Soup Week Continues: Vegetarian Chili

Okay, so this recipe is not mine, but I cook it enough that I feel like it is! (I found the recipe on AllRecipes.com and full credit goes to calead910 for the yummy goodness.) You can totally play around with the ingredients (different beans and veggies) or spice level (leave out or add more jalapeños and green chiles), but any which way you make it this is delish.

heating the veggies

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

adding in the veggie crumbles

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

the almost finished product

I swear even your meat-eatiest tasters will think this is the best chili they've ever eaten. As far as veggie burger crumbles go, the Morningstar Farms ones aren't strictly vegan (there's a trace of egg and milk) but they perform a lot better in the chili than the vegan Boca ones. Your call.

Note: If you visit the original recipe on AllRecipes.com you can get detailed nutritional information and can print it out in a variety of formats. You can even scale the recipe up or down to however many servings you need. I recommend doing half this recipe. It still produces tons of chili, but it's more manageable. I did this last time and froze the other half of the ingredients to make another batch later.

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

Zucchini Soup!

It's a beautiful fall day here in southern California, and while my senses are enjoying the changing leaves and the crisp air, my taste buds are calling out for one of my favorite soups, the Ferraro Family Northern Italian Zucchini Soup.

It's low-calorie, low-fat and if you use vegetable broth, it's vegetarian, too. But the way it's ultimately presented makes it into a hearty meal--a favorite in Northern Italy and at our California table.

The picture I added is similar to its presentation--except that the "green" on top is replaced with a heavy sprinkling of Parmesan cheese!

Below is the recipe, for anyone who'd like to try it!

Tina

Tina Ferraro
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www.tinaferraro.com

Ferraro Family Northern Italian Zucchini Soup

3 medium zucchini
l medium onion
butter and olive oil, about 4 tablespoons total
6 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
1 egg yolk
3 drops lemon juice
grated Parmesan cheese
Italian/French bread

Wash zucchini, but do not peel. Chop into 1/4" chunks. Chop onion. Saute in oil in and butter in a heavy pot. Add broth. Cook until zucchini and onions are tender.

Remove veggies from broth with slotted spoon. Mash in blender or food processor. Return mixture to broth, simmer for about 5 minutes.

Beat egg yolk, and temper by adding a small amount of soup and lemon juice. Return to pot.

Meanwhile, toast 1" thick slices of bread. Put one or more into a soup bowl, cover with soup and top with grated cheese.

(We usually toast extra bread slices, which we serve with cold cuts and sliced cheese.)