Chili Dog Craving.

Was craving chili dogs today so instead of buying one of those high sodium vegetarian chilis in a can, I made it from scratch which is sooo much better.


A Lightlife Smart Dog covered in chili, chopped onion and Daiya vegan cheese. This was so sloppy, it had to be eaten with a knife and fork. It was really good and satisfied the craving. I now have lots of chili leftovers that I can use for chili fries or taco salad or a baked potato topping.


Vegetarian Chili

3 TB olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 TB ancho chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup water (or more)
1/3 cup Textured Vegetable Protein (you can find TVP at health food stores or latin markets. It's called "carne de soya")
2 TB tomato paste
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee onions, bell pepper and garlic in olive oil over medium high heat until soft. Add spices and tomatoes and stir. Add water and bring to a boil. Then add dry TVP and stir. The hot water will re-hydrate the TVP and it will look like ground beef. Add tomato paste and stir to dissolve the tomato paste. If the chili looks too thick, you can add a little more water. Turn heat to low and cover. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add kidney beans and simmer for another 20-30 minutes. The longer the better. Season with salt and pepper.