The Annual Chili and Beer War Submission for 2014

The 8th Annual Connell Chili and Beer War was yet another unqualified success. A great time was had by all. Every time I go, I make new friends and feel so welcome and happy. I told my lovely hostess this is one of those events where I sometimes lament about not eating meat. As I look around at all of the simmering creations in the crock pots, I am amazed at all of the creative culinary definitions of chili. My friend and hostess was so considerate. She made a vegan chile so that we could experience more than one of the entries. It was really awesome, chunks of hearty vegetables, beans and soooooo much flavor.

Mr. Host is a beer aficionado. He has probably done the beer tour at OC many times. He shared some fun brews with the crowd by serving tastings of several unique microbrews. I was pleasantly surprised by a pumpkin ale he offered. Nothing better than excellent beer with hot chile!

Our chili was pretty well received. The flavor was rich and smokey. When I discussed it with the prior year's champion (and third place winner this year), she suggested that while it had very good flavor, it needed more texture. I concur, so I made some slight adjustment in the recipe below to add beans for more texture.  I used the DePuy or French lentils because A) I had a small amount left in the pantry and B) they are the type of lentils that stay more firm when cooked for long periods of time. I love the smokiness of the paprika and chipotle in this. I hope you do to! This a a pretty spicy chili. If you are more delicate, reduce the amount of jalapeños by half and use a milder chile powder.

Smoky Red Hot Chili

1 cup french lentils (DePuy)
2 1/4 cup water
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 large pasilla chile pepper, diced
3 medium jalapeños, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon hot chile powder
1 tablespoon oregano
1/2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegan brown or red ale beer
1-15 oz. can fired roasted crushed tomatoes
1-15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1-8 oz can El Pato Salsa de Chile Fresco
1-6 oz can tomato paste
3 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 cup organic textured vegetable protein (TVP)
1 - 15 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

In a medium sized saucepan add lentils and water. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 25-35 minutes until lentils are tender (they will still be somewhat firm).

In a large stock pot over medium heat add oil then onions and fresh peppers. Saute until softened and onions are translucent, about 7-10 minutes. If mixture starts to stick, add a little water Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chile powder, oregano, cocoa, smoked paprika, cumin, chipotle powder and salt. Sauté until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Deglaze with beer and simmer for about 2 more minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, El Pato, tomato paste, vegetable broth and bay leaves. Combine well. Stir in TVP and beans. Let simmer for at least and hour to let those flavors develop.

Serve with diced green onions and vegan sour cream if desired. Oh and corn bread is a natural for this chili!

Book Review and Giveaway! Robin Robertson's One-Dish Vegan

I'm always excited when I get a new cookbook in the mail. The arrival of Robin Robertson's One-Dish Vegan was no exception. When I was asked to participate in the BLOG TOUR I was more than happy to say yes. One-dish is like Fred's dream come true for me in the kitchen. I have a serious kitchen hurricane issue when it comes to dishes. Any option to minimize mess is highly desirable in my kitchen.

I have several of Robin's books. I have always enjoyed her no-nonsense, fairly simple recipes. I do find that many of her books contain recipes where similar versions can be found in her other cookbooks. Sometimes there is a slight variation: lower fat content, variations for more common food allergies, etc. If you have a lot of her books, you may want to peruse the index before you decide to add this one to your collection.  There are still enough new recipes to make a long-time fan happy.

Speaking of the index, this one is well organized. It makes it very easy to find what you desire by recipe name or main ingredient. Simple cooking charts for grains and beans are included. Even though I have many cookbooks that include these charts, I love having it available in the book I am using. Some I know by heart, but I don't always remember all of them. There are also recipes for basic veggie broth and seitan for those who don't already have their own favorite.

Early in the book, Robin explains what One-Dish means to her. I originally thought it to meant you would only be using one dish to cook and prep the entire recipe. This will indeed happen for many of the recipes, but the One-Dish designation actually means the meal will be served in one dish. The beauty of many of the recipes is that they can be made ahead of time and quickly reheated. We are ridiculously busy so much of the time, this is a great option for us.

The recipes I tried were all very hearty and filling. She successfully combines proteins, grains and veggies into just about every recipe. I like the fact that a lot of the recipes can also be frozen for future use as well. I tried four recipes, three successfully.

