Let's Talk About Gas

Let's talk about gas, baby.
Let's talk about you and me.
Let's talk about all the good things
And the bad things that may be.
Let's talk about gas.
Let's talk about gas!



That, my friends, is my ode to lunches this week.

I've chowed on something bean-related EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

First it was E's chili (recipe to follow). And then it was the mexican pizza I posted yesterday.

Which has left my afternoons full of churning stomach rumbles.

LET'S TALK ABOUT GAS!

Nonetheless, E's chili is a good one (and holy crap simple). And he gave me permission to post it (thanks, E!), so I shall.

The key, and I cannot emphasize this enough, is the rosemary.

It does something magical. So don't make it without. You hear me? I will HUNT YOU DOWN AND BREAK YOUR KNEES if you do.

Just saying.


E'S SPECIAL CHILI



INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bag veggie crumbles (Boca; Morningstar stupid deveganized theirs, the bastards)


• 2 sm. cans red kidney beans


• 2 sm. cans chopped tomatoes with mild chili peppers


• 1 jalapeno pepper


• 1/2 medium yellow onion


• Couple of dashes of crushed rosemary


• 1 T. olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Chop the jalapeno and onion into tiny dice.

In a large pan or pot, heat your oil on low and add the onion and jalapeno. Cook until onion is translucent.

Add rosemary and cook for about 30 seconds more, until rosemary is fragrant.

Add the remaining ingredients.

Heat to simmer.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Chipotle Chili With Sweet Potatoes And Brussel Sprouts

                                       from the ppk


There is something shit-tastic about the brand of crushed tomatoes I've been buying. There HAS to be. 'Cause this is the second chili recipe that I've whipped up that's BOMBED*. And there's NO WAY. There's just no way. I can see one of them sucking because of a random disgusting thick tomatoeyness. But TWO?? For the EXACT SAME REASON?? It's GOT to be the brand of crushed tomatoes. Seriously.

But what a bummer. Because I really liked the flavor of brussel sprouts mingling with sweet taters and tomato. And I really think that this HAS to be a yummy recipe. And yet, BLORF. Brought it for lunch on Monday, heated it up, took a few bites and was like Why God Why?!?! The brussel sprouts were great. The yams (I subbed) were great. I fucked up and bought poblanos instead of chipotles (I had just finished up dicing up THREE huge poblanos and was thinking, My--this is a LOT of peppers, and then, as I was scraping them off the cutting board into the pot my brain was suddenly all NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOthoseare
poblanosnotchipotlesyoudumbmotherfucker but too late), but even THOSE tasted fine. But the tomatoes. Egads. Like a tomatoey version of caulking or something: Thick. Unappetizing. Overwhelming. Just nasty.

I passed some of the chili along to my friend QBL for a second opinion, so we'll see if she never shows up at work today because of Death by Disgusting Chili or something. But man alive. How disappointing. 'Cause I try not to be a food waster, but even the THOUGHT of forcing myself to eat this chili the rest of the week makes me want to weep and never stop. So it's surely going to be a case of Mr. Trashcan meet Ms. Disgusting Chili.

NONETHELESS: I pass along the recipe, because I really DO believe that it's probably a good one. If my tomatoes didn't suck. But that's what I get for being cheap. From now on: The most expensive crushed tomatoes I can find, goddammit!

----------
*The first one, which was this one, I never posted about because it was SO terrible that I was suspicious that something weird was going and didn't want to sound like I was dissing the recipe when I was pretty certain that it wasn't the fault of the recipe itself.



INGREDIENTS:

• 2 T. olive oil


• 1 red onion, diced


• 4 cloves garlic, minced


• 1 tablespoon coriander seed, crushed (or I subbed in like 1 t. of coriander powder)


• 2 t. dried oregano


• 3 chipotles, seeded and chopped


• 1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes (2 average sized), peeled and cut into 3/4 inch pieces


• 12 oz brussels sprouts, quartered lengthwise (about 2 cups)


• 2 t. ground cumin


• 3 t. new mexico chili powder (or other mild chili powder)


• 1 32-oz. can crushed tomatoes


• 1 c. water


• 1 16-oz can pintos, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 c.)


