The Best Chili (Vegan or not!)

I have been reading this awesome book "Eat and Run" written by Scott Jurek an ultrarunner.  It is the story of his path to greatness in both food and feet.  He intersperses his personal account with vegan recipes and running tips.  I highly recommend it.  I have just started testing his recipes out, and this first one completely "bowled" me over.  In his book he cites this recipe as the one that convinced him that he could be a happy vegan.  It is a vegan chili made with a myriad of chunky vegetables, three kinds of beans, bulgar wheat (which makes it feel especially "meaty"), and lots of warm spices.  It tastes fantastic.  I dare you to take it to your next chili cook-off.  I bet it could beat the pants off of any of those plain jane chilis.

Minnesota Winter Chili

2 TBSP olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped onion
8-10 mushrooms, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1 jalapeno seeded and minced
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 TBSP chili powder
2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato puree
1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can red beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup dry bulgar wheat
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Add the oil to a large pot and saute the vegetables until tender (about 10 minutes).  Add the spices and saute for another minute or so.  Add the remaining ingredients except the cilantro and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat, covered, for about 30 minutes.  Stir and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.  Season with salt to taste.  Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.  Watch it disappear!

Poblano soup (aka a fiesta in your mouth)

I first tasted this poblano soup at my brother's house over the winter.  We were supposed to have a sushi night, but my sister-in-law Courtney said that she was craving this soup instead.  I mean, who craves soup over sushi?  But once I tried it, I too was hooked.  The next time I cooked for my parents, I made this soup. As soon as I could, I made it for my husband.  I make triple batches of this stuff and it still only lasts two days!  And it is one of the most inexpensive meals I have ever made! The recipe originally comes from Sippitysup, but I only use about 1/3 of the butter called for, I use frozen corn instead of corn on the cob, and I omit any cream or chicken!   I also like to top mine with a little cilantro, avocado, and black beans!

Poblano Soup (these are my triple measurements-- soup should be made in large quantities)
6 corn tortillas
1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp chili powder
3 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

2 TBS oil
3 poblano peppers, chopped
1 to 3 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 onion, finely diced
9 cups chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
2 cups frozen corn

Slice the tortillas into thin ribbons and and then place them in a food processor.  Pulse until the tortillas are uniformly chopped.  Add the flour, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper and blend continuously until the mixture resembles cornmeal.

Heat oil in stockpot over medium heat and saute the onions, poblanos, jalapenos (if using), and garlic for 6-8 minutes.  Add tortilla/flour mixture and mix until well combined.  Add the butter and allow to melt, stirring occasionally.  Cook another 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly so the mixture does not burn, until the  flour taste cooks out.  Slowly add half of the broth, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot as you do.  When the mixture is well incorporated, add the remaining half of the broth and bring the whole mixture to a boil.  Add the corn and cook for another 2 minutes.

Lower the heat to medium-low and allow the soup to come to a simmer and cook for another 7-10  minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the soup to cool for a bit before serving.

Garnish with whatever you want!!  This soup can be mild/medium spicy, depending on the peppers you have or if you choose to use jalapenos, so its nice to have garnishes like avocado or sour cream on hand for the wimpier folks :)   And I feel like this soup was meant to be served with quesadillas and a black bean salad, so enjoy!!

Thai Curry Soup

I know this is the second soup I have posted, but I live in Seattle.  It rains here.  We eat soup-- especially if it is delicious soup that makes you feel like your basement apartment could be a basement apartment in Thailand! It is a coconut curry based soup with lots of spinach and mushrooms and rice noodles and is finished in under half an hour.  The curry paste is the only specialty item, but you can find curry paste in most supermarkets.  Ask someone (preferably someone who works at the store) if you can't find it.

I posted the second picture to show you how I work this soup into an entire meal (because Richard and I eat a lot).  The post on fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls will be forthcoming in the near future, but for now, I want to concentrate on the soup.  And while it doesn't have any meat in it, it is a soup where you could easily add meat if you desired. In fact, the original recipe called for shrimp, and I think that chicken would work just as well.  That is one of my tricks of vegetarian cooking.  Just take a favorite recipe and take the meat out or replace it with something else-- usually more vegetables or tofu or noodles or beans-- whatever.  However, if your favorite meal is steak...I can't really help you there.

Thai Curry Soup

4 oz vermicelli rice noodles
1 TBSP olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
lemon zest of most of a lemon
1 TBSP grated fresh ginger
2-3 tsp red curry paste (depending on how much heat or spice you like)
4 cups chicken broth (but I am sure you could use vegetable broth)
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP white sugar
1 can coconut milk (I use the light coconut milk)
1 cup sliced mushrooms.
1 10 oz bag baby spinach
2 TBSP lime juice
1 TBSP fish sauce (optional)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add rice noodles and cook for about 3 minutes.  Drain and rinse well with cold water and set aside.

Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium heat.  Stir in garlic, lemon zest, and ginger and cook for about a minute.  Add the curry paste and cook another 30 seconds.  Add in 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and stir just until the curry paste dissolves, then pour in the remaining chicken broth along with the soy sauce and sugar.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, partially cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Stir in coconut milk, mushrooms, spinach, lime juice and cilantro.  Increase heat and simmer for about 5 minutes until the spinach and mushrooms have cooked.  I like to add a little fish sauce at this point, because I believe almost everything is better with stinky fish sauce, but don't sweat it.

Turn off the heat and add in the cooked rice noodles and serve the soup garnished with a little sprinkle of sliced green onion.

Note: (the recipe called for minced lemon grass which can be hard to find, but I have found lemon zest and fresh ginger to be a decent substitute so that is what I use)

My favorite soup: crock pot split pea

This is the best soup I have ever made.  I crave it, and it is split pea soup for goodness sake.  And seriously, when I make it for other people, they always want the recipe.  That shows how much confidence I have in it, that I will make it for company.  It is that good.  But I almost feel like its cheating to take credit because it requires almost no effort-- so it is a really good soup for any family where you don't have a lot of time and want a good, comforting soup to serve.  And it is chalk (chock, chaulk?) full of protein and fiber, and requires absolutely no ham, hamhocks, or pigs of any kind.

1 lb dried split peas (I don't sort or rinse or anything...kind of lazy that way)
1/2 onion diced
2 potatoes diced (I don't peel potatoes)
3-4 carrots sliced (or really as many as you want)
2-3 stalks of celery sliced (or diced, depending on the kind of chunks you want)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp paprika or smoked paprika (or more if you like it)
2 bay leaves
6-8 cups of hot chicken stock (I just use boiling water and bouillon)
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice, and olive oil (optional)

Just layer in a crockpot, in the order listed, and cook on high for 4-5 hours.  You don't even need to stir until after it is all done cooking, at which point the peas have softened so much that it is has turned into an almost creamy mixture.  I like to drizzle a little olive oil onto the raw vegetables because I generally don't trust fat free concoctions and I think a little olive oil is healthy.  Also, I like to squeeze some fresh lemon juice into the soup after it is all done cooking because I think it gives it a nice bright flavor!  Again, you can follow the directions according to taste, making modifications as necessary (or adding more water if it is too thick).  It is fool proof!