texas-style red chili

   

Overview

Time: 45 minutes or 3 to 6 hours slow cooker
Dishes: large pot 

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

Excellent chili, folks! This Texas-style Red Chili is as meaty as a chili can get and still be meatless. And, yes, it has beans. I was going to skip the beans, but my husband, who worked for a chili cook-off  in Texas for many moons, begged me not to. He said, it's all at the cook's discretion, regardless of the bean-naysayers. 

Therefore, you heard it from a chili expert - beans or no beans is up to the cook; add it or not. If you skip the beans, increase the meatless meat by 3 cups or so. 

I used 1 block of Impossible Meat and 1/2 bag of Taco Crumbles by Butler Soy Curls in this recipe, but any ground meatless meat will be just fine. I rehydrated 1/2 package of the crumbles with about 1 cup of water. I browned them together and then added the rest of the ingredients. It cooked in the slow cooker on high for 3 hours. Nothing could be simpler, really.

And it was fantastic! We topped ours with Fritos, cheddar shreds, Follow Your Heart sour cream and jalapenos. This chili is only as spicy as your chili powder, so you can up the heat any way you like: cayenne, spicier chili powder or hot sauce. However you make it, just make a batch. 

If you need inspiration for your weekly menu, check out ours HERE.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Rehydrate or thaw any grounds you'll be using.
• While browning the grounds, gather the rest of your ingredients.
• Dump and cook. Simple. Slow cooker is great here. 

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Texas-style Red Chili

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

Makes 6 servings 

weekday

May be cooked in a slow cooker.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 - 2 pounds vegan grounds (like rehydrated TVP, Soy Curls, Beyond Meat or Gardein) (5 - 7 cups, not packed)

1 tablespoon onion granules

1 tablespoon adobo seasoning

2 cups water

2 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, undrained

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons vegan worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon vegan broth mix (like Better Than Bouillon)

Toppings:

Frito or tortilla chips

Vegan shredded cheddar cheese

Minced onion

Minced cilantro

Nondairy sour cream

Thinly sliced jalapeno

1. Grounds: Add the oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add the grounds, onion and adobo seasoning. Stir well and cook to brown lightly, about 5 minutes.   

2. Liquid: Add the water, tomatoes, worcestershire, chili, paprika, cumin, sugar and broth mix. Stir well. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer over medium-low heat and cook for 40 minutes, covered. Stir as needed. Or cook in a slow cooker for 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high. 

3. Serve: Serve the chili with your choice of toppings: fritos, cheese, onion, cilantro, sour cream, jalapeno, etc. 

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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twice-baked mexican potatoes

   

Overview

Time: 90 minutes
Dishes: medium skillet, baking sheet, large bowl, oven

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

Try as I might to make this dish weekday friendly, baking the potatoes just takes too long - there is no way getting around the 1 hour mark. You could shave off ten minutes or so by using smaller potatoes or microwave them first, but otherwise, the time is firm to get them cooked.

That was the bad news; the good news is that these Twice-Baked Mexican Potatoes are delicious! They are  laced with Mexican sausage (or chili powder added to regular vegan sausage), cumin, vegan cheese and topped with crunchy tortilla strips, nondairy sour cream and chives.

During my research into Twice Baked Potatoes, all I could find were heart attacks in a shell! Most of the top recipes called for cups of butter, cheese, sour cream, bacon, whole milk. Yikes! No need for that kind of damage to animals or humans!

These unique twice-baked potatoes are crazy good and much kinder to all species. 

If you need inspiration for your weekly menu, check out ours HERE.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Start the potatoes first. 
• Cook the sausage 5 minutes before the potatoes are done.
• Shred the cheese (or gather the ingredients) while the sausage cooks.
• Allow the potatoes to cool only enough to handle; you can't mash cold potatoes.
• Use a large spoon to scoop the inside of the potatoes.
• Use an ice cream scoop to fill the potatoes.
• Use your impeccably clean hands to shape the filling. 

(Printer-friendly doesn't seem to be so friendly. Just select the text between the arrows (including the white space to add margin on the top), right-click, select Print, and now it's printer-friendly. Can also be saved as PDF:  choose Save as PDF in Destination drop-down, instead of a printer.)

Twice Baked Mexican Potatoes

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

Makes 4 servings 

weekend

Preheat the oven to 425-F. Serve with steamed broccoli or green salad.

4 (14-ounce) Russet potatoes

Olive oil

2 links vegan sausage (Mexican, if possible), diced

1-3 teaspoons chili powder (use sausage is not Mexican)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup yellow or orange shredded vegan cheese

1/3 cup plain unsweetened nondairy milk

3 corn tortillas, cut into thin slices about 1.5-inches long

1/2 cup vegan sour cream

4 scallions, minced

1. Potatoes: Wash the potatoes and dry them thoroughly. Pierce the potatoes all over with a paring knife. Rub olive oil on the surface of the potatoes and bake them directly on the middle oven rack until tender, about 1 hour. 

2. Mash: When the Potatoes are baked cut them in half and set them aside until cool enough to handle. When cooled slightly, scoop out the inside of the potato halves and transfer it to a large bowl. Take care to leave enough potato in the skins so that the halves hold their shape. Mash the potatoes using a potato masher. 

3. Sausage: Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil and sausage. Cook until lightly browned but not overcooked, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.       

4.  Add the chili powder and cumin to the Sausage. When the Potatoes are Mashed, add the Sausage mixture, cheese and milk. Stir well. 

4. Bake Again: Spray the potato halves with oil spray and fill them with the potato Mash. Make the filling heap above the shells. Transfer the potato halves to a baking dish. Add more shredded cheese on top, if desired, and bake in the preheated 425-degree F oven until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the chopped tortillas to a baking dish, spray with oil and bake with the halves during the final 8 minutes of baking time. Serve with the baked tortillas, sour cream and scallions.

© 2021 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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