No Chop Chili - Vegan Version

No Chop Chili - Vegan Version with TVP

Top with with some Fritos corn chips... Yum!

I have been making a super simple chili that I call “No Chop Chili” for more than 10 years. The recipe is based on a “knock off recipe“ I found on the Internet; the chili is supposed to taste like the chili you get at Wendy’s Restaurants.  I made a few tweaks to the recipe and I just kept making it the same way over and over. Most of the times I have made this chili over the years, I made it with ground beef.  In the past few years, I’ve substituted ground turkey to make a lighter version.  This is a recipe I make for my husband at least once a month. The leftovers are great.

A number of months ago, I decided to switch to a vegan diet and my husband followed along a few months later.  He was craving the chili so we decided to make the chili with “Beyond Beef/Beyond Burger”, which is an item you might be able to find at your local grocery store.  Beyond Beef/Beyond Burger is a rather expensive item.  It’s a vegan meat substitute and is made from pea protein and other ingredients.  At my local store, it costs $9.99 for a one pound package.  When I make the No Chop Chili with the Beyond Beef/Beyond Burger, I make the chili following the original recipe, but I substitute half of the one pound package of Beyond Beef/Beyond in place of one pound of ground beef as described in the recipe (or I double the recipe and use the entire pound).  Here is the original No Chop Chili recipe which you could easily follow if you’d like to make the chili and substitute Beyond Beef/Beyond Burger (Click HERE for the original No Chop Chili recipe).  I like to make the recipe with just half the amount of Beyond Beef/Beyond Burger for two reasons: cost and taste.  My husband says a little of the Beyond Beef/Beyond Burger goes a long way. It does really give the chili a different flavor which he compares to the “flame grilled flavor” you might be able to imagine in some packaged foods.

My husband is very happy with the Beyond Beef/Beyond Burger version of the No Chop Chili.  Me? Not so much. I am not the biggest fan of the the “flame grilled flavor” and I also find the the smell and texture kind of weird. I am not knocking the Beyond Beef brand.  Like I said, my husband loves it.  I was hoping to make a vegan version of the No Chop Chili that was more like the chili I’ve been making for so long but I desired a different meat substitute.

I recently tried a new-to-me ingredient called Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP). I thought it might be good in this recipe, I tried it out, and I LOVE IT.  I’ve already made it two times in the last few weeks.

Here it is:


No Chop Chili - Vegan Version with TVP

1 cup Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP), I used Bob’s Red Mill Brand (See LINK)
2 1/2 cups water (divided)
1 beef style bouillon cube (I use a Not-beef Bouillon cube, Edward and Sons brand) See LINK
1 15−ounce can of dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 15−ounce can of pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
1 8−ounce can tomato sauce
1 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes, fire roasted if available (liquid included)
1 4−ounce can of diced green chilies
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder


1. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. I use a Pyrex measuring cup that is microwave safe to heat the water.  Dissolve the bouillon cube in the hot water; stir to combine.  Place the TVP in a medium sized bowl; pour the “beef” flavored broth over the TVP and set aside for about 10 minutes so that the TVP can absorb the liquid.
2. Add all of the remaining ingredients to a soup pot plus 1 cup of water.  Add the hydrated TVP to the pot including any liquid that was not absorbed by the TVP.  Stir to combine.
3. Cover the pot with a lid, bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.  Simmer covered for about 20 minutes (stirring occasionally).

The chili is good by itself.
It’s even better topped with some diced fresh onion (we use sweet onion).
Better yet... top the chili with diced fresh onion and some dairy-free cheddar style cheese (I like Daiya brand).
If you want to get a little decadent, place a handful of Frito brand corn chips in your chili (Yep! The original Frito corn chips just happen to be vegan!).  Pretty much any corn chip is good in the chili.  Of course, little oyster crackers or saltines are good in the chili as well.

Enjoy!

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.

Spicy and Easy Black Bean Chili

Spicy & Easy Black Bean Chili

Mmmmm! Chili.

It's been so cold in Southern Colorado for a few weeks. We go for a walk every single morning because the dogs will drive us NUTS otherwise.  Some days it is down right miserable due to the cold temperatures.  Brrrrrr!

