Quinoa & Black Bean Salad

• For Salad
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed if canned
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups cooked corn
• 3/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 2 pickled jalapeño chilies, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh coriander
• 4 medium tomatoes, diced
• 4 green onions, chopped

For dressing

• 2 t grated lime zest
• 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp raw sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste
• 1/3 cup olive oil

In a bowl wash quinoa in at least 5 changes cold water, rubbing grains and letting them settle before pouring off most of water, until water runs clear and drain in a large fine sieve (note: some quinoa is sold pre-rinsed.... if you use that kind, skip this step)

In a saucepan of salted boiling water cook quinoa 10 minutes. Drain quinoa in sieve and rinse under cold water. Set sieve over a saucepan of boiling water (quinoa should not touch water) and steam quinoa, covered with a kitchen towel and lid, until fluffy and dry, about 10 minutes (check water level in kettle occasionally, adding water if necessary).

While quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl toss beans with vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and cool. Add beans, corn, bell pepper, jalapeños, coriander, tomatoes and green onions and toss well.

Make dressing:
In a small bowl whisk together zest, lime juice, sugar, salt, and cumin and add oil in a stream, whisking.

Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well with salt and pepper to taste. Salad may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before serving.

Note:  Some recipes omit the tomatoes and green onions from the salad and the lime zest and sugar from the dressing.  Do what you prefer :)  

Not So Spicy Eggplant

Okay, so we are moving in a day and I am trying to pare down on my recipe books. I have a wok and stir fry one that I only ever use one recipe from. I figure it would be more prudent to just post the recipe and give the book away (any takers? I've also got a bread machine book. If not, they will find a happy home at DI). Anyway, the dish's title is Spicy Eggplant, but I don't do spicy. So don't be afraid of the title, because I don't even think it tastes spicy.

1 lb eggplant, rinsed

2 tsp salt

3 T veg oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed (or minced)

2 T fresh ginger

1 fresh red chili (maybe this adds heat? I've never had it on hand, so I've never used it)

1 onion, halved and sliced

2 T soy sauce

1 T hoison sauce

1/2 tsp chili sauce (never used this either, actually)

1 T dark brown sugar

1 T wine vinegar

1 tsp ground Szechuan pepper (okay, so now I'm seeing why this is called spicy eggplant :P I've always omitted this ingredient, too)

1 1/4 c veg boullion

Cut eggplants into cubes. Place in strainer and sprinkle with salt. Let stand 30 minutes. Rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Heat oil and add garlic, ginger, onion, and fresh chili. Cook 30 seconds and add the eggplant. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Add soy sauce, hoison sauce (I suppose it may be compensation for the spices I omit, but I always end up using more than 1 T of hoison sauce.. so maybe you'll want to add to taste), chili sauce, brown sugar, wine vinegar, Szechuan pepper, and veggie boullion, reduce heat and let simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes or until eggplants are cooked/tender. Increase heat to reduce sauce until thickened enough to coat eggplants. Serve immediately.

Cauliflower Pesto

Okay, so I like cauliflower! It's just such a versatile veggie. This recipe is a tasty, and extremely easy, way to eat it as part of a main course.

Steam the florets until tender, then puree in a blender. As needed, add the same water that you used to steam the cauliflower (you'll retain more nutrients this way). Continue to puree. Once you've achieved a creamy consistency, add pesto (storebought or homemade). Start with a little pesto and blend each time you add some, to distribute the flavor. Do this until the amount of pesto flavor suits you. Salt enhances the flavor, so use the same method- a pinch at a time- to season to your taste. And that is it. You can eat it over pasta...... but my favorite way to eat it is over cooked spaghetti squash. I am telling you, a nothing-but-veggies entreé never tasted so good!

Roasted Cauliflower

Thanks to Tiffany, I don't think I will ever cook cauliflower any other way. Unless I'm making cauliflower pesto, a recipe I'm going to post in a minute. It is SO good. Tiffany's method may differ a little, but I've been doing it this way:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash/Break apart cauliflower into florets.

Spread out on cookie sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. If you leave the oven at 400, then bake a full 20 minutes... but I like to only bake for 15, then switch the oven to broil for 2, 3 minutes max.... because I like the stalks a little crisp.

Salt to preference.... and devour :)

Cashew Ginger Sauce

Okay, so the recipe is really for Cashew Ginger Tofu, and it is delicious. But, I've been trying to rely a whole lot less on soy for my protein, so I've just been making the sauce and eating it over quinoa, which contains more protein than any other grain. So yummy... especially with some roasted cauliflower on the side.

