Quick and Hearty Chili

I'm continuing on with the recipes from Vegan Diner. Tonight I made the Quick and Hearty Chili served over a bed of rice and side of cornbread. I was not disappointed! I was excited to use my Trader Joe's beef-less ground beef and it lent itself perfectly to this dish. I imagine this as a great "go to" dish in the cooler weather when you're having a craving for a hearty dish that won't take a lot of time. This recipe makes quite a bit of chili so next time I might make it on a Sunday, eat some, freeze some and divide the remainder of it for lunch portions throughout the week. This dish is packed with protein too!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 bell pepper, any color, finely chopped
2 (15.5 ounces) cans kidney or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15.5 ounces) can tomato puree or diced tomatoes pureed
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup TVP or TSP granules

In a large saucepan, add olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are starting to soften and turn golden, about 5-6 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring, for another 3 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups water and reduce the heat to medium low *. Add the beans, tomato puree, soy sauce, chili powder, cocoa, cumin, oregano, salt and paprika, stirring well. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir in the TVP and reduce heat to low.

Let the chili simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Adjust the seasonings to taste and serve.

*Side notes: I opted to use Trader Joe's Beef-less ground beef in place of TVP or TSP. Using this, I didn't need to add 1 1/2 cups water.

Tomato Gravy

I know that Italians refer to their tomato sauce as "gravy" but, trust me, this is not the Italian version. I'm breaking protocol here today with my alphabetical cooking, since I'm still on the letter "A". But there was no way I could wait until the letter "T" to give you this mouthwatering recipe. I believe it will quite possibly be the easiest thing you've made since toast and I think you'll thank me for finding such a delicious way to use up all of those tomatoes.

Here's the story. When I was growing up, my dad made tomato gravy every summer. Usually at the end of the summer when the fat, juicy, overripe tomatoes were falling off the vines. He served his over a bed of white rice. Oh, my god how I loved his tomato gravy! So this weekend, I met my friend Wayne at the Farmers Market. Outside, while waiting for him, I spotted big white boxes of huge, juicy tomatoes. I immediately took out my camera and began snapping away. When I got home, I called my dad to find out what his recipe was for tomato gravy. I couldn't reach him so I went on with my day. A few hours later, my mother called to tell me that she and my dad had been out shopping and saw two bags of big, juicy tomatoes. My dad immediately snatched them up thinking about his tomato gravy. He bought one bag for me and one bag for him. Call it Kismet. Call it clairvoyant. I call it a reason to make one of the best damn comfort foods I can ever remember. This tomato gravy is so simple. Only 3 main ingredients: butter, flour and tomatoes. That's it. I've made it for my lunch today just the way dad did; over a bed of white rice. I've just enough left over to heat it up tomorrow and mix it in with some linguine or shells and some fresh Parmesan cheese.





Tomato Gravy
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 large, ripe tomatoes
salt, pepper, garlic powder and fresh basil, if you have it.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the flour and wisk until thick and smooth. Chop up all of the tomatoes and add them to the roux. Make sure to add the pulp of the tomato too (the juice of the tomato is what makes the gravy). You will see the tomatoes begin to cook and turn in to a nice, thick gravy. There is no need to add any liquid! Season the gravy with salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder and freh snipped basil. Turn it down to a low simmer while the rice cooks. Spoon it over a bed of rice and enjoy!