Sometimes we venture out in the afternoon for a second walk if it feels as if the temperature has warmed up a bit.  We went for a second walk the other day and we were WRONG. It was still so cool in the shade down by the river.  I got home from the walk and quickly defrosted a pound of ground turkey from the freezer so I could make chili.  The rest of the ingredients for this recipe were in my pantry.  This is similar to a chili I make all the time called "No Chop Chili (recipe link HERE)".  That recipe is supposed to be similar to chili from Wendy's restaurant but I've really tweaked the recipe over the years.  

The "No Chop Chili" calls for ground beef, pinto beans, and dark red kidney beans, and it is not very spicy. 

This new recipe calls for ground turkey and black beans, and it's SPICY.  The spice primarily comes from a can of El Pato brand "Hot Tomato Sauce". You can see it in the photo above.  It's a small yellow can with a duck on it.  "El Pato" is Spanish for "the duck".  I find this hot tomato sauce in the area with other canned tomatoes at the grocery store, but this is no ordinary "tomato sauce".  This can also contains chili, salt, onion, garlic, and other spices.  It really adds a lot to a pot of chili.  

Spicy and Easy Black Bean Chili

1 pound ground turkey (I used Jennie-O brand 93 percent lean) 

2 15−ounce cans black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can (7 3/4 ounce) El Pato brand "Hot Tomato Sauce"

1 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes (include liquid)

1 4−ounce can of diced green chilies (with liquid)

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1  to 1 1/2 cups water (less if you desire thicker chili)

Optional garnishes: grated cheddar cheese, oyster or saltine crackers, sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt. 

1. Brown the turkey over medium heat, breaking into small pieces with the spatula.  While the turkey browns, drain and rinse the beans; set aside.  Measure the spices into a small bowl; set aside.

2.  Once the ground turkey is completely cooked (no pink remains), add the spices to the turkey; stir to coat the turkey with the spices.

3. Add the beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, diced green chilies, and water. Stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover and simmer for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.  Top with optional garnishes as desired.

  

Enjoy!

Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Chicken and Vegetable Soup



I am seriously in love with soup.  I eat soup all year long... even when it's hot in the summer. There's just something so satisfying about soup.

That being said, you'd think that I would have a great chicken soup recipe up my sleeve, but I don't.  I did not grow up eating homemade chicken soup.  My mom made lots of great homemade soups but we just never had chicken soup that I can recall.  Did I ever tell you that my mom makes the BEST Split Pea and Ham Soup!?  Seriously... the BEST!

Okay, back to Chicken Soup:  The other day I found a recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs called "Best Chicken Soup".  I made the recipe but I did NOT follow the instructions exactly (I made it in the Crock Pot instead of on the stove top).  The soup was okay but there was just something about the combination of spices in the soup that was just "off" to me.  There was turmeric, garlic, ginger, rosemary, and thyme.  I used fresh ginger and garlic and dry turmeric, rosemary, and thyme.  The recipe recommended the fresh version of all of these things.  Maybe that's why my soup was a bit off... that and the fact that I did not totally follow the instructions. My bad!

This week, I set out to try again and I love the soup I made.  I used pre-cooked chicken in my soup.  You can read about the oven roasted chicken breasts I made the other day HERE. This is definitely going to be my new "go to" way to prepare chicken breasts in the future.  Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store is also great in soup.


Chicken and Vegetable Soup

a scant tablespoon of unsalted butter (may substitute olive oil or any other cooking oil you like)
2-4 celery ribs, chopped
1 small to medium sweet onion, chopped
2 to 3 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon each dried marjoram, thyme, turmeric, parsley, and basil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (if you are using reduced sodium chicken broth, use 1/2 tsp salt)
freshly ground black pepper
1 carton (32 ounces/4 cups) chicken broth
1 pound bag of frozen veggies (I used Birdseye brand with corn, green beans, carrots, and peas)
about 2 cups of precooked chicken (more or less as desired)


In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add in the celery and onion; cook for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add in the garlic and all the dry spices and cook an additional minute, stirring to coat the onions/celery with the spices and to keep the garlic from over browning.

Add in the chicken broth, the pre-cooked chicken, and the frozen vegetables.  Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, reduce to a simmer; cook covered until vegetables are desired tenderness (8 to 10 minutes).

Makes 5 servings.

OPTIONAL:  I made up a little basmati rice in a separate pot while my soup was cooking. I am adding a few tablespoons of cooked rice to each portion of soup when I reheat it.  It's a great addition to the soup but optional of course.