• 1 1/2 t. salt


• Fresh lime juice to taste (about one lime was good for me)

DIRECTIONS

In a soup pot over medium heat, saute onion in olive oil for about 7 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic, coriander seeds, and oregano and saute a minute more. Add remaining ingredients (except for lime juice). Mix well. The sweet potatoes and brussel sprout will be peaking out of the tomato sauce, but don't worry, they will cook down.

Cover pot and bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for about half an hour, stirring often, until sweet potatoes and fork tender but not mushy.

Squeeze in lime juice to taste and adjust any other seasonings. Let sit uncovered for at least 10 minutes before eating.

Serves 6 to 8

(Recipe from the ppk)

Chickpea Chili

More balls: this time, tiny ones. Otherwise known as chickpeas. And/or pixie testicles.

The very kind Roxanne took the time to email me this recipe, after reading me whine about the stupid boring tomatillo recipe I made a few weeks ago, and she assured me that the recipe she sent would put my tomatillos to MUCH better use.

And boy was she WRONG WRONG WRONG!!

Just kidding, Roxanne. Veganmofo!

Actually, I was rather surprised at how wonderfully flavorful this recipe was given the ease of preparing it. Mainly, all it requires is roasting a bunch of vegetables, blending them, and then throwing them in a pot with some chickpeas. How easy is that?

And the end result: DELECTABLE.

Now, I didn't use this chili in anything taco/burrito-ish the way the original recipe does. I just took it for lunches for the week as is. But I *DEFINITELY* think this would make a fantastic addition to a burrito.

Regardless, this chili is sweet and interesting and flavorful and yet somehow tastes healthy (probably because it is). It also smells FANTASTIC in every step of the recipe--from the roasting vegetables to the simmering chili. As I was cooking it, N-A kept commenting on how good it smelled, and once I tasted it, I forced a bite upon him as well, and he agreed that it was really quite tasty.

I don't know that I'd serve it up as plain ol' chili to friends or anything, since it moreso seems like a recipe that you'd add to ANOTHER recipe (and it doesn't make a whole helluva lot). But a big hell-yes to serving it at a party with some tortilla chips. Or on top of some nice plump burritos.

And also cool is the fact that this is actually a fairly forgiving recipe. And by that I mean: I have no clue whether I had remotely close to 2 lbs. fresh tomatillos, but it didn't matter. It was damn tasty regardless.

Roxanne also offered me these tips, which I pass along to you as well:

- Why strain the tomatillo mixture? Skip that unless you feel the need.

- Add a small Spanish onion, julienned or sliced thinly, to the pot with the chickpeas. Simmer until soft. It gives more texture.

- Just keep in mind that since the jalapeno seeds aren't removed, it can be pretty spicy. But I think that's part of the charm.

So thanks, Roxanne. And remember: You don't have to put on the red light.

• 2 lbs. fresh tomatillos, washed and peeled


• 2 jalapeno peppers, stems removed


• 1/2 c. roughly chopped Spanish onion (1/2-inch pieces)


• 4 cloves garlic


• kosher salt, to taste


• 1/4 c. olive oil


• 1 (32 ounces) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed


• 1 T. freshly ground black pepper


• 2 T. chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 500 degrees.

Place the tomatillos in a heavy-duty ovenproof pan or pot with the jalapenos, onion, garlic, kosher salt and olive oil. Place the vegetables in the oven and roast until they are soft and lightly browned, for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the tomatillo mixture from the oven, pour into a blender and puree until smooth. You might have to do this in 2 batches. Pour the pureed mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, and pour the strained mixture into a saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat. Add the chickpeas, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir in the pepper and cilantro.

Makes about 6 1/2 cups.

(Original recipe--and complete burrito recipe--found HERE)

*The Sound of Trumpets and Fanfare*--Finally, I Bring You 'Tales from a Post-Tday Veg Gathering'!!

