In my family, finding a meal we can all eat can be tricky. Make-your-own-burritos can be a good choice, but I had an itch to make a pot of chili when my brother and one of my sisters came for dinner last week. I knew I wanted it to be a bean-based stew, but I also wanted that meatiness of meat, even though my brother doesn’t eat any meat or poultry. And, finally, I wanted it to be chock-full of vegetables and nutrition without adding any grains.
This was the first time I’ve cooked with Quorn TM Meatless & Soy-Free Grounds made with mycoprotein from mushrooms. The only other ingredients are egg white and malt, and they turned out to be a delicious wheat-free meat alternative in the chili!
I also had to accommodate my son, who will reject a meal if he sees an onion or a chunk of cooked tomato, so I pureed an onion into an unrecognizable pulp and only used pureed tomatoes. If you use canned beans, be sure to rinse the beans well to remove the BPA from the can lining before adding them to the pot of chili.
And, my daughter, who doesn’t like things too spicy. I offered a bottle of Siracha red chili sauce to anyone who wanted more fire.
You might notice that I didn’t use garlic or whole chile peppers in this version; you, of course, are welcome to add whatever you want to your own pot!
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Meaty Vegan Chili
Feeds 6-8 hearty eaters.
- Olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- pureed or diced tomatoes
- 8-10 Crimini mushrooms, trimmed, sliced
- 4 carrots, scrubbed, trimmed and sliced into coins
- 2 parsnips, scrubbed, trimmed, halved and sliced
- 1 turnip, scrubbed, trimmed, quartered and sliced
- 1 Tbsp. dried basil
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 Tbsp. mild chili powder
- 2 Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes (I like to use Aleppo red Pepper Flakes, Crushed)
- 3/4 lb. kidney beans, soaked and drained
- 3/4 lb. black beans, soaked and rinsed
- 3/4 lb. pinto beans, soaked and rinsed
- 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. sugar (optional)
- 1 bunch spinach leaves, cleaned and roughly cut
Heat olive oil in a soup pot and saute the onions for 3 minutes, then add the tomatoes, vegetables and spices and reduce the heat. Simmer until the root vegetables are soft and the tomatoes lose their iron-y flavor. Taste and adjust seasonings, then add the beans to the pot. When heated through, add the balsamic vinegar to brighten the flavors and sugar if still too iron-y tasting, and stir in the spinach until wilted. Serve with rice, tortillas, or a crusty loaf of bread.