The full recipe follows.... simply omit the tofu if you just want the sauce. You could even just cook the sauce in a pan instead of baking. I'm telling you, the sauce rocks!

1/3 cup cashew butter (all I do is blend up the cashews until they're at a fine consistency)
3½ tbsp tamari (I sub soy sauce)
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp agave nectar (I sub honey)
¾ cup water
1 pkg (12-oz/350-g) firm or extra-firm tofu (frozen or fresh), sliced ¼–½ -in (5–10-mm) thick squares and patted to remove excess moisture

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Using a hand blender or food processor, combine cashew butter, tamari, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and agave nectar and purée, until cashew butter is incorporated and mixture is smooth. Add water and purée again until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Pour a little of mixture into an 8x12-in (20x30-cm) baking dish to cover bottom, then add tofu and pour in remaining sauce to cover evenly. At this point, either cover and refrigerate to marinate for 1 hour or more, or bake immediately. To bake, cover with aluminium foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove cover, stir well, and bake again uncovered for 5–7 minutes, until sauce has thickened (lightly stir if necessary). Do not overbake, or the sauce will become too thick and pasty.

Note: Leftovers of this tofu are terrific paired with veggies and rolled into a rice paper wrap, or baked in a tortilla wrap.

Note: The ginger adds 'heat' to the sauce, but if you want to kick it up some more, add a few shakes of crushed red chili flakes... to your liking.

recipe & notes from Vive Le Vegan.

Zuppa Toscana

Am I still allowed to post on this?? Chante, I tried this soup and loved it. Who knew kale was so yummy? Okay, maybe you did, but not us.... My mom loves the vegetarian (Morningstar?) sausage and they would work great. And I know mayo sounds sick, but I have an uber-healthy cookbook (dairy-free) that uses Vegannaise in place of dairy sometimes to add the needed fat and white color. Enough with the disclaimers, though.

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 lg. onion, chopped
4 c. chicken broth
4 medium potatoes, diced (OR 2-3 c. frozen hash browns)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 lb. mild italian sausage (OR 2-3 sausage patties, chopped)
4 c. kale, de-stemmed and chopped (discard stems)
1/2 c. heavy cream (OR 1/2 c. mayonnaise)
opt. parmesan cheese

1-In a large pot, heat olive oil. Saute onion until translucent, about 10 minutes.

2-Add broth, potatoes, kale, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

3-Meanwhile, cook sausage until browned/thoroughly cooked.

4-Add sausage and cream (or mayo) to soup. If using mayo, whisk with a small amount of broth taken from the pot; this way it incorporates completely.
Garnish with parmesan shavings if desired.

Mac O Geez

From the Vive Le Vegan blog:

Pasta:
2 3/4 - 3 cups (~10 oz) dry cut pasta (ex: macaroni, penne) (I use brown rice pasta, see note)

Sauce:
1/2 + 1/3 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup raw brazil nuts
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 large clove garlic
2 tsp arrowroot powder (flour or cornstarch works just as good here)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp (rounded) dry mustard
1 cup water
1 1/3 – 1 1/2 cups plain non-dairy milk (I use unsweetened plain almond milk, but you can also use plain soy or rice milk) *(use the full 1 1/2 cups of milk if using full 3 cups of dry pasta)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Breadcrumb Topping:
1 - 1 1/2 cups dry whole-grain breadcrumbs (I use Ian's whole-wheat brand) (use full 1 1/2 cups if you like crunchy topping, only 1 cup if you prefer more mac and sauce... like me!)
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp olive oil (use full 2 tbsp for full 1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs)
1/8 tsp (rounded) sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Get all ingredients ready to blend for sauce, then start cooking pasta. While pasta is cooking, blend all sauce ingredients in a blender or in a deep bowl with an immersion blender (beging blending the nuts and other ingredients with about 1/2 of the liquid to smooth it out, then when smooth, add remaining liquid and blend again until entire mixture is very smooth). Once pasta is almost tender, fully drain (don’t rinse). Mix noodles with sauce, and immediately pour into a lightly oiled 8 x 12” baking dish. (it will look like there is a lot of runny sauce – it will thicken up, trust the pasta!) Mix breadcrumb toppings in a small bowl, then sprinkle over top of casserole. Cover with foil and bake for 16-18 minutes. Then, remove foil cover and bake another 5-7 minutes or until topping is golden brown and crisped. Don’t overbake or sauce will get too thick. Remove from oven and place casserole on a hot plate (rather than on top of oven, since residual heat from oven will continue to thicken the sauce). Serve!