Finally.

Finally we have made it to tales and recipes from my Post-Tday Veg Gathering, and wouldn't you know it: I'm too tired out to talk about it in depth.

But I'll try nonetheless.

Awesome thing #1 about the Post-Tday Veg Gathering: I got to finally meet The Vegan Ronin in all her delightful and cute glory. And she was actually exactly like I expected her to be: delightful, cute, and delightfully and cutely tattooed. She also bakes a wonderful quiche and has mad skillz when it comes to creating Ohio-shaped vegan margarine pads. So woot woot to all that.




Break in awesomeness to fill you in on what we ate:

• Peppermint's kick-ass homemade foccacia (this is the second time she's made this for one of my party's, and I still haven't managed to get a picture of it because I end up hogging it all down before I remember);


• My vegan paprikash--I was a bit disappointed with this, unfortunately. This time, I decided to add these faux-chicken chunks that I saw at the Web of Life recently, and they were strange little chunks, kind of like wee faux-chicken tampons, immediately sucking up EVERY SINGLE OUNCE OF MOISTURE within a 1-mile radius. Thank god my toilet-lid was closed, that's all I can say. Also, the dumplings turned out weirdly soft. *BUT* the good news is that E shared with me another recipe from Vegan Family Favorites, I believe, that crafts the most wonderfully perfect dumplings ever, so that should solve this problem. All in all, it wasn't remotely close to as good as last year. *ALTHOUGH* I realized that I really need to start making this a day ahead of time and just reheating it on the day of a gathering, because it tastes SO much better once it's sat overnight;


• The Vegan Ronin's quiche;


• Chocolate Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce;


• Dave's Awesome Apple Crisp--what was so awesome about this, you ask? Well, the fact that he understands what makes apple crisp so damn good, which is not so much the apples as it is the crisp. In this case, he doubled the crisp-part of the recipe, so it was all about the sweet sweet brown-sugary decadence; and


• Russian Tea Cakes, aka. Mexican Wedding Cookies, aka. snowballs from VegNews.

Awesome thing #2: My favorite food-item to grace the post-Tday Veg Gathering was the indomitable Steph's Very Kick-Ass Chili, whose recipe (and secret ingredient) she was kind enough to share so that I could post it today. For those of you who've been reading this blog for awhile, you may remember Steph as the creator of Steph's Sockarooni Pasta, one of my favorite easy vegan standards (which I will, in fact, probably be whipping up again this weekend). Well, Steph is a bad-ass in the kitchen when it comes to beans, clearly, as she's also created this *amazingly* good chili. What makes this chili worth writing home about? Well, not only is it rich and feisty-tasting, thick with beans and roasty flavorings, and wonderfully spicy to boot, but Steph's secret ingredient (fennel seeds) balances the heat of the chili with a wonderfully cool clean taste reminiscent of licorice. Well, that's just plain strange, you may be thinking. But holy crap--do not knock it until you try it. And do not make this recipe *without* the fennel seeds, since it truly is the key ingredient in making this baby stand way the hell out from other chilis.

All that being said, I now share with you the recipe for Steph's Very Kick-Ass Chili, as written by the very kick-ass Steph...

STEPH'S VERY KICK-ASS CHILI




INGREDIENTS:

• 3 large white onions (diced)


• 1 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes


• 3 cans of black beans


• 1 box of Boca crumbles


• 4 poblano peppers


• 2 small cans of chopped chili peppers


• olive oil


• kosher salt


• fennel seeds


• chili powder


• chipotle powder

DIRECTIONS

Sautee the onions in olive oil until tender. Throw them in a pot (medium heat) with the tomatoes, beans, soy crumbles, and 1 of the cans of chili peppers.

