Cincinnati-Style Chili for Vegetarians and Vegans

I just LOVE Cincinnati chili. Skyline is the most well known, but Chili Time, Gold Star and even some taco shops made wonderful versions of this chili reminiscent of the Greek dish called pastitsio which features cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cocoa. I've tried a few recipes to develop a and this is the version I regularly make.  All ingredients come together in less than 15 minutes with very little slicing and dicing.  

Of course it would be delicious with  ground beef or ground turkey.  So, if you don't have a recipe and want a to give it a try, this is a good start. 

Here's a bit on the ground veggie protein or grain options.  My preferred choice is Yves' ground soy product which can be found in the refrigerator section of your grocery.  Boca's frozen product is another fine choice.  Dried TVP works decently, but isn't quite as pretty.  Finally if you prefer not to use soy-based products, you can use bulgar wheat instead.  

Makes 4 servings with 1 lb of spaghetti

Here are the amounts for your ground product: 

• 12 oz package veggie crumbles (I like Gardein the best)
• 1.5 cup of dry TVP mixed thoroughly with 1.25 cups of boiling water
• 3/4 cup of bulgar wheat; pour over 3/4 cup of boiling water, stir and allow to sit for 1 hr

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large sweet yellow onion, finely chopped (Vidalia or spanish is fine)

ground soy product or bulgar wheat (as above); or 12 oz ground beef or ground turkey

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

1Tbsp chili powder

28-oz can of crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes or tomato sauce

1tsp allspice ** (or a mixture in equal parts of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg, which I prefer)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp unsweetened natural cocoa powder (you can use Dutch processed if that's what you have)

1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce (regular which has anchovy in it, Amy's vegan, or pick-a-peppa all are great options…you can even make your own and for a veggie version substitute Maggi sauce for fish sauce).

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

1/2-1 1/2 cups water

RECIPE

Heat a stock pot over medium high flame to temperature.  Once hot, add the oil, onion, ground soy product or bulgar wheat (hydrate that ahead of time), chili powder and garlic.  Stir to mix thoroughly and allow to cook until the "meat" is slightly browned which will take about 7-8 minutes.  You'll need to stir frequently to ensure  it doesn't burn. 

Now, add the tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of water, being certain to scrape the bottom of the pot to remove anything that might have stuck to the bottom.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir thoroughly.  Once the chili comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes and adding a bit of water if needed 1/2 cup at a time. 

Serve over piping hot spaghetti and allow everyone to top their chili with finely grated mild cheddar cheese, diced onion and/or kidney beans.  Traditional accompaniments of oyster crackers and tabasco sauce are great fun, too!  

________……..________

Here's a quick note about the allspice…  I don't use allspice, since I really don't bake and it would get

old before its time.  Instead, I mimic the taste with an equal amount of whole clove, freshly ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon. 

Measure out a teaspoon of cloves. Grind it up with a mortar and pestle or smash it between two sturdy spoons. Once the clove is ground, the volume will be somewhat less than 1/2 teaspoon, but that's okay. You'll have enough.

Pull out your microplane and a nutmeg seed. Grind out an amount of nutmeg equal to that of the ground cloves.  Please don't use old pre-ground nutmeg. That's no better than using tired old allspice.  

Now, eyeball measure out a similar amount of ground cinnamon or use the microplane and grate out the correct amount.  I go through cinnamon quickly, so keep both ground and stick on hand. 

Clockwise from 12:00 - nutmeg, clove, cinnamon

Mix the ground clove, cinnamon and nutmeg together and measure out a teaspoon for your chili.  

The leftover spice mix doesn't need to go to waste -- toss it on cereal, oatmeal, fruit and yogurt, or use to spice tea or coffee.  

Pomodoro Puttanesca Pasta with Peas

Last night I made a delicious light pasta last night inspired by the quart of pea pods I got at my CSA.  The sauce is a hybrid between a pomodoro and a puttanesca sauce.  I found it to be creamy and delicious with all of the flavors complementing the tuna so much that you hardly notice it.  For a vegetarian option, you could leave out the tuna entirely or replace the tuna with seitan. I also think this would be fabulous with high quality chicken.

This would also be great with freshly grilled tuna, in which case I would slice the tuna and serve it on top of the pasta.

SAUCE
• 4-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 quart cherry tomatoes (fresh or frozen-fresh)
• 1/2 cup sliced green olives
• 1/4 cup chopped capers
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 4 oz canned tuna (in water well-drained) or high qualityItalian tuna in olive oil***always use chunk light due to the mercury content of albacore
• up to 1/2 cup of water to thin sauce if needed
• freshly ground black pepper

PASTA
• 1 lb of a short cut pasta like fusilli or oriccheti
• large pinch of sea salt
• 1 quart of peas in pod (trimmed and halved) or shucked peas

GARNISH -- ALL OPTIONAL
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped parsley (Italian or curly is fine)
• 1/2 cup grated asiago cheese (optional)

Chop and mince all of your ingredients before you start the heat.  This one cooks fairly quickly.

