Vegetarian Chilli

Vegetarian Chili

When my daughter decided to become a vegetarian in grade school, I was motivated to ensure she was eating a balanced diet, however, I was not as thrilled about the idea of eating food that tasted overly righteous.  I had visions of the sixties and seventies and all those vegetarian restaurants that served brown mush. Equally as unappetizing was the idea of tofu disguised as fake meat.

Chilli had been a family staple, and substituting chunks of portabello mushrooms for the meat provided some depth and and texture while not straying too far from our family fav, even if it was dangerously close to a brown mush dish.

If I am organized, the night before, I soak the beans in water with an onion, some thyme and a bay leaf on low in the slow cooker.  Alternately,  I use canned beans in the chili the day of.

When cooked in a slow cooker, the flavours tend to be more complex, because they have the time to meld together.  This recipe also works well on the stove top, in heavy pot and of course, tastes better the next day.

Serves 6 with left overs

• 1 cup of dried black beans, or 1 14 oz can
• 1 cup of dried kidney beans, or 1 14 oz can
• 1 cup of well washed quinoa
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 3 large onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 large portobello mushrooms, cut into 1" squares
• 1 zucchini, cut into 1/4" slices
• 1 red pepper, cut into 1" squares
• 5 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 28 oz  can of whole tomatoes
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1 -2 tablespoons of chilli powder depending on the amount of heat you are comfortable with
• 1/2 dried chili, seeds removed to lessen the heat,
• 1/2 teaspoon Spanish piquant paprika,
• 11/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 branch of fresh thyme, or about 1/2 teaspoon of dried
• 1/2 cup of red wine,
• 2 tablespoons of coco powder
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoons of pepper corns
• 2 bay leaves
• smokey salt, salish
• fresh cilantro

In a heavy pan, I prefer cat iron, sauté onions in some of the olive oil, add garlic soften. Place in large cast iron pot or slow cooker. Next sauté the mushrooms, and red pepper, add more olive oil if necessary in the frying pan, add zucchini last and soften.  Add chillies, paprika, cumin and turmeric.  Cook for about a minute.  Transfer to the pot.  Add the remainder of the ingredients except the cilantro. If using a slow cooker, turn to low and leave for 6 hours on low, or high for 4 hours.    On the stove top let simmer for at least an hour.  The longer the better.  Taste and add finishing salt if required.   

Serve with fresh cilantro.  My daughter does not eat dairy, however, I will add a dollop of yogurt, or sour cream on top of mine.