Rub the poblano peppers with olive oil, sprinkle them with salt and put them in the oven at 400 degrees until the skins blister (15 minutes or so). Pull them from the oven, discard seeds, stems and skins (you might want to use gloves. My poor sensitive little hands were burning for several minutes after this step. I'm OK. Don't worry about me....go on without me...THUD). Place the peppers in a food processor along with the remaining can of chilis. Puree the peppers, and pour them into the pot of ingredients. Add a generous amount of fennel seeds (like a tablespoon or more), mix well and simmer for a few minutes. Add a dash of chipotle powder and chili powder. Stir and give it a minute before you taste it. You won't need much seasoning and you can always add a little more if needed.

This chili is also good over veggie hot dogs, and can be sensually licked off of nipples (just seeing if you're still paying attention).

(Almost) The Best Beer, Cocoa, Coffee Chili You Will Ever Taste

It is now officially autumn. And autumn means soup and chili, which means excitement on my end. I never thought I'd find myself being excited by soup or chili because I despised both for so long, but what can I say? I done growed up, Ma!

Chilis that boast that they are the best chili EVER always make me get all Rocky Balboa and mutter outta the side of my mouth, Ain't no way dat chili's da best chili ever, Adrien. So it was with this chili which is actually a meat-infested recipe that I tried to convert. I am always intrigued by chilis that have either cocoa/chocolate, coffee, or beer in them, and this had ALL FRICKING THREE, so that convinced me that I at least had to try some sort of variation out.

Alas, this is not in fact "The Best Chili I Did Ever Taste" (for ones I think have a bit more awesomeness, check out the black bean chocolate chili, the sweet potato chili, or the Teany Top Secret Chili Recipe). Not to say that this chili wasn't good, but if forced to choose, I'd definitely pick one of the others over this one.

Despite that fact, the one thing I can say definitively about this chili recipe is that it is one of the first recipes I've made where I can actually say that it had a complex layering of flavors. When you bite into a hearty spoonful, the flavors will transform all chameleonlike against your tongue, from tomatoey, to sweet, to rich, to spicy. It kind of caught me off guard yesterday when I find this out at lunch. I was like, Uh. In my head though, because grunting out loud to one's self sometimes sounds a bit creepy.

Anyways, this chili is lightly spicy, delicately sweet, and richly tomatoey. It is also very rich and thick, which I liked. For those of you who always end up leaving a comment along the lines of "Beer/cocoa/coffee in CHILI?!?!" I reassure you yet again: You've not had a sexy chili if you haven't had a chili with at least one of these three ingredients in it. They lend a depth of flavor to the chili that you just can't mimic otherwise, so give 'em a chance.

Oh, and I'd never cooked with chili peppers before. The are like the tiniest cutest things ever. I just wanted to pinch their cheeks and make goo goo noises at them. Until I brutally diced them up, of course.



INGREDIENTS:

• 2 t. oil


• 2 onions, chopped


• 3 cloves garlic, minced


• One 12-oz. bag of veggie meat crumbles (you could also probably get away with just using TVP)


• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained


• 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes


• 1 can/bottle dark beer (I used Goose Island Nut Brown)


• 1 c. strong coffee


• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste


• 2 c. veggie broth


• 1/2 c. brown sugar


• 2 T. chili sauce


• 1 T. cumin


• 1 T. cocoa


• 1 t. oregano


• 1 t. cayenne


• 1 t. coriander


• 1 t. salt


• 2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans


• 3 chili peppers, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Cook onions, garlic and veggie crumbles until brown.

Add tomatoes, beer, coffee, tomato paste and veg broth.

Add spices. Stir in kidney beans, black beans, and peppers.

Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

(Adapted from the original recipe HERE)

Rerun

This weekend I made one of my favorite go-to recipes yet again: my friend Kristen's super-easy salsa chili. It seriously is one of my favorite easy-peasy recipes because it's beyond simple and because you can craft a completely different-tasting dish out of it each time with just a few very simple changes.

Basically, the main ingredients of the recipe that make it thrive are the three types of beans you pick out and the salsa. What's so delightful about it (and what I like to do each time I make it) is switch up the beans and salsa I use to get a completely different experience.