Start a large saucepan over medium heat.  Once hot, add the olive oil.  When the olive begins to shimmer add the garlic, stirring frequently and watching them carefully.  Cook the garlic until the slices are all beginning to brown. Add the rest of your sauce ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer the sauce partially covered while you cook the pasta. Keep an eye heck to make sure it doesn't need a bit of water added.

Bring a stock pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling add a large pinch of salt to the water.  Stir briefly, allow the water to return to a boil and then cook your pasta according to the package directions until it is el dente. As the pasta is reaching el dente, dump in your peas.  Bring to a boil or until the peas turn bright green (which ever comes first) and drain.

In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta and peas with the sauce, adding up to another tablespoon of olive oil if needed.  Allow everything to cool for 5 minutes or so and then toss in the parsley and asiago cheese.

Enjoy!

Chana Gobi - Chick Peas and Cauliflower in a Tomato Curry Sauce

Cauliflower has been one of my favorite vegetables for decades and I adore Indian flavors, so it is no wonder that this is a go-to dish for me.  While it isn't your typical yellow curry, it is delicious.  Hats off to Madhur Jaffrey whose cookbooks taught me to soak the cauliflower in cold water prior to cooking it.  Her cookbooks are lovely and packed with recipes you can make to.  I suspect her influence is found in these recipes as well as those of the Moosewood Restaurant, my friend Rahul Kulkarni and so many others that taught me the essentials of great curries.

INGREDIENTS

1 T extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil or ghee

1 T black mustard seeds

1 T fennel seeds

½ onion, finely diced (I prefer about a 3mm dice here, but make it fairly fine)

1T ginger, minced

6 cloves garlic minced

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

¼ t tumeric

1/3 t cayenne pepper

½ t salt

1 medium cauliflower, cored, sliced into ¾ to ½ inch slices and then broken into bite sized pieces

1 can garbonzo beans, rinsed and drained

2 T water

1 28 oz can diced or whole tomatoes and juice

¼ t curry powder

¼ t garam masala

zest of 1 lemon (optional)

RECIPE

Soak cauliflower in a bowl of cold water for at least ½ hour.  Drain. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans to remove any residual liquid that was in the can.  While the cauliflower is soaking, chop the onion and mince the ginger, garlic and pepper.  Then, get your spices ready.  The turmeric, cayenne and salt can go into one small dish and the curry powder and garam masala should go into a separate dish as the two groups will be added at different times.  

Heat a very large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Once, hot, add the olive oil, cumin and fennel.  Allow the seeds to fry for a few seconds then toss in the onion, garlic, ginger and jalapeno pepper.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the onion begins to brown.  Add the first spice mixture (turmeric, cayenne and salt) to your pot and stir fry for another minute or two.  Once those spices are well incorporated into your aromatics, add the cauliflower, garbonzos and water to the pot.  Mix thoroughly and then add the tomatoes.  If the tomatoes you have on hand are whole, hand crush them into the pot, removing any remaining skin or tomato cores as you find them.  Add the tomato liquid as well.

Allow the mixture to simmer for 7 or 8 minutes, or until the liquid is mostly evaporated and the cauliflower is done, but still rather firm.  Now, add in the curry powder, garam masala and lemon zest and stir it thoroughly through the dish and allow to cook for another minute.  (Note that if you are using a pan that is too small, you may want to cover the pot for 5 minutes of the cook time to ensure the cauliflower is done).

Turn off the heat.  Garnish with cilantro or chopped almond.  Serve over your favorite grain if you like.  This spice portfolio is also great with another traditional combo -- mushrooms and black-eyed peas.

Vegan Sloppy Joes, Chickpea Style

On this very cold day where so many of us are looking for warmth and comfort, here is an old childhood favorite for many made in a healthy tasty way.  Shout out to The Splendid Table, a public radio program I listen to each weekend:  Vegan Sloppy Joes

Earthy Spinach and Lentils

I had a huge craving for spinach and lentils last night.  I created this recipe, and it was delicious!

1/2 cup diced onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry rice
1/2 box of frozen spinach, thawed
1/4 cup brown lentils, dry
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1 cup water
Salt, to taste
6-8 cherry tomatoes, sliced
Parmesan, to taste

Cook rice in small pot.  Over medium heat, sauté onions in olive oil until golden, about ten minutes.  Add garlic, cook about 5 more minutes.  Add water, toss in lentils.  Simmer until tender; about 20 minutes.  Add thawed spinach, cumin and salt, and cook until water is absorbed.  Add rice to mixture, stir and serve immediately.  I like to top it with tomatoes and Parmesan to add earthy flavor.