Meatless Lenten Friday: Vegetarian Chili

Well, it's the last day of Spring Break here, and Andy and I enjoyed a busy few days in Seattle with the girls. I have uploaded over 200 pictures on my computer and plan on posting about our mini-vacay soon, but since it's another Lenten Friday, I thought I would share my recipe for vegetarian chili.

I made this last Friday. My husband is always surprised when I remind him that there is no meat in it - I think the black beans give it that hearty, almost meaty flavor. I prefer black beans and pinto beans in my chili over kidney beans. However, if you like kidney beans, then feel free to replace any of the beans in this recipe with kidney beans!

VEGETARIAN CHILI

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 can diced green chilies

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 can pinto beans with jalapenos (do not drain)

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen corn, rinsed

1 jalapeno pepper, diced (remove seeds and membranes for less spice)

1/4 cup chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf

4 cups water

1/4 cup masa harina

Water

Diced avocado, sour cream, and shredded cheese, for serving (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes.  Add Rotel tomatoes, tomato sauce, pinto beans, black beans, corn, jalapeno pepper, seasonings, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in water. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Drain and rinse black beans

Saute onions, bell pepper, and garlic.

I almost forgot the bay leaf! After adding masa harina, allow to simmer for at least one hour. Longer is better!

2. In a small bowl or cup, whisk together masa harina with some water to make a thin paste. The mixture should resemble the consistency of half n' half. Stir slowly into simmering chili, mixing well. Continue to simmer, covered, for at least 1 more hour.

My favorite way to eat vegetarian chili is simply topped with chopped avocado.

3. Serve with diced avocado, sour cream, and/or shredded cheese, if desired. Cornbread and a green salad also make excellent sides to serve with this chili. Enjoy!

Pasta Salad With Tomatoes

Spring has sprung! I love the seasons - all of them, including winter - and I get truly excited when a new season is making its appearance. Our neighborhood is coming alive with cherry blossoms, the weather is warming up, and even more exciting, the sun is rising well before my high-schooler leaves for the bus! I think I miss the sun more than anything else during the winter months.

Today, the kids had half-days at school and Andy took the day off. The weather was warm, clear, and beautiful, and it just felt like a Saturday. It only seemed right that we should cook out, so Andy fired up the grill and cooked ribs and hot dogs that we had stored in the freezer. My standard "go to" sides for cookouts are baked macaroni and cheese and some variation of potato salad. Today I wanted to do something different, and the thought of a nice, cool, pasta salad just sounded so refreshing and, well, "spring-timey." After a little searching online, I found this recipe from Real Simple. I made just a few little changes, like cutting back on the tomatoes since I have a tomato-hater in the family, adding some green onion, and using Romano cheese instead of Parmesan.  It turned out to be the perfect side dish for our cookout, and my tomato-hater was able to easily remove the offensive fruit from his portion.

Just a little note. This recipe makes a lot of pasta salad. It was way too much for our family of 5, so I will probably take some leftovers to my grown daughter Whitney - and we'll also be eating it here for a few days. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. 

PASTA SALAD WITH TOMATOES

12 ounces whole-wheat mini shell pasta

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

5 green onions, sliced

4 ounces Romano cheese, crumbled into small pieces with a fork

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon dried chives

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and immediately immerse in an ice bath to cool. Drain again and set aside.

2. Combine olive oil, salt, pepper, and green onions in a large bowl. Add cooled pasta and mix well to coat. Gently toss with cherry tomatoes and Romano cheese.

3. Chill for 1-2 hours before serving. 

Tex-Mex Farmhouse Chicken

One of my favorite recipes to make is Farmhouse Chicken from Tammy's Recipes. I make it regularly for dinner, since everyone in the family loves it, and it's super easy to throw together. But Texas girl that I am, of course I had to think of how I could add a Tex-Mex twist to it. Not to take its place, because we all love the original and I will continue to make it, but just for something... different. I had visions of cornbread, cumin, and peppers dancing in my head, and here is what I came up with.

Main ingredients: Cornbread stuffing mix, butter, corn, green chilies, jalapeno, green onions, yellow onion, chicken, cilantro.

 

Only spices needed: salt, pepper, and cumin!

After preparing stuffing on the stovetop, mix in corn, green chilies, jalapeno, green onions, cilantro, and cumin.

 Make a basic white sauce with cubed chicken and diced onion, and pour into casserole dish...

TIP for making white sauce with chicken: Cube raw chicken breasts while partially frozen - it makes the job so easy!

 

Spoon stuffing mix on top and bake.

 

Yum! Southwest stuffing with a creamy chicken gravy!

 Ingredients:

• 1 package (12 ounces) cornbread stuffing mix
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups milk
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 can (7 ounces) chopped green chilies, undrained
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 can (16 ounces) corn, drained, or 2 cups frozen corn, thawed and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper 
 

Directions: 

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 2-quart casserole dish.

2. Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions for the stove top. Stir in chopped green chilies, sliced green onions, chopped jalapeno, corn, cumin, and chopped cilantro. Set aside.

3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add the chopped yellow onion. Cook and stir over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add flour, reduce heat to medium, and cook and stir for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and stir until well-combined. Add cubed chicken, salt and pepper. Bring to a slow boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Pour chicken mixture into prepared dish. Top with stuffing. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly around edges.