Notes:
1) This may not seem like a lot of pasta for this dish… but once it cooks and soaks up some of the sauce, this dish makes enough to happily serve 4. Don’t be tempted to use more pasta – you’ll lose out on the sauce and instead will have a dry casserole.

2) If you have leftovers (IF!), place in a heatproof dish. Drizzle in a touch of non-dairy milk to remoisten the mixture while baking. Cover and bake until heated through, then remove cover for a couple of minutes to crisp up the topping again.

Heart-Healthy Spelt Bread ♥

love, love, love this spelt bread recipe! The author suggests using some white spelt for a lighter, fluffier bread, but I used all whole spelt and it is still pretty light. Yumminess. I smathered a slice with smart balance and drizzled it with honey. More yumminess.

(See, half the loaf has disappeared already!)

Spelt Bread
by Rebecca Wood (posted at http://www.thenewhomemaker.com)
Yield: Two 8 ½" x 4 ½" loaves
For a lighter flavor and texture, use up to 50% white spelt flour. Some people who are sensitive to common wheat are able to enjoy spelt bread.
Note: it is important that you don't over-knead spelt dough.
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 cups warm water (105° to 110° F)
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons sea salt
6 cups spelt flour (use any combination of whole or white spelt)
Combine the yeast, water and honey in a large warm bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes or until the yeast softens. Stir in the butter and salt and 3 cups of the flour. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Add the remaining flour in increments until the dough becomes too stiff to stir, then place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 6 minutes, adding any remaining flour as necessary, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Do not overknead.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for about 2 hours or until doubled in bulk.
Grease two 8 ½" x 4 ½" loaf pans. Punch the dough down to deflate it and divide it in half. Form each half into a smooth loaf and place in a prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for about 1 hour or until the dough has risen to the top of the pans.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Uncover the risen loaves. Place the pans on a heavy baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until the tops are light brown and crusty. Remove from the oven and tap out of the pan into the baking sheet. Turn the oven off and return the breads to the oven to crisp for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Note- I don't know if it was the higher altitude or that I put the loaf pans on a pizza stone... or what, but these only required about 35 minutes to bake, then I popped them out of the pan and back onto the stone for just another 2 minutes.

White Bean Soup

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 medium onions, chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 cups vegetable broth

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp oregano leaves

1/4 tsp red pepper sauce

1/4 tsp salt

1 can (11 oz) white shoepeg corn or whole kernel corn, drained

1 can (15-16 oz) great northern beans, drained

1 can (15-16 0z) butter beans, drained

In 4 quart dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic in oil 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes.

Homestyle, Vegan-style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yes, this is a vegan recipe... but don't let that deter you! These cookies are so good. So good that I actually prefer them to the traditional chocolate chip cookie. And, you can eat the cookie dough :)

These are so, so easy to make. The recipe and variations come from popular vegan author Dreena Burton.

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (see note below for wheat-free version)
1 tsp baking powder
1⁄2 tsp baking soda
1⁄4 cup unrefined sugar
1⁄4 tsp sea salt
1⁄3 cup pure maple syrup
1⁄4 tsp blackstrap molasses
1 - 1 1⁄2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1⁄4 cup organic canola oil (a little generous 1/4 cup)
1⁄3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the sugar and salt, and stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup with the molasses and vanilla, then stir in the oil until well combined. Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just well combined (do not overmix). Place large spoonfuls of the batter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten a little. Bake for 11 minutes, until just golden (if you bake for much longer, they will dry out). Let cool on the sheet for no more than 1 minute (again, to prevent drying), then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes 8-10 large cookies.

Note: Unbleached all-purpose flour produces a cookie with a very classic taste and texture, but you can use whole-wheat pastry flour and still have delicious cookies! For a wheat-free version, use barley or spelt flour. With spelt flour, you may need to add an extra 2-4 TB of flour, if it is a refined spelt flour. Also, if using all-purpose flour, if the batter is heavy and dense when mixing in the wet ingredients, add another 1-2 tsp each of maple syrup and canola oil and work through.

Brubaker Wassail

3 1/4 c water
2 c apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves

Simmer above ingredients for at least an hour.

Stir in 1/3 c sugar & 6 oz. lemonade concentrate. Serve.