Spicy Meatball Soup with Beans

This is an updated version of a soup I've been making for my husband for years.  The original version included carrots and celery, as well as diced russet potatoes.  My husband is trying to avoid white carbs (starchy white potatoes, white rice, and white bread) so he asked if I could make a version of this soup without the potatoes.  We added in canned beans in place of the potatoes since beans are high in fiber. I am thinking they might be a little healthier than starchy potatoes. 

Another thing I did to make this soup a bit more healthy is to make the meatballs with some ground turkey and pork sausage as opposed to ground beef and pork sausage.  More importantly, I am baking the meatballs in the oven before adding them to the soup.  In the original recipe, I added the raw meatballs into the soup and cooked them in the simmering broth.  By baking the meatballs before adding them to the soup and allowing the meatballs to drain or render off some of their fat before adding them to the soup, this soup should be lower in fat than the original recipe.

You can see the original recipe HERE.

And here is the updated version... my husband really loves it!

Spicy Meatball Soup with Beans

Spicy Meatball Ingredients:

1/2 pound bulk, ground hot Italian sausage (I used Johnsonville brand)

½ pound lean ground turkey

4 teaspoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs (plain bread crumbs can be substituted)

1 egg

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

Soup Ingredients:

1 to 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced (I used a sweet onion)

1 carton beef broth (4 cups / 32 ounces)
2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes (14.5 ounce size)

1 cup water

1 ½ tsp. dried oregano

1 ½ tsp. dried basil

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. salt (I used kosher salt)

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 can (15.5 ounce) dark red kidney beans

1 can (15.5 ounce) cannellini beans (white kidney beans)

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine ingredients for meatballs (hands work good for incorporating all ingredients). Line a baking sheet with a brim with aluminum foil and spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Make mini-meatballs (approximately 1/2 tablespoon in size) and place on foil lined baking sheet. The mini-meatballs do not need to be rolled into perfect balls; the important things are (1) making them similar size so they cook evenly and (2) making them easy to eat in one bite.  Bake the mini-meatballs in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; add the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender (about 4 or 5 minutes).  Add in the spices listed under soup ingredients (except for the bay leaves) and cook for an additional minute or two, stirring frequently, until the onions are coated with the spices. Add the beef broth, the canned tomatoes, and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and reduce to a simmer until the meatballs are done.

3.  When the meatballs are done, transfer the cooked meatballs to a clean work surface which has been covered with a few layers of paper towels (I spread some paper towels on a cutting board).  Roll the meatballs around a bit to wick away some of the fat which has rendered from the meatballs.  Add the meatballs and the beans to the pot.  Allow the pot of soup to simmer for about 15 minutes.  Remove the bay leaves and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup: Reduced Carb Version

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup: Reduced Carb Version

I was obsessed with Chicken Tortilla Soup a number of years ago but kind of got out of the habit of making this recipe.  The other day, it occurred to me that I had all of the soup ingredients on hand, so I had this soup in the Crock Pot in just a few minutes.  The original recipe calls for more corn tortillas (the floppy kind... not the crunchy kind), canned corn, and canned black beans.  All of those items have a lot of carbs in them so I simply left out or reduced the amounts of these ingredients to make a lower carb version of this soup.  Specifically, I left out the corn and the black beans and I used fewer corn tortillas.  I opted to use very hot Rotel and very hot green chilies in my soup but feel free to use what you prefer.  I do add a dollop of Greek yogurt to each bowl of soup to cool things off a bit.  It's delicious to add in a lot of other goodies when you eat this soup... crunchy tortilla chips, diced avocado, grated cheese, cilantro, fresh lime juice... whatever you have on hand that sounds good.  As for me, a little yogurt is perfect.

Here is the original recipe/original post:
http://kimscookingfrenzy.blogspot.com/2011/04/slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup-spicy.html

Here is the modified Reduced Carb Version of this soup:

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup (Reduced Carb Version)

1 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast or chicken tenderloins, skinless, boneless, trimmed of fat

1 cans (14 ounce) low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup water

1 can (10 ounce) Rotel Original diced tomatoes with green chiles

1 can (4 ounce) green chiles (I used fire roasted green chiles & drained them a bit first)

1 medium onion or 1/2 of a really large onion (I used a sweet onion)

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon granulated sugar (optional)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

4 to 6 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4 inch thin strips 

Plain, low fat Greek yogurt, for serving (or sour cream)

1. To the slow cooker, add chicken, broth, water, Rotel, green chiles, onion, all the spices, sugar, salt & pepper, and the tortilla strips. Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. (Note: I used 4 chicken tenderloins that were frozen solid when I added them to the slow cooker along with the other ingredients… they were perfectly shred-able after cooking on low for about 4 1/2 hours).