This time when I made it, I used kidney beans, black beans, and pigeon-peas (which I've never had before, and which ROCK). For the salsa, I used Arriba's Mexican Red Salsa which, as a stand-alone salsa I would NEVER EVER eat having tried it now, since it tastes more like a spicy spaghetti sauce to me than it does a tasty salsa--but it works well with the chili. It has a certain sweet zinginess to it that I found appealing.

It makes a buttload, so it'll make for a good number of lunches or dinners for the week.

And holy mother of god, if you top it with half of a diced up avocado like I did on Tuesday, you will just wanna explode all over the place. Good stuff.

Easy-Peasy Sweet and Spicy Black Bean Chili

My stomach is not quite well this morning, so even *thinking* about food is making me wanna blorf. Consequently, this will be a short and sweet post today.

Chili. Sweet from the roasted red peppers. Some kick from chipotles. Super-easy to whip up. Try it. Hate it. Love it. It's all the same to me.

INGREDIENTS:

• Three 15-oz cans black beans


• Two 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes


• 1 cup veggie broth


• Three large red-peppers, roasted and diced


• 1/2 - 1 onion, roasted and diced (I diced them first, spread them out on a baking sheet, and then tossed them into the broiler until they were pretty blackened)


• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced


• 1 chipotle in adobo, diced


• 1/2 t. cinnamon


• 1/2 t. chili powder


• 1/4 t. cayenne pepper


• 1/4 c. semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

(I was lazy and just dumped the first 6 ingredients in together without cooking the garlic first, but I think next time 'round, I'd brown it just a bit. So I'm gonna include that into the directions.)

In a large pot with a teeny-tiny bit of oil, heat the garlic over low heat until lightly-browned. Once brown, add all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips. (You may wanna play with the quantities of cayenne pepper and chili powder until it's spicy the way you like it. Right now, it'll definitely make you sniffle but shouldn't make you scream.) Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes or so (or until everything's cooked through and the flavors have mingled). Mix in the chocolate chips and heat a few minutes longer. Let sit for a few, and then serve. Makes for good leftovers.

Serves: 6-8

MMMMMM, Chocolatey

Not much to say about this recipe other than that it is a damn good one. I've made chilis before that have had cocoa powder in them, but never have I had the opportunity to throw in actual chocolate chips. There is actually something quite joyous and gleeful in doing so, kinda like licking off the spatula after mixing together cake.

My only only complaint about this recipe was the salt-quantity. Normally I put in a fraction of the amount of salt the recipe calls for. But as this one said, "1/2 t. salt, to taste" and later gives you a moment to "adjust the salt and pepper," I thought this implied that 1/2 t. was on the low end of the amount of salt you'd end up tossing in. Oh my god, I have never been more wrong. I'm a salt FREAK, and yet, between the 1/2 t. and the soy sauce, this chili was fricking INSANELY salty. So of course not wanting to waste it all, I decided to throw in random potato chunks in the hopes that they'd absorb some of the salt. (This isn't anything weird I've made up--I've read about doing this in quite a few places... If you over-salt something, toss in chunks of potatoes, and supposedly they'll absorb some of the salt and then you can remove them.) Thankfully this actually did work a bit (also helpful was leaving them in with the chili after it was refrigerated and then picking them out each time I served myself some). But as I thought the amount of salt in the recipe was ridiculous, I've omitted it from the version reprinted here.

Anyways, this chili is the perfect spiciness level--hot enough to be like ZOWEEE but not so hot that your eyes will water and you'll doubt the existence of God (unless you're *ALREADY* an atheist =). The chocolate chips also add just the perfect level of richness to the chili as well, making it tasty and luxurious. A definite thumbs up.


