Vegan Black Bean Chili

You can find a lot of recipes for vegan black bean chili. This is my version. It's my "go-to" meal when I want something fast and delicious. Recently I've updated it by eliminating the use of the food processor, adding olive oil and fire roasted tomatoes. It's easier and better tasting. You can play with the heat by adding jalapeno peppers just before serving.


Black Bean Chili

4 (15.5 oz.) cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 C. water
1 cube of vegan bouillon (I use the Rapunzel brand)
2 T olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (at least 1 cup)
2 stalks celery, chopped
½ red pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz.) fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 1/2 t. cumin
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1 t. dried oregano leaves
1/2 t. sea salt

Garnish
Scallions, sliced
Jalapeno pepper, sliced
Avocado, chopped

Pour olive oil into a soup pot and add the onion, celery, red pepper and garlic. Cook the vegetables over low heat for about 5 minutes, or until tender, stirring often. Add the fire roasted tomatoes with its juices, 2 cans of the rinsed and drained beans, water, bouillon cube and spices. With a potato masher, mash the beans breaking them up to help thicken the broth. Add the remaining black beans and bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve garnished with scallions, peppers and avocado.

Rice and Beans North of the Border

I don't know about you, but whenever I hear the words "rice and beans," I think of re-fried or black beans in a Mexican tomato sauce with rice. Yum.... I love it. That's not what this is... but this is good too!

Rice and Beans North of the Border

Serves 2 as a meal

1/2  cup long grain brown rice
1 cup water
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
16 sweet small tomatoes
1/2 cup garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 handful of baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Begin by cooking the rice according to package directions. When the rice is nearly finished add the olive oil to a saute pan and heat on medium heat. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant without browning. Add the tomatoes and cook until just beginning to wilt. Stir in the beans, oregano and salt, and continue cooking until the tomatoes just begin to burst open.Throw in a handful of spinach and cook for a minute. Stir in the rice and serve.

Mediterranean Pasta with Garlic, Greens and Butter Beans

I came in from a long day at work and had only minutes to put dinner on the table. I was tired, brain dead and there wasn't much in the refrigerator. So I pulled out one of my new cookbooks, "The Best of Vegan Cooking," by Priscilla Feral and found a pasta dish that looked like it would take only minutes... and it did (hallelujah).

The family loved it, but I have to say that when I make it again I will change a few things... I think it needs more olives, sundried tomatoes, greens and artichoke hearts. In fact, I put a can of artichoke hearts into this dish because I didn't want to leave half a can in the refrigerator, and I think it's a must. Otherwise, it's just too much pasta. Also, I'm going to try using cannellini beans in place of butter beans next time. So try making this dish and tell me what you think!

Mediterranean Pasta With Garlic, Greens and Butter Beans

Serves 4 - 6

1 pound fusilli pasta, cooked and drained,(I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced in half
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup artichoke hearts
1 can of butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 large bunch of greens, blanched and chopped (I just threw greens into the pan)
1/4 cup olive oil (I cut this in half)
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
fresh chopped parsley
1 to 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Saute garlic in olive oil until fragrant. Stir in greens, sundried tomatoes, olives, beans and artichokes. Toss with pasta and season with nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Cannellini Bean Soup with Garlic

This soup was inspired by "Jewels' Favorite Soup Jill Makes" along with my love for garlic. My husband thought it was so good he went back for seconds... and he's not a lover of soup! That's what convinced me the recipe was "blog worthy." You'll have to make it and let me know what you think.

1 - 2 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced (1 Cup)
6 C. water
3 vegan bouillon cubes
2 medium sized russet potatoes, diced (1 1/2 - 2 Cups)
1 C. chopped cauliflower
1 whole bulb of garlic, separated and peeled
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs thyme
4 15.5 oz. cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 t. white pepper
1/4 C. parsley, chopped
cheesecloth and kitchen string

In a large stock pot, saute the onion in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add water and bouillon cubes and bring to a simmer. Tie the garlic, bay leaf and thyme in a piece of cheesecloth and place into the simmering stock. Add the potatoes and cauliflower and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the cheesecloth bundle and discard. Add the beans and puree half the soup in a blender then stir back into the pot. Add the parsley, pepper and enjoy!

Note: Right now, my camera couldn't take a decent picture to save my life. The picture above came from flickr.com, so it's not my soup, but it looks a lot like it.

Jewels' Favorite Soup Jill Makes

I found this recipe on the Woman's Day website. It was among several recipes featuring the cookbook "Recipes from The Family Chef," created by Jewels and Jill Elmore. It's a wonderful soup that takes only minutes to make and comes straight out of the pantry! The changes I made are in parenthesis.



Jewels' Favorite Soup Jill Makes

Makes 10 cups
Serves 6–8
Total time: 35 minutes

* 3 cans (15 ounces each) cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
* 6 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock (I used vegetable stock)
* 2 cloves garlic , sliced
* 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 medium onion , chopped in a medium dice
* 2 ribs celery , chopped in a medium dice
* 4 ripe tomatoes , cut into small pieces (I used a 28oz. can of diced tomatoes, drained)
* 1 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt (I used 1/2 tsp.)
* 1/4 cup fresh parsley , roughly chopped
* 1 cup Parmesan cheese , grated (I omitted)

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat and sauté the onion and celery for 5–6 minutes until soft and translucent. Next, add the tomatoes and salt and continue to cook another 3–4 minutes. Add beans, stock and garlic and bring to boil, reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the parsley and cook another 15 minutes to meld flavors together. Serve with Parmesan cheese.


Recipe from The Family Chef by Jewels and Jill Elmore, courtesy of Celebra Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA).

Hummus in a Hurry

It was Friday night. I had just walked in from a really long work week only to have to get ready for two holiday parties that night. I needed to bring something to both and time was not on my side. So I went into my refrigerator and threw together a dip lickety-split. Guess what… it was good! Best of all... it was quick, easy and with little to clean up.

Hummus in a Hurry

5 oz. of your favorite store bought hummus
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
Fresh lemon juice

Put the beans into a food processor and process until finely minced. Add 5 ounces of your favorite hummus and blend. Squeeze a little lemon juice into the mixture and stir. Serve with chips or veggies.

Black Bean Chili

There are a lot of recipes out there for black bean chili. When I was eating meat, I used to make a version of this with chicken stock and oil. Since I've become a vegan this version has become my "go-to" recipe when I want something fast and delicious. Recently I took it to a party and got rave reviews! We all think this is a hit. I hope you do too!

Black Bean Chili

4 (15.5 oz.) cans of black beans, rinsed and drained (with one can set aside)
2 C. water
1 cube of bouillon, low sodium vegan (I use the Rapunzel brand)
1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 stalk celery, chopped (1/2 cup)
½ red pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 ½ t. cumin
1 ½ t. chili powder
1 t. dried oregano leaves
1/8 t. sea salt
Pam
Sliced scallions & chopped avocado for garnish

In the food processor, process, until smooth, one can of drained and rinsed beans with 2 cups of water. Lightly spray Pam in a non-stick stock pot and add the onion, celery, red pepper and garlic. Cook the vegetables over low heat for about 5 minutes, or until tender, stirring often. Add the processed beans, the remaining rinsed and drained beans, the can of tomatoes with its juices, the bouillon cube and spices. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish with scallions, avocado or both.