The Best Meatless Chili
With Superbowl coming up, I thought I’d share a classic football favorite: Chili.
And what is even better than chili? When you combine it with Cheddar and Onion Cornbread! The combination is a drool worthy event perfect for a house full of hungry fans (or, just yourself).
One of my favorite things about making chili is the diversity. You can make chili with virtually whatever vegetables/proteins left in your fridge; Bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms, turkey, chicken or beef….beans…. well, leave it to Texan to start a great debate about the beans in chili. Apparently, down south, this is a severe faux pas. I, however, am a girl who stands by beans in chili; Even if my southern neighbours disagree.
Believe it or not, you CAN have a vegetarian chili (with beans of course). Even better; I bet this vegetarian recipe would fool your friends into thinking there was meat in it thanks to Gardein beefless ground. I think all of Texas would shun me if I uttered those 2 words (vegetarian chili) but here’s one version of my chili vegetarian style!
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- 3 tablespoon grapeseed Oil
- 1 tablespoon Cumin
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Paprika
- 1 large sweet onion diced
- 2 tablespoon Chili powder
- 2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 package Gardein Beefless Ground
- 3 large Carrots peeled and diced
- 4 stalks celery diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 3 large sweet bell peppers diced (I like to use different colors)
- 700 ml vegetable stock up to 900ml
- 2 cans red kidney beans (540ml cans)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 large can Crushed Tomatoes 28 oz
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- sour cream as garnish
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded for garnish
- 1 bunch Green Onion diced for garnish
- 1 whole Avocado pitted and diced
Ingredients
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Directions
In a large pot on medium high heat, add grapeseed oil, onions, cumin, half the chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook until onions are translucent in color. Reduce heat to medium. Add Garlic, diced carrots, red pepper, celery and Gardein Beefless Ground. Mix until incorporated and cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic powder, cayenne pepper and the vegetable broth and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, red kidney beans and remaining chili powder. Mix until well combined.
If the chili seems to thick, add another cup of vegetable stock (keep in mind, the chili will reduce when simmering). Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook for minimum 1 hour. The longer you cook, the better!
Note: Spice as much/little as you like. I, personally, am aggressive with spices and add them in throughout the cook. The joy is to taste along the way and add as you see fit. Use the above measurements as a guideline. Play around and have fun with it!
To Serve
Scoop into desired bowl. Top with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with cheddar cheese, avocado, red onion and green onion.
Check out my Cheddar and Onion Cornbread here!