Black Bean and Chocolate Chili
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 T. olive oil


• 1.5 c. chopped onions


• 4 garlic cloves, minced


• 1 stalk celery, sliced


• 2 jalapenos, minced


• 1 T. cumin


• 2 t. oregano


• 1/2 t. cinnamon


• 1 pinch ground cloves


• 1 t. ground coriander


• 1 T. chili powder


• 1/2 t. ground black pepper


• 1.5 c. chopped bell peppers (I used red and orange)


• Two 14.5 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained


• One 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes


• 1 T. fresh lime juice


• 1 T. soy sauce


• 1.4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until onions become soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery and chile, cover and cook for another five minutes more.

Reduce the heat and stir in spices, (cumin, oregano, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, chili powder, black pepper) along with the bell peppers. Cover again and cook for another five minutes. Stir often to keep the spices from burning. If pan get too dry add a little liquid from the diced tomatoes, or some water.

Next, add the black beans, tomatoes, lime juice (if using) and soy sauce. Let the chili simmer on low for 5 to 10 minutes, until it thickens slightly and flavors combine.

Stir in the chocolate. When chocolate has melted, taste to adjust the salt and pepper.

Serve with topping of your choice.

(Original recipe found HERE)

Junk in Your Trunk Salsa Chili-Soup

I love this recipe. God bless Kristen for introducing it to me. It is simple, just requires opening up cans and jars and dumping them into a pot, and is damn good. It also is nice because it can help you clean out the fridge and your shelves of all the random shit that's been sitting there for a while but that you haven't had a chance to use up (You happen to have a random old can of squash that's been sitting on your shelf since 1993? Throw it in! Some weird artichokes that will mold soon if you don't use 'em? Plop them in theres!).

General Ingredients:

Small can of black beans (drained)
Small can of kidney beans (drained)
Small can of some other kind of beans (I used white) (drained)
Small can of corn (drained)
1 jar of your favorite salsa
1 large can of stewed tomatoes
1 red pepper
Green onions

Some add-ons:
Roasted red pepper (left-over)
Lots and lots o' cayenne pepper (until it was nice and spicy)
Some red pepper
About a teaspoon and a half's worth of cocoa

Directions: Dump all of the above into a slow-cooker or into a large pot on the stove. Cook.

This is a really tasty recipe, especially if you pick out a decent salsa. It makes a particularly good summer-chili, as it's not heavy or dense at all, moreso just light and verging on a soup. And it's healthy (no oil!) and dirt cheap: total ingredients cost me probably somewhere in the $7 range, and it yields about 6-8 servings worth (which is a whole week's worth of eating). And it has a billion uses: soup, chili, use only one can of stewed tomatoes and it could pass as enough salsa to feed a small army. Also tasty topped with fritos (yep, they's vegan).

Verdict: A

Sweet Potato Chili

*Note to self--must figure out how to take more flattering food p0rn pictures that don't resemble those taken of the Loch Ness monster.


~ modified from a recipe from The Great American Detox Diet

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 roasted red pepper (placing them in a paper bag for Step 6--instead of a bowl with saran wrap--also works wonderfully), chopped
5 cloves roasted garlic, mushed up
a few smidgens of salt to taste
1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 28-can diced tomatoes
4 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 6 cups freshly cooked)
1 jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and chopped (next time I'd use 2)
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
multiple dashes of cayenne pepper until spicy to your liking

EXTRAS:
cashews
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves, washed and dried

1. Warm the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onion, red pepper, garlic, and salt. Saute until soft, about 4 minutes.

2. Add the sweet potato and lime zest, and cook until potatoes are close to soft, continuing to stir occasionally (took mine about 25 minutes or so--but I suspect they were larger than 1/2 inch chunks). Revel in the most glorious scent of roasted red pepper and sweet potatoes wafting from your pot.

3. Add the tomatoes, black beans, jalapeno, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and cocoa, cayenne pepper (to taste), bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

4. Serve with cashews, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges for garnishing. (Urge folks to use them all, especially the lime juice--so tasty.) Also serve with a side of homemmade cornbread (that is the recipe I used, though I wasn't wholly impressed by it).

Serves 6.

VERDICT: Definite A. My family loved it as well--my brother said, "I don't even really LIKE black beans or chili, but I ate it all!"