Best Vegetarian Chili EVER

Over the weekend I decided to make some chili.  I wandered around the farmer's market just picking up random fresh items to throw into it - and really, just about everything sounds good in chili!

I don't mean to brag, but I make probably the best freakin' vegetarian chili EVER.  I get so bored with the store-bought kind, and it seems as though "vegetarian" usually just means "tons of beans".  Kind of like the way that "vegetarian" on your office's pizza day means "cheese only".

What the heck, man?  I'm vegetarian not just because I don't eat meat, but because I LOVE VEGETABLES!!

So here's my recipe for a delicious vegetarian chili full of veggie-love.  It has a little kick and a unique (but addictive) flavor!

Beth's Best Vegetarian Chili EVER
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40-60 minutes
Total time: About 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes about 6-8 servings
Gluten-free* / Vegan

- 1 sweet potato (OR 3-4 carrots), peeled & chopped
- 4 small to medium-sized peppers (any kind), chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 10 mushrooms, sliced
- 1 can vegetarian baked beans
- 1 can black beans (drained, but not rinsed)
- 2 cups veggie broth (or water)
- 1 tbsp curry paste (curry powder will work fine)
- 1 can corn (or 2 cobs of corn, steamed and cut off the ears) 
- 1 cup soyrizo (vegetarian chorizo), (*you can substitute vegetarian ground beef, or vegetarian sausage - but please keep in mind these may NOT be gluten-free)
- 1 can tomato paste (small) 
- 2 large tomatoes, diced (OR 1 large can diced tomatoes, not drained)
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- salt & pepper
- olive oil
- shredded cheddar cheese (for garnish), optional (a dollop of cottage cheese is awesome on top too)

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the sweet potatoes (or carrots), and onions, and cook until the onions become soft.  Add the peppers and garlic, stir well, and cook another minute.  Add the mushrooms, stir well.  Carefully add the remaining ingredients.  Cover and simmer for 40-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so (you may need to add a little more liquid).  Serve hot!

I like to put them in containers in the freezer, and store them for up to a month!

Roasted Patty Pan Squash Soup with Beans

When I went to the meeting for the Sunshine Project, I came home with this beautiful UFO-shaped squash...

...and no freakin' idea what to do with it!

I started Googling "UFO-shaped squash" because I didn't even know what type of squash it was - turns out it's just a really large Patty Pan squash.  It also turns out that I did not know how many varieties of squash there are out there!

Today I was pondering what to do with it, and after some thorough searching I realized that there are about 3 ways people make Patty Pan Squash in a recipe:

1.) Stuffed.
2.) Cubed in a casserole.
3.) In a curry.

BORRRRRRRING!!!

Naturally, I decided to make soup. :)

Since I love roasted squash SO MUCH, I decided to incorporate that into my recipe since I wasn't exactly sure how this type of squash would taste - and roasting seems to bring out the best in things.  As it turns out, when it's roasted it turns into a buttery savory bundle of deliciousness, so I know I made the right choice!

I threw in a few cloves of garlic while roasting too, because really, who doesn't love roasted garlic?

Roasted Patty Pan Squash Soup with Beans
Cook time:  About 1 to 1 1/2 hours
Serves:  About 4-6

INGREDIENTS
- 1 large Patty Pan Squash (peeled, seeded, and cut into 1" cubes)
     If you only have small Patty Pan squashes you can definitely use those too!  I'd recommend about 5 total.
- 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/3 cup brown rice
- 1 can Great Northern Beans (I used canned)
- 2 cups Vegetable Broth
- Olive oil
- Sea Salt & Pepper
- 1 tsp Sage
- 1 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Amino Acids (or Soy Sauce)
- Shaved Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Set oven to 400 degrees F, and spread the cubed squash on a large cookie sheet.  Throw in the garlic cloves, and douse everything with olive oil.  Season with salt, pepper, and sage. 

Roast in the oven for about 30-45 minutes, turning once halfway through.  Everything should be pretty evenly browned when they're done. 

Pretty gorgeous, huh??

In the meantime, heat the veggie broth in a large pot on the stove to medium-high until boiling.  Dump in the brown rice, reduce the heat, and cover to let simmer for about 20 minutes.  The rice will not cook all the way through.  

Dump in the roasted squash & garlic and stir.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer for another 10-15 minutes.  

Add the beans, and stir until everything is heated through.  You may need to add a little more hot water or broth at this point to make sure everything is submerged. 

