Chili & Cornbread

What??!! It's the last two weeks in May?! I blinked and where did the month go? I've been enjoying the cool mornings we've been having; not looking forward to the scorching summer I know is quickly approaching. 

I found these chili and cornbread recipes in Vegan Diner. Lots of yummy looking recipes I need to try out of here. 

2 cans of beans; I used a can of tri-bean (kidney, pinto, and black) and a can of pinto. 

The chili recipe calls for dark cocoa powder. I had some black cocoa (it smells like oreo cookies.) The "meat" is some TVP granules. The chili only simmers for 15 minutes. I didn't think that it had enough time to develop the flavors. It was not the best chili I have made but it will do. 

~ Quick and Hearty Chili ~

The cornbread recipe has whole corn and sliced green onions in it. I've made cornbread with green chilis but never green onions. I also bought some chipotle powder; I'm not too fond of chipotle peppers which I've tried before but I think I can handle the powder. The cornbread was a little "wet" for me and I didn't really care for the green onions in it either. 

 ~ Chipotle Scallion Double Cornbread ~

Chili & Cornbread 

I garnished the chili with some chopped cilantro and topped my cornbread with Earth Balance margarine and some BeeFree Honee. 

Black and Red Lentil Chili & a Few Favs

Time to do some posting! The dreaded bronchitis/laryngitis paid me an annual visit and I'm finally on the downhill side of it. Ugh! It just wipes me out every year; and no matter what preventatives I try it still gets me. Lots of catching up to do now. 

I've been seeing a few recipes lately using black beluga lentils which I have always wanted to try. I can't find them at any of the stores I shop at so I ordered some online. 

I found this chili recipe here at fatfreevegan.com. 

Look how tiny the black lentils are compared to the red. They're so cute! 

The black lentils turn brown after cooking. Lots of spices, and fire-roasted tomatoes in this chili. I added some chopped fresh spinach at the end of cooking just until it wilted. Yummy garnished with some chopped cilantro. I made a pan of Wolffie's 'Buttermilk' Cornbread from La Dolce Vegan to eat with this hearty chili. 

Black Beluga Lentils in a jar! 

Can't wait to try some more recipes using them. 

I made a few easy favorites including:

Vegan "Sausage" Hash from La Dolce Vegan

using Field Roast Breakfast Sausage (which my local Sprouts now carries. Yay!) served with Smoky Collard Greens with Veg Bacon from Betty Goes Vegan. 

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches and Coleslaw from Give Them Something Better. 

And I made this pizza using canned pizza crust, pizza sauce; topped with crumbled veggie meatballs, sauteed zucchini and red onion, and Daiya mozzarella shreds.  

I messed up and didn't pre-cook my crust a little so I never could get the bottom of the pizza totally done. Lesson learned for next time! 

Three-Bean Chili

This is an easy, delicious chili to put together from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

~ red, orange and yellow bell peppers ~

The chili was really thick so I added 2 cups of No Beef Broth and I also added  3/4 Cup of bulgur for some meaty texture. Lots of spices-garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, oregano and cayenne!

This recipe made alot so I put the leftovers in my freezer containers for future quick meals.

Chili & Cornbread

Vegcookbookclub January 2014 ~ 

January we are cooking out of all of Lindsay S. Nixon's books. I have two of them and haven't used them very much. I'm so glad the first recipes I made were delicious! Both of these recipes are out of The Happy Herbivore. 

Chili sans Carne

Lots of great spices in this chili including curry powder which I've never used in my chili. It added an extra rich, spicy flavor I really liked. I'm not that paranoid about using no oil in my cooking so I sauteed the onions in a Tbsp. of olive oil instead of the water. The recipe calls for TVP and I used slightly crumbled Butler Soy Curls. Love the soy curls; you could say this is "Chili con Carne" and get away with it! 

Cornbread 

I usually just use an 8x8 square pan to make my cornbread but decided to try my cast-iron skillet. It gave the cornbread a nice crunchy outside and it was still moist on the inside. This was surprisingly tasty without using any oil. I did choose the option of using more cornmeal instead of flour for a more "corny" taste. 

Chili sans Carne & Cornbread

Sarah's Chili-con-Bulgur~pg. 163

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I forgot how good this chili is! It makes a large quantity so we've got leftovers for another meal.

 

The bulgur adds alot of meaty bulk to the chili. One note-next time I make this I won't add the 1/4 tsp. salt. It's salty enough with the vegetable stock and the 1/4 cup of tamari. I served the chili with the best cornbread in the world~Wolffie's 'Buttermilk' Cornbread from La Dolce Vegan.

Chili Stir-Fry

Here's another post-surgery quick and easy meal! In the past I've either used baked potatoes or brown rice and topped it with canned chili, cheese and onions. Now I just dump it all in one pan-LOL!

Well, first I had about a pound of baby spinach that I needed to use so here is the recipe:

Chili Stir-Fry

approx. 1 lb. organic baby spinach, roughly chopped

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. minced garlic in jar, or minced fresh garlic

salt & pepper to taste

2 C. pre-cooked brown rice (I had a packet of Uncle Ben's)

1 can Amy's Organic Spicy Vegan Chili

Daiya Cheddar Shreds

chopped onion  

Saute' the spinach and garlic in olive oil until slightly wilted. Add rice, chili and salt & pepper to taste. Mix well, cover and simmer until heated through. Serve in bowl topped with Daiya cheddar and chopped onion.

   Of course I like mine even spicier so I added a little Sambal Oelek (chili paste) on top. That condiment is quickly replacing my other favorite hot topping-sriracha sauce!

I usually prefer to make fresh meals instead of opening cans and packets but I'm just thankful my pantry was well-stocked before surgery. Can't wait to start cooking up some more labor-intensive, fresh, healthy meals. Gee, I never thought I would say that!

Baked Chili with Cornbread Biscuit Topping~pg. 173

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Excellent! Love this recipe-it does make alot though. I might try to freeze some in portions. I've never put cocoa powder or molasses in my chili before; it gives it a richer flavor along with the chili powder.