Pulgogi

1 lb. beef, thinly sliced
4 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. sesame seed oil
6 Tbs. soy sauce
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbs. sesame seeds
1 green onion, chopped

1-Marinate beef in remaining ingredients for 2-12 hours.
2-Cook in a wok or fry pan over medium heat until done.
3-Serve with short-grain rice or romaine lettuce leaves (authentic).

Variations:
Vegetarian--substitute one package (16 oz?) extra firm tofu, drained and diced, for beef.
Crockpot--(best version for super tender meat!)-throw all the ingredients into the crock pot and mix well. Cook 4 hrs. on low or 8 hrs. on high. Break up meat and stir in green onion before serving.
Sucrose-free--substitute equal parts honey for the sugar .

Cabbage Salad

Marinade:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 packet ramen seasoning (chili-lime is our favorite)


Cabbage Salad:
approx. 1/2 c sliced almonds
Noodles from the opened Ramen package
approx. 1 T sesame seeds
----> toast these ingredients in a fry pan

Mix in with:
1 head of cabbage, shredded
a few stalks of green onions, chopped

Stir in marinade and toss, toss, toss!

*Note- for very large heads of cabbage, I often use two ramen packets and double the remaining ingredients for the marinade and salad.

Squash Lasagna

After devouring this dish tonight, I had to recommend it to you guys! I saw it made on Studio 5 the other day. They used pumpkin, but the field pumpkin we had was too tough to cut... so we used butternut squash instead, and it was a delicious subsitute. I think any squash would do.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups peeled and diced pumpkin
• 5 tomatoes
• 1 eggplant or zucchini** (we used eggplant)
  
• 16 oz. part skim ricotta cheese
• 9 ounces feta cheese
• 5 oz. pesto sauce
• 2 eggs, beaten
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• Lasagna noodles
• 1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice a field pumpkin into quarters and place on a baking sheet, then roast in oven until browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Slice tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini or other vegetables of choice into thick slices and place on baking sheet and cook for the last 15 minutes of pumpkin time -- until tender and tomatoes are wrinkly.

In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, feta, pesto, eggs, salt and pepper until well mixed. Cut cooked pumpkin away from the skin and cube, and then fold roasted pumpkin into ricotta mixture.

Pour half the tomato sauce into a 9x13 baking dish. Lay lasagna noodles over the sauce. Arrange a single layer of veggie (zucchini/eggplant) slices over pasta and top with half the ricotta mixture. Cover with lasagna noodles. Arrange the roasted tomatoes evenly over the noodles and spoon the remaining half the ricotta mixture over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella. Top with lasagna noodles. Pour remaining tomato sauce over all and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

**You can easily make this a savory Pumpkin Beef lasagna by swapping the eggplant layer for a layer of ground beef tossed in tomato sauce.

~10 servings, 326 calories per serving (about half the calories of other lasagna recipes!)

Crash Potatoes

So.. so.. so.. so.. GOOD!
My sister-in-law Tina made these while we were visiting Rexburg this past weekend. They are so delicious (I'm already making them again 3 days later). The only herb I've had them with, so far, is the rosemary. So yummy. Or did I say that already??!! :)
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Ingredients:
New Potatoes (or other small, round potato)
Olive Oil
Kosher (coarse) salt
Black Pepper
Whatever herb you like... ie- Rosemary

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook potatoes until fork-tender. Drizzle olive oil generously on a cookie sheet. Place potatoes on cookie sheet with plenty of room in between. Use a potato masher to gently press down on the potato until it slightly mashes. Then rotate the masher 90 degrees and finish flattening it. Of course, you don’t want to absolutely smash it into the pan—you want it almost to resemble a cookie. Repeat until all are flattened. And really, I don’t know why you couldn’t use the bottom of a glass for this step if you don’t have a potato masher. The surface might not be as textured and interesting, but I think it still might work. Brush or drizzle potatoes with olive oil. Generously sprinkle salt, pepper, and herb(s) over potatoes. Bake on top rack at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and crispy and sizzling.

*Photos & Recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/)

Spring Rolls

The freshest & best spring rolls I've ever had! As with the Pansit, the recipe is not an exact science. What you want to include the most of, however, is the veggies. The next highest quantity is the noodles, and finally the herbs. The herbs should give a nice, subtle kick to the egg rolls and not be overwhelming.

Rice paper
Rice vermicelli
cucumber, sliced thin
carrots, sliced thin
Basil, mint, and chives (Asian varieties if you can find them)

Soak the vermicelli according to package directions (usually 15-30 minutes)

To assemble the spring roll:
Rinse rice paper according to directions (about 5 seconds with lukewarm water), lay on a plate.
Add some vermicelli noodles, cucumber and carrot slices, and herbs. Fold burrito style (Fold one side of paper over the filling, fold in sides, and roll until you get to the end of the rice paper).