Jamaican Jerk Tempeh with Vegetables (page 74). This was truly made in one skillet, which I loved. The ingredients were all simple and easy to find. Most I had in my pantry. It came together in about 45 minutes total. I served it over some cooked quinoa I had on hand. The Jamaican spices with the hint of rum were very nice, although I will probably up the amounts of spices a touch next time. I do wish I would have had the suggested mango chutney on hand. I think the dish needed that little extra brightness. Fred liked it which is saying something as he is not a lover of tempeh.

 

Quinoa and Lentils with Butternut Squash and Rapini (page 75). This was another one pot deal (yay!). This homey dish was really quite easy to assemble. The most time consuming part was peeling and dicing the butternut squash. I usually buy mine whole, but if you really want to save some prep time, some stores sell the fresh stuff already peeled and diced. I substituted broccoli for the rapini. That is another great thing about Robin. She often provides suggestions for substitutions to suit your tastes or what you might have in the pantry. Now this one is very subtle and yummy, but not POW flavorful. To me this is the kind of stick to your ribs dish you would eat after a long day playing in the snow (or in our case here in AZ, playing in the desert).

Recipe © 2013 by Robin Robertson and used by permission of The Harvard Common Press

Gluten-free | Soy-free | Serves 4
Hearty, healthful, and delicious, this simmer of lentils, quinoa, and squash also includes rapini (aka broccoli rabe) and walnuts for a wide variety of textures and flavors. If rapini is unavailable, substitute 8 ounces of your favorite green vegetable.
Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water
• 1 medium-size red onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup dried brown or green lentils
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced (about 3 cups)
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces rapini, thick stems removed, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup toasted walnut pieces

Directions:
1. Heat the oil or water in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Stir in the lentils and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
2. Add the squash, quinoa, thyme, red pepper flakes (if using), and salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and cook for 15 minutes longer.
3. Stir in the rapini and cook on low heat until the ingredients are tender and the flavors are well blended, about 15 minutes longer.  Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Sprinkle with the walnuts and serve hot.

Louisiana Red Beans and Rice (page 68). The other day I asked Fred to pick a recipe he wanted to try (eating not cooking this time). Fred loves Cajun food. Honestly, he likes anything that makes any reference to being at being spicy. He was on the fence deciding between this recipe and the Jambalaya. I didn't have time to make the sausages, so this one won. Another truly one pot meal, this one left little to clean up after prepping. I used canned beans for convenience (as I often do). A quick chopping of the veggies and this was another snap to prepare. We like a lot of spice and heat, so I think the next time I make this one, I will add some fresh chopped jalapeno and a touch more of the smoked paprika and cayenne. Slathered with the Louisiana hot sauce, Fred at three, yes that's right, three bowls!!! We have plenty left over for the week as well. 

I attempted the Butternut and Cremini Lasagne (page 172). I had high hopes as the ingredient list contained a lot of things I adore: butternut squash, cremini mushrooms pecans, greens and white beans. Sadly, I found it pretty bland and flavorless. I served it to a group of starving 20 year-olds who concurred. It just seemed to need more seasonings. It looked pretty though!

There is a whole chapter dedicated to chilis. I am looking forward to trying some of them out as it is perfect chili weather. The Bahn Mizza recipe (page 186) is on my radar as it looks so yummy and unusual. I haven't even delved into the salads or soups yet. 

Pro's:

Hearty, filling recipes

Easy to find ingredients

Convenience

Healthy meal options

Food allergy friendly

Cons:

No pictures except for front and back covers

Similar recipes to some of her other book

Uses spices sparingly, may need to adjust to your tastes

As you can see, the pro's far out weigh the con's. If you are looking for a great cookbook for a busy lifestyle, this is one you will want in your collection. If you want minimally processed healthy meals for you and your loved ones, this one is a keeper.

The fine folks at Harvard Common Press have generously offered to send a free copy of One-dish Vegan to one of you lucky readers (US only this time please). Leave a comment on this post about your favorite one-dish meal or how one-dish meals will make your life better or easier by midnight MST on Wednesday, November 20th, 2013. Winner will be announced on Thursday, November 21st. Good luck and good eating!!!

