Yesterday was my first official day as a Vegan. I'm still feeling pretty under the weather so it seemed a perfect opportunity to try out some good ol' comfort food recipes. I invited my (somewhat) Picky Veg friend and my die-hard Meaty over for dinner and made a meal I thought could please us all. It turned out to be pretty darn successful. Even the meat eater liked the chili (although both of the guests did top theirs with sharp cheddar cheese and a Greek yogurt) and everyone loved the cookies.
The chili is adapted from a recipe of my mom's. I added in a bunch more spice and some extra vegetables. The original calls for no corn, sweet potato, or fresh tomatoes and about half of the seasonings. It cooked up pretty easily and I only roughly chopped the vegetables because I like it a little chunky. Honestly, I still think it could have used a little more spice but it's a nice mild chili with an interesting flavor from the mole sauce. I would definitely recommend whipping this up, especially with the corn bread. I served it with a big chunk of corn bread crumbled in and a spoonful of hummus from a local bagel shop on top.
Chili a Molé
Serves 8-12
Preparation time: 45 minutes, Cook time: 30 minutes
Medium-Easy
Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced
½ small red bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes
5 tomatoes, chopped
3 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons dark cocoa powder
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
2 (14-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and well rinsed
1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained and well rinsed
1 (12-ounce) can low sodium vegetable broth
1¼ cup frozen corn, defrosted
1 sweet potato, baked*, chopped
½ cup cilantro, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
Directions
Preheat a large pot (at least 6-quarts) over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and peppers and sauté two five minutes until slightly softened. Add the vinegar and minced garlic and allow the mixture to cook another 8-10 minutes until the onions are softened and translucent.
Add the chili powder, cinnamon, and cumin and allow it to cook for another minute. Pour in the canned and fresh tomatoes, the cocoa powder, and the molasses. Break up the canned tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher and add in the beans, broth, corn and sweet potato.
Cover and bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and allow it to simmer for another 15 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro and serve.
*To bake a sweet potato in the microwave, poke several holes into it with a small fork and microwave it for 3 minutes.
Cornbread
Serves 8-12
Preparation time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 30 minutes
Easy
Ingredients
½ cup sugar
1 cup vanilla soy milk (I used Light Silk brand)
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 egg’s worth of egg replacer (I used EnerG)
1½ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup corn meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1¼ cup frozen corn, defrosted
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°.
Combine the sugar, soy milk, oil, and egg replacer in a large bowl and combine. Add the flour, corn meal, baking powder, and salt and mix until the ingredients are just moistened. Gently fold in the cooled corn.
Grease an 8x8” baking pan or a round cake pan using a cooking spray and pour in the batter. Bake 25-30 minutes until light brown. Let the cornbread cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan and serving.
Chocolate Chip – Peanut Butter – Coconut Cookies
Makes ~24 cookies
Preparation time: 15 minutes, Cook time: 12 minutes
Easy
Ingredients
¾ cup peanut butter
½ cup and 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons vanilla soy milk (I used Light Silk brand)
1 ¼ cup coconut
1 cup dark chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Cream together the peanut butter, sugar, and the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Gradually add the soy milk one tablespoon at a time until the dough forms the proper consistency (you may need to add more than 4 tablespoons). Stir in the coconut and chocolate chips
Grease two pans with cooking spray and form the dough into balls using a medium sized ice cream scoop. Place on the trays and bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden.
