Stick to your ribs chili and cornbread

Chili is one of our favorite dinners. It is cheap, easy and filling. The perfect chili should make you sweat, just a little bit. This recipe definitely accomplishes that goal! I know there is a large culture  of chili enthusiasts out there. I heard that the only true chili is red sauce and cubes of meat. I beg to differ, and I offer this meatless version as a hearty, healthier alternative.

The BF cooked the chili and provided the recipe. Family secret not included! The peppers did come from the BF's mother's garden. Fresh produce packs a much bigger punch in terms of flavor and texture, and in this case, heat. The chili would not be the same without those peppers.

I made the cornbread, and it is a modified recipe from Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. I highly recommend taking a look at this book. It really helped us expand our knowledge of vegan cooking techniques. Eating tofu stir fry for three years was getting a little boring!

Chili:
Serves 8
15 minutes to prepare
30+ minutes for cooking

Olive oil
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 yellow onion
1 jalapeno
1 cayenne pepper
1 8 oz can kidney beans
1 8 oz can black beans
1 8 oz can pinto beans
1 24oz can diced tomatoes
1 4 oz can tomato paste
1 back spicy chili seasoning
Bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste

Pour a tablespoon or so into a large stock pot. Heat over  medium heat. Dice all the veggies and add to the pan. Stir occasionally until onions become translucent. Meanwhile, rinse the beans. This helps to remove added sodium and any preservatives that accompany canned beans. Add beans to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes. Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili seasoning and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer on very low for at least half an hour.

Cornbread
Bake at 350 for half an hour
Cut into 8 or 16 slices

2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 C soy milk
1/3 C canola oil
3 Tbsp honey
2 C cornmeal
1 C flour
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 C frozen corn

In a small bowl, pour in the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Let stand for a minute or two so that it curdles (you just made vegan buttermilk!). Pour in the canola oil and honey. Whisk to combine. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Create a bird's nest with the dry ingredients so that the center bottom of the bowl is exposed. Pour in the liquid mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until dry ingredients blend into the wet mixture. Stir in the frozen corn. Pour a little canola oil to a cast iron skillet or cake pan. Spread oil to coat. Pour in cornbread mixture and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Am I the only person who crumbles cornbread into chili? Is this another offense to the chili kings?