Side Note: Robin's 30 Days of Vegan Cooking campaign is currently live on her blog (http://robinrobertson.com/) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/VeganPlanetbyRobinRobertson). She's sharing one recipe from the revised edition of her Vegan Planet cookbook each day in November to promote World Vegan Month, and to help people incorporate more vegan recipes into their lives-- whether they've embraced an entire vegan lifestyle, or are just trying to work more vegan meals into their routine, even if it's just once a week 

Thanks to all of the commenters who dropped by to play. The winner of the giveaway is...drumroll....#7 - NICOLE!! Congrats Nicole, please contact me at vegintraining at g mail dot com and we'll get that yummy book on its way to you!

MoFo 2013 - Day 13 - L is for Lentils, Lebanese if You Please

If Popeye were smart, he would have eaten his spinach with lentils. Why? Because these little guys pack an additional wallop of iron. There is 37% of the RDA of iron in one cup of cooked lentils. They keep your pipes clean too with lots of fiber. They are a fantastic source of low fat protein, 18 grams per 1 cup serving.

Not only are these little guys full of all sorts of good stuff for your body, they are relatively inexpensive. Add to that the fact that they are very versatile and cook up waaaay quicker than dried beans and you have an arsenal of reasons to love them.

This fine day I decided to make a one dish meal out of them inspired by Aarti Sequeira's Lebanese Lentils, Rice and Caramelized Onions (Mujadara). I change it up slightly by adding an extra cup of water and using brown basmati rice. I had to up the cooking time about 10 more minutes for the brown rice. It didn't have enough heat for my taste, so I added a teaspoon of hot chile powder. The downside to this dish is that it has A LOT of oil. I am sure you could cut back to half and it would still be yummy. I love the caramelized onion garnish! The picture isn't super colorful, but what it lacks in good looks, it makes up in taste. I'm going to throw some chopped spinach in for a one dish meal for lunch!

Valley Dish - Sloppy Chipotle Joses

Yesterday was a fun and fabulous day. I got to cook with Tram Mai, the awesome host of Valley Dish here in Phoenix. She is so fun and full of energy. She is passionate about food and is very interested in finding delicious healthy things to eat. A self-proclaimed carnivore, she was very excited to try some tasty vegan fare. I was thrilled to be able to bring some compassionate cooking to the studio kitchen. I do hope that I am able to dispel some of the misconceptions about vegan cooking being bland and boring.

When trying to come up with dishes for the show, I have a fun time trying to find vegan dishes that will appeal to all types of viewers and diners...that can also be prepped in 10 minutes or so. This flavorful Southwestern twist on a classic American favorite fit the bill for this episode. The actual cooking time is longer than 10 minutes of course, but prep is a snap. I've served this dish to kids, adults, carnivores, you name it, with great success. I love it because it is easy, low fat, healthy and really great for feeding a crowd. It doubles easily and freezes like a dream. So it is excellent for busy people. Click here to view the video of Tram and I dishing 'em up (courtesy of Valley Dish).

Sloppy Chipotle Joses

Makes 8 sandwiches

1 ½ cup brown lentils

5 cups water

2 ½ teaspoons Better than Bouillon vegetarian no beef flavor base

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large fresh pasilla/poblano chile, medium dice (approx ¾ cup)

1 medium yellow onion, diced small (approx 1 cup)

3 large cloves of garlic, minced (or 3-4 teaspoons pre-minced)

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons Mexican oregano

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

½ cup ketchup

8 oz. tomato sauce

2 chipotle peppers (in adobo sauce), minced (leave seeds in if you like a bit more heat)

In a two-quart saucepan combine the lentils, water and bouillon. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer lentils for about 20-30 minutes until cooked through. There should be a very small amount of liquid left (Lentils can be made a day or two ahead of time and refrigerated).

While the lentils are cooking, heat olive oil in a 4 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add pasilla chiles, yellow onion and garlic. Sauté until just soft, about 8 minutes. Add ancho chile powder, smoked paprika, Mexican oregano and salt. Saute for another minute or so until they become fragrant. If lentils are not quite, done turn heat on the vegetable mixture to the lowest setting and simmer. Add lentils and remaining ingredients to the pan. Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes. You can serve immediately, but I recommend waiting 15 minutes or so to let the flavors really come out. This one is even better the next day for a quick lunch.

Serve on soft burger buns with a side of slaw.

Options:

If you like a lot of heat, you can add an extra chipotle chile and maybe even a hit of cayenne pepper.

Want it more sloppy? Feel free to add another 8 oz. can of tomato sauce.

Just for the fun of it, here is the nutritional information courtesy of livestrong.com