Remove from heat and use a hand blender to blend everything together.  I left some big chunks in there still, just for texture. 

Serve with some crusty bread, and top with Parmesan cheese if desired! 

This turned out so delicious and creamy (without any cream!).  This soup would be beautifully accompanied by a bright & fruity green salad to counter the salt.

Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Vanilla Pistachio Muffins

Here's another recipe that I made this week since my allergic-to-everything lil' sister has been staying with me.  These turned out SO DELICIOUS!!  

You could easily make this recipe fully vegan by just using an egg substitute (and oil instead of butter).  The original recipe actually called for chai tea bags (they were actually called "Pistachio-Chai Muffins"), but I am one of those weird people that don't like chai.  So I just substituted Vanilla Spice tea instead!  

Vanilla Pistachio Muffins
Gluten-free / Vegan optional
15 minutes prep / total time 30 mins
Makes 12 muffins

1 3/4 cups gluten-free baking flour (I used a blend from Arrowhead Mills - found it at Whole Foods!)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 vanilla tea bags (or black tea, or chai tea - whatever you prefer!)
1 cup buttermilk (I used 1 cup of almond milk blended with about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar - it works the same way! You could do this with soymilk too). 
1/4 cup butter, melted (or oil, if making vegan)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, divided (I used 1/2 almond extract, 1/2 vanilla - just 'cause I had it!)
1 large egg, lightly beaten (or egg substitute, if making vegan)
Cooking spray
1/3 cup shelled dry-roasted pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp water

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.) Combine flour & next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, and stir with whisk.  Cut open tea bags, and add tea to flour mixture, stirring well.  Make a well in the center of the mixture.  Combine "buttermilk", butter, 1 tsp vanilla (or 1/2 tsp vanilla & 1/2 tsp almond extract) and egg in a bowl, stirring well with whisk.  Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just moist. (My mixture was a little dry, possibly due to the type of flour I used.  I added a few more splashes of almond milk - it should be wet but not thin like pancake batter. I had to scoop it into the cups.)

3.) Place 12 muffin cup liners in muffin cups & coat with cooking spray.  Divide batter evenly between cups. Sprinkle nuts evenly over batter.  Bake at 375 for 15 mins or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (mine took a few minutes longer than this).  Let cool for 5 minutes.
4.) Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/2 tsp vanilla, powdered sugar, and 1 tbsp water, stirring until smooth.  I added a few more chopped pistachios to this mix as well!  Drizzle topping evenly over cooled muffins.

Approx 192 calories per muffin.

Seriously guys, these muffins are crazy good.  Even my sister who is like the pickiest gluten-free person ever, LOVED these!  I served mine with a side of Noosa Honey Yogurt (YUM), and some sliced fruit. 

Enjoy!!  

Delicious Gluten-Free Vegan Brown Rice Salad

My little sister is going to be staying with me for a few days while she's transitioning between apartments, and she happens to have a gluten allergy, AND be lactose intolerant. 
POOR THING!! 

So I decided to whip up a few things that would accommodate her dietary needs that I would also enjoy, so today I made this! 

I changed the recipe up a little bit to fit my needs (example: dried cherries were like $10 more / pound than raisins, so I went with that - also I didn't want to buy a whole container of miso paste for one recipe, so I just omitted it).  Feel free to do the same with whatever you have at home - this seems like a pretty darn flexible recipe, that's delicious to boot!  

It's also a great recipe to make ahead since it gets better as it sits in the fridge (all the flavors can meld more).  And even better, if you have some leftover rice just add a few more ingredients and you have this awesome salad!  Woohoo!

Brown Rice Salad with Peas, Raisins, and Walnuts
Adapted from theKitchn.com recipe
Vegan / Gluten-Free
Serves 6-8

1 cup brown rice (or 2 cups already cooked leftover rice)
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 apple, diced into small pieces
1/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
2 stalks green onion, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (I used the curly kind), optional

For the dressing:
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon agave syrup
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Cook the brown rice in about two cups of simmering water until tender.  Fluff and cool to room temperature.


Combine the peas, apple, raisins, walnuts, onions, and cooled rice in a large bowl. Combine dressing ingredients in a small jar or tupperware container and shake well to combine. Stir the dressing into the rice mix until all the ingredients are coated.  If you have time, allow rice to rest for at least eight hours or overnight for flavors to come together.

This would be AWESOME to bring to a picnic too - it stores well, and would be super yummy straight out of the cooler.  

Enjoy!