I dip the rolls in hoison sauce, but the lady at the Thai store said Chili sauce is a nice compliment also. Enjoy!

Pansit

This is a Vietnamese version from a friend of mine whose mom is, well, Vietnamese! It's very good, and goes really well with fresh Spring Rolls, one of my favorite recipes that I'll have to post in a bit (I'm posting this while I wait for Jono to come home with the bell pepper, carrots, and cabbage).

It's not an "exact" recipe (ie- no measured amounts)... you just add the quantity of veggies/tofu you see fit. Also, while this recipe uses tofu, Filipino versions use thinly sliced pork or other meats... for all you meat eaters :)
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rice vermacelli, soaked one hour
egg (optional), cooked omelet style and sliced/chopped
sliced shallots or green onion (I use green onion)
green beans, sliced in half length-wise
red pepper, sliced (this is also optional, but I think it adds a lot to the dish)
carrots, sliced (julienned)
mushrooms, sliced
green cabbage, chopped
tofu
veggie bouillon
soy sauce

Slice tofu and marinate in soy sauce while prepping other ingredients. When done, heat some oil in a skillet and fry tofu til browned. In clean skillet, heat oil and fry shallots or onions. Add carrots, green beans. Add cabbage. Add mushrooms. Add red pepper. (I think I wait 1-3 minutes between each veggie addition) Then add egg & tofu. Add noodles, a little bit of water, and toss... toss... toss! Add soy sauce to taste.

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Note* I just realized that no where in the recipe does it say what to do with the bouillon. That's probably why I forgot to use it when I made it tonight :P Normally, you would prepare half a cube or cube (to taste) with the water and add after the noodles (the bouillon water being the "little bit of water") The pansit still tasted great without the bouillon though. If I hadn't come back on to post pictures, I wouldn't have even realized that it was left it out.

Chili Bowls

I happened upon this recipe idea and had to post it right away. First of all, I love eating soup in bread bowls, and this is pretty much the same concept... just with chili. Plus, I just recently posted the Chili Sin Carne recipe, so it seemed like good timing.

2 cups biscuit baking mix (recommended: Bisquick) *** I am going to try it with a cornbread variety ***
2/3 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Flour, for dusting the work surface

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Invert a muffin tin and spray the underside with vegetable oil cooking spray.

Stir together the baking mix, milk, and cayenne (I think you could omit the cayenne if you're doing cornbread, unless you like spice). Shape into a ball. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead 3 or 4 times. Divide the ball into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a 6-inch circle. Place a dough circle over the back of each muffin cup. Press around the cup to form a bowl shape. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool slightly. Remove the biscuit bowls.

Cool, huh?

Chili Sin Carne

So... I was totally nervous about using a new recipe today, but oh my goodness, this chili was OH-SO-GOOD! Each of our guests went back for thirds, which is always the best compliment you can get as a cook, right? Especially since it had veggie crumbles in it... and nobody noticed the difference :) So, I actually don't mind that I lost our prior chili recipe, because this is the recipe Jono swears we'll use from now on (and he's right; we will).
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If you don't dig the crumbles, just omit it OR you could try substituting another can of beans (whichever suits you) and 1/4 c quinoa. My cousin Rachél recommended that to me, and that is now how we make it. I totally love quinoa; it's packed with iron, protein... and even calcium!

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (1 1/2 cups)
2 carrots, diced (1 cup)
1 small bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.)
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes with juice
1 15.5-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15.5-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 12-oz. pkg. veggie crumbles
2 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbs. light brown sugar
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen corn

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 2 minutes. Add carrots and bell pepper, and cook 2 minutes more. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute, or until fragrant. Stir in 2 cups water and all remaining ingredients except corn, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Fold in corn and 1/2 cup water, and simmer 10 minutes more. Optional: Serve with toppings like sour cream, grated cheese, and green onions.

Call For Recipes!

I don't know if anyone will read this in time, but we're having some people over for Chili tomorrow, and I can't find my recipes!!!  I've looked online but am totally indecisive, probably because I hate cooking "new" recipes when I'm having company over.  Does anybody have any chili recipes that they like?  It can have meat it in, be vegetarian, whatever!  So, if you read this at least half an hour before midnight, post & I bet we'll still make it to the store in time!!!  ;)