LeGiff's own Vegetarian Chili

LeGiff’s own Vegetarian Chili – hot!

1 onion chopped

2 Jalapeno’s chopped - to reduce heat, clean and seed one of them.

1 sweet red or yellow pepper diced

4 cloves garlic – chopped

2/3 pkg of sliced white or crimini mushrooms

3 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 19oz can black beans drained & rinsed

1 19oz can red kidney beans drained & rinsed

2 28oz cans diced tomatoes

1 23oz can (680ml) tomato sauce

1 pkg Yves Veggie Ground round

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin seed ground

2 tsp black pepper

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Salt to taste. Add this very late so you can taste how much salt comes out from the canned vegetables first.

Sautee Garlic, onions, mushroom and peppers in olive oil till onions are translucent add spices and lime juice and stir to blend. Add beans tomatoes and tomato sauce and bring to a boil, reduce heat and add Yves veggie ground round (no pre-heating required) and simmer for a long time stirring occasionally until chili has reached your desired consistency. 

This is a hearty chili high in protein and fibre. The nice thing about cooking with fresh jalapenos to add the heat as opposed to a lot of powdered spices is that it’s a cleaner burn on the palate. For people who find it too hot, stir in a tbsp of sour cream to mute the heat.

Chana Masala recipe

This is one of my favorite recipes of all time. Instead of cayenne I chop a dried chili and sautee it with the onions, garlic and ginger. 

Chana Masala - (channa = chickpeas, masala = spice blend)

2 tbsp butter (or vegetable oil to make recipe vegan)

1 medium Spanish onion chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

1” piece ginger peeled and grated

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 28oz can tomatoes chopped roughly in can

1 19oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed

2 tsp whole cumin

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp turmeric

2 tsp ground coriander seed

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt (or as needed in late stages of recipe)

1 tsp garam masala

Over medium heat melt butter/heat oil and sautee ginger, garlic and onions till onions are soft. Add spices, except salt and garam masala, and add lemon juice stirring as to not allow spices to burn. When well blended add chickpeas and tomatoes with juice, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately an hour stirring occasionally. In last 5 minutes of cooking add salt (if needed) and the garam masala.

Serve on basmati rice or mashed potatoes and garnish with chopped red chili or a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream (to mute the heat)