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.

A Dang Good Sandwich.

Veggie ham, Daiya vegan cheese, tomato, sauerkraut, red onion, piccalilli, vegan mayo/ketchup on german sunflower rye. This was amazing.

In To Lunch.

I haven't been out and about too much as I've been in search of a new job. So in between bouts of internet job searching and creative thinking time (painting or jewelry making), I whip up small meals for lunch and enjoy them here at home.


Yesterday I had this. Foul Muddammas (fava beans cooked with garlic, olive oil, lemon), za'atar dip (jordanian thyme, sesame and sumac with olive oil) and whole wheat pita. I know it's a bit of a beige looking meal but it was nothing but delicious, I tell you!


Today's lunch was more colorful. This is the Two Bean Salad with Tarragon Dressing from Vegetarian Times magazine. This was really delicious and quite filling too. Recipe here.

Kidney Bean Curry

Indian curry tonight! I used a channa masala recipe but substituted kidney beans for the chickpeas. Deliciousness!

Indian in less than an hour.

Check out this lovely plate of food. My co-worker Cynthia and I were talking indian food at work and we got so hungry and inspired that we decided to go to my house and make what you see here. I made the red lentil dal and mint chutney and Cynthia made the saag aloo (spinach and potatoes). It all turned out delicious and was so quick to make. It was really just throwing everything in a pot and letting it simmer. In case you're wondering, the mint chutney was made with Tofutti sour cream instead of yogurt.

Steamed Dumplings.

Steamed dumpling for dinner tonight! Filled with tofu, kale, cabbage, carrots, spinach and garlic. Yummy!


For dipