, decrease the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice during the cooking process.  This allows the liquid from the various vegetables to escape, creating a kind of vegetable stock in which they simmer.
Stir in the chickpeas, kidney beans, and the orange-juice soaked bulgur wheat.
Cover and simmer for another 25 minutes.  Remove and discard the bay leaves.
Serve the chili topped with crumbled goat cheese.

Since I am avoiding dairy products, I opted to forgo the goat cheese and top my chili with diced green onions. The flavor of the chili is robust and quite satisfying. I hope you give it a try!