Vegetarian Chili Recipe

Vegetarian Chili Recipe - Vegan Comfort Food at its Best!

Nov 9, 2007
Donna Diegel

Vegetarian Chili - Donna Diegel

Meatless Vegetarian Chili? You'll never miss it thanks to a product called Textured Vegetable Protein, or TVP. Great Once-a-Month Cooking meal. Vegan Chili Recipe too!

Textured Vegetable Protein is a meat substitute made from defatted soy flour. It's high in protein and fiber and low in sodium and fat. It's lightweight, has a long shelf life and mimics just about any meat you need it to be. TVP comes in granular form, chunks, and flakes, making it one of the most versatile foods in your pantry. Because it comes dried, flavorless and looks like dog food, the TVP needs to be reconstituted with water, bouillon, barbecue sauce or a blend of liquids. You can find TVP in any health food store, or the natural foods section of markets like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods Market..

This recipe is quickly made, the leftovers freeze well, making it a great Freezer Meal.

Award Winning Vegetarian Chili Recipe

2 cups chunky TVP
2 cups boiling water or a mixture of 1 cup water and 1 cup BBQ sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large pepper, chopped
1 small chili pepper, minced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 quarts stewed tomatoes
4 cups kidney or black beans, cooked and drained
2 cups whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Reconstitute the TVP with boiling water or a mix of water and BBQ sauce, or any other liquid you desire as long as you have at least 1 cup of water.
Let sit for 15 minutes until all liquid is soaked up by the TVP.
Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, saute onion, pepper and garlic in olive oil until they are tender but not overdone.
Add chili powder, cumin, sea salt and ground pepper.
Add stewed tomatoes and TVP and simmer for 15-20 minutes until hot.
Finally, add beans and corn and heat through until just ready to boil.
Turn off heat.
Serve in bowls over rice and topped with shredded cheese and fresh cilantro. A wedge of corn bread would finish off this meal perfectly.
Serves 10

Vegan Chili Recipe: Soy cheese can be used for vegan diets.

Once-a-month Cooking, also known as Freezer Meals, are big time savers for the large and/or busy family. Read all about The Advanages of Bulk Cooking. It basically involves committing one or two days of menu planning and shopping, then one or two very full days of cooking, packaging, labeling and freezing. Most cooks will get together with a few friends and prepare 5-7 different recipes, double, triple or quadrupling them for variety. For the rest of the month, they thaw out whatever suits their fancy overnight or the next morning. When they get home from work, it's ready to pop in the oven, crock-pot or stove with little prep time. Make a salad, buy some corn bread and dinner is done!