2. Use two forks to shred the chicken, right in the pot or on a cutting board; return chicken to the pot.  Allow to cook for about 30 minutes more.

3. Serve garnished with yogurt (or sour cream). Other garnishes would be great such as grated cheese, diced avocado, crushed up corn tortilla chips, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. 

Bob's Red Mill: Tasty Vegi Soup

Bob's Red Mill: Tasty Vegi Soup



I got this Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix in Milwaukie, Oregon, when I visited Bob's Red Mill Store and Restaurant back in May.  The soup was super easy to make.  There are two recipes on the back of the soup and I sort of combined ideas from both recipes.  I was going to make a version of the soup where you puree the soup in a blender and add milk at the end, but when I sampled the soup before blending, I decided I liked the texture of all the legumes and grains.



Vegi Soup

1 cup Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix
3 cups chicken broth
about 1 1/2 cups diced baby carrots
about 4 stalks of celery, diced
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 1/2 to 2 cups water

Simmer the Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix and 3 cups broth for 30 minutes (keep lid on the pot while simmering but stir occasionally).  Add in the diced veggies and about 1 1/2 to 2 cups water.  Simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until all ingredients are soft.  Season with salt and pepper as desired.  Since I used chicken broth which was not reduced sodium, I did not feel the need to add any additional salt.



Here are some photos of the Bob's Red Mill Store and Restaurant.  If I lived near this store, I would shop here a lot. We also had brunch at the restaurant.  My mom and I both had quinoa bowls and my dad had a breakfast burrito.

I do find a lot of Bob's Red Mill brand products at stores in Colorado, but it's also good to know you can buy so many of their products on line.  I enjoyed trying out this soup mix; I would have probably never stumbled across this particular product unless I had seen it at the Bob's Red Mill store.  I will probably be able to make this soup two or three more times from the package I have.  That's great because I really like it and it's so easy to make!

Red Lentil Soup

Red Lentil Soup



Some one I know has been diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis and, as a result, is on a special diet.  We were talking about what she can and cannot eat and it got me to thinking about a Red Lentil soup recipe I have been wanting to try.  I had all the ingredients on hand so I whipped up this soup this morning and I really like it!  She will have to make the soup without onion and lemon.  I made mine with onion but also left out the lemon since I had none. I topped my soup with a bit of fresh Italian flat leaf parsley and a hard boiled egg and I loved it.  I think the parsley adds such an amazing fresh element and the chopped hard boiled egg makes the soup (1) a bit more substantial and (2) adds a creamy element.

Of all the soups I've made with beans or legumes, this soup by far is the quickest. Red lentils cook up in about 20 minutes.  I did not cook my veggies very long before adding in the lentils; it turned out great!

NOTE ABOUT THE BROTH:  If you are using store-bought broth and you do not purchase the low sodium variety, use less salt when cooking the veggies. You can always add more at the end if need be. I find the store-bought chicken broth to be a rather salty.

Red Lentil Soup

Serves 4

• 1 to 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1
  large carrot, diced (more if desired)
• 2
  large stalks celery, diced (more if desired)
• 1
  small yellow onion, diced (more if desired)
• 1/2 teaspoon
  kosher salt (use less if using store-bought chicken broth)
• 1 cup
  dried red lentils (I rinsed and drained mine first)
• 4 cups
  water or low-sodium broth
• 1
  whole bay leaf
• Optional: 2 tablespoons
  freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1/2 large lemon)
• For serving: If desired, top with fresh chopped Italian flat leaf parsley and chopped hard boiled egg.  I know... it sounds weird, but it's really good!

Heat the olive oil. In a medium (2- to 3-quart) saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the carrot, celery, onion, and salt and stir to combine. Cover and let the vegetables sweat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the lentils, water or broth, and bay leaf and bring up to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer, covered, until the lentils begin to fall apart, about 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice (if using).  Taste and season with salt as needed. Ladle into bowls and serve with toppings if desired.

Adapted from RECIPE FOUND HERE

Today's food prep session included "his and her's" soups.  My husband asked for THIS SOUP.  It is his very favorite.