The BEST Vegetarian Chili Ever

THE BEST VEGETARIAN CHILI EVER

https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/best-vegetarian-chili-recipe/

I guess sometimes my posts are more like recipe reviews.  I have been trying lots and lots of new recipe lately. In fact, I have so many recipe that I want to try in the near future that sometimes I lose track of all the recipes.  When I saw this recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs (www.ambitiouskitchen.com) and I saw that the recipe freezes well, I decided to make the chili and then just freeze nearly all of it.  I enjoy all of the healthy cooking I do for myself, but sometimes there are just too many portions for just me to eat.  When my husband saw that this recipe has a “bunch of orange stuff in it”, I knew it would be up to me to eat all of this.  Lately I’ve had the idea to find more freezer friendly recipes and make big pots of soup and then freeze many of the portions so I can just enjoy a portion now and again instead of eating the same chili seven days in a row.  

So almost all of this chili went into the freezer but I had a little tiny bowl so I could see if it really is the Best Vegetarian Chili Ever.  It’s mighty tasty.  I really like it.  I regret that I did not let my chili simmer just a bit longer than I did.  Some of my carrot and sweet potato chunks were a bit larger than the rest and I would have liked for them to have cooked a bit longer.  I figure when I defrost a portion of this chili, I could simmer it on the stove top for awhile to soften up the vegetables a bit more.

Here is the recipe link for THE BEST VEGETARIAN CHILI EVER.

Very Frugal Vegan Not Chicken Noodle Soup

Very Frugal Vegan Not Chicken Noodle Soup

Since switching to a plant based diet, I have joined some Facebook Groups related to plant based cooking. One group is called “Plant Based on a Budget Support Group”; the group is hosted by Toni Okamoto.  She is a cookbook author among other things and one of her cookbooks is called “Plant Based on a Budget”.  The other day, I was watching one of Toni’s YouTube Videos. She showed what she ate in a day and she showed that the ingredients in her meals were all from the Dollar Tree store.  I recall she made a smoothie with frozen fruit and almond milk, a brown rice stir fry with frozen vegetables, and a veggie burger with more rice and veggies on the side.  I’ve been known to purchase some frozen fruit and veggies at my local dollar store as well.

The other day when I was shopping at my local Kroger store, I found some bargains and I made up a quick and easy soup.  This meal really hit the spot since I’ve been suffering from a nasty head cold for a week now.  There’s nothing like a nice hot and steamy bowl of brothy soup when you have an icky cold.  This recipe makes a really big bowl of soup which can be easily be made into two smaller portions if desired.  My calculations reveal this recipe (one big bowl of soup) contains about 10 grams of protein.  

The vermicelli I purchased for this soup cost 29 cents.  The frozen veggies were $1.00.  The vegan “chicken” bouillon cost a few dollars but it’s actually quite economical because the eight bouillon cubes in the package make a total of 16 cups of broth.  

Very Frugal Vegan Not Chicken Noodle Soup

2 cups of water

1 bouillon cube (I used Not Chick-N brand)

1/2 cup (55 grams) vermicelli

I cup of frozen mixed vegetables (thawed)

Option: garnish with a dash of fresh or dried parsley.

In a small pot, bring the water to a boil. Add in the bouillon cube and stir until dissolved.  Add in the vermicelli, reduce heat, and simmer until noodles are desired tenderness (my package directions specified the noodles should be cooked for 5 to 7 minutes).  Add in the mixed vegetables and cook another minute so that the vegetables are warmed through.  If desired, garnish soup with a sprinkle of fresh or dried parsley.  

One Pot Pumpkin Black Bean Soup (Vegan)

One Pot Pumpkin Black Bean Soup (Vegan)

My lovely friend, Harriet, had me over for lunch the other day and she made this amazing soup.  So many complex flavors, so creamy, so healthy!

The recipe comes from a blog called "Minimalist Baker".  As written, the recipe is not vegan/vegetarian, but it is easily adaptable.  Just leave out the chicken and use vegetable broth. Easy peasy, right?  I made a number of changes to the recipe so I am providing the original recipe link and my version below.  I added extra ginger and extra pumpkin puree. I substituted Rotel in place of fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies (I could not find that at the grocery store).  The original recipe calls for 1 to 2 cups of broth and I did not want any leftovers, so I used an entire can which is about 1 3/4 cups broth.  In my soup I used full fat coconut milk which made my soup very rich. The original recipe calls for lite canned coconut milk, so either can be used. I did not top my soup with cilantro but I must say that fresh lime juice in this soup is really great; I think it helps cut the fattiness of the coconut milk. I did not add my lime juice to the soup; I am enjoying each bowl of reheated soup with a fresh squeeze of lime juice.  Yum!

One Pot Pumpkin Black Bean Soup 

Original Recipe link here:  

https://minimalistbaker.com/1-pot-pumpkin-black-bean-soup/

Ingredients

• 2 tsp avocado oil 
• 1 ½ cups diced white or yellow onion (I used 1 sweet onion)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 heaping tablespoon of finely minced fresh ginger root 
• 1 medium jalapeño, minced (seeds and stem removed)
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled, diced 
• 1 10-oz can Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chilies) 
• 1 14-oz can vegetable broth
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder 
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander 
• 1 14-oz can Thai Kitchen brand coconut milk, full fat (very rich... may substitute lite canned coconut milk) 
• 1 15-oz can pumpkin pureé  
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 2-3 Tbsp lime juice
• Sea salt to taste
• 3 cups chopped greens (I used about 4 ounces of baby spinach) 

 Instructions

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and onion and sauté until translucent — about 4-5 minutes — stirring occasionally.
2. Add minced garlic, ginger, and jalapeño and continue cooking for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add diced sweet potato and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, broth, cumin, chili powder, and coriander, and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until sweet potatoes are tender (about 5-10 minutes).
4. Add coconut milk, pumpkin purée, drained black beans. Cover, return to a simmer, and cook for 5-10 minutes to allow flavors to develop.
5. Stir in chopped greens (optional), cover, and cook on low until wilted (about 3-5 minutes).
6. Squeeze a wedge of fresh lime into each bowl of soup.