Vegan (or Vegetarian with the Toppings) Chili for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

I have been alternating soup with canned vegetarian chili the last couple of weeks for lunches, so this weekend I decided to make my own vegan chili for hearty lunches and dinners for the busy pre-holiday week.

I tried Lightlife Smart Ground Meatless Mexican Crumbles for the first time, liking that they had a Mexican spiced one. You could use any soy crumble, a ground meat of choice, or make and crumble your own tofu based on your preferences or what is available.There are no tomatoes in this chili because the can of fire-roasted tomatoes I thought I had in my pantry turned out to be peaches. I could have gone to the store or added tomato paste, but I was pretty happy with my combination of spices and felt like the tomatoes weren't necessary. Of course a can would be great in here--just reduce your broth a little if using.

 
Vegan Chili with Soy Crumbles
By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Makes 8 Servings)

2 Tbsp olive or coconut oil
2 small sweet onions, diced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp roasted garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
1 package soy crumbles, Mexican-spiced if possible
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth (I used mushroom stock)
2 (16 oz) cans low-sodium pinto beans, drained
1 (16 oz) can low-sodium black beans, drained
1 (16 oz) can low-sodium kidney beans, drained
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper 
To garnish: fresh cilantro, yogurt or sour cream, cheese of choice and hot sauce is desired

In a large heavy pan, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add onion and cook about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent and begin to soften. Add the cumin, garlic powder, oregano, coriander, smoked paprika, ground cinnamon, and assorted chili powders and cook for another minute or two, or until spices are fragrant. Add the soy crumbles, breaking them apart with a wooden spoon and saute, stirring for 5 minutes. 

Add the broth and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, for about an hour, until liquid cooks down and mixture thickens. (If mixture gets too thick, add a bit more broth or water until it is the consistency you like.) Taste for seasoning and add hot sauce, sea salt and black pepper to taste. 

Serve chili hot in bowls, topped with grated cheese, yogurt or sour cream or other toppings of choice. Serve with Frito's and extra hot sauce if desired. 

Notes/Results: Three things about this chili: 1) YUM!  2) I did not miss the tomatoes and 3) The soy crumbles were great, giving flavor and the texture of ground meat. I think even meat lovers would have a hard time guessing it wasn't ground meat. I love the flavor in this one--a little smoky with a nice spicy kick. Of course the Fritos are optional but they do make chili more fun--as do the toppings. I have an avocado that wasn't quite ripe enough today, and some pickled jalapenos that I'll add in during the week and you can omit the cheese and yogurt or use vegan versions if you want to keep it vegan. I would happily make it again. 

Now let's take a look into the Souper Sundays kitchen:

A big Souper Sundays welcome to Liz of Spades, Spatulas & Spoons, joining us for the first time this week with Spiced Chickpea & Chicken Stew with Coconut & Turmeric. She says, "This recipe originally appeared in the NY Times without the chicken. I wanted something heartier for a visiting friend who had driven 3.5 hours to visit us up on the coast. This was the perfect dinner after a long drive on a cold and rainy autumn evening. The coconut sauce is amazing, you really need something to soak it up. Serve it with lavash or other flatbread for dunking if you have some. Not having those in the cupboard, I served it over brown rice. I consider this comfort food as well as (somewhat) health food. It is a soupy stew and could also be considered a thick soup." 

 
Tina of Squirrel Head Manor made Braised Pork and Apple Stew from a new cookbook and said, "This pork and apple stew gets an A+ and I hope Doug makes it again soon. Unbelievably tender and so flavorful, the apples could be doubled next  time :-) It's a good winter stew, something to warm the bones when it's cold outside. This is brothy enough that you'll want some good quality bread, hopefully homemade, for dipping. The apples look like potatoes, don't they?"

My fellow Hawaii-based blogger Claudia of Honey From Rock shared Oxtail Soup--The Alley Restaurant Way from a popular Oahu Eatery that happens to be a bowling alley. She said, "... However, the Oxtail soup was TO DIE FOR. Thus today's post, wherein I attempt to duplicate their soup. Luckily, Chef Glen was interviewed on a local program, and shared his secrets (handed down from his mother). Nothing written out, but he demonstrated pretty clearly, and there were a few versions online that purported to be authentic."
 

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog brought Low Carb Tomato "Cauliflower" Rice Soup and said, "Roasted tomatoes, sweet carrots, and hot pepper to taste, makes a delightful soup that is sure to warm you up on a damp chilly day. ... This delicious rich orange soup is easy to make and provides an excellent variety of health building nutrients, antioxidants and vital fiber! For the record it's vegan, parve, nut free, soy free and gluten free as well- perfectly allergy friendly!"

 
Thanks to everyone who joined me this week!

About Souper Sundays:

Souper Sundays (going since 2008) now has a format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches at any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here. 
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up her in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to it on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (optional).

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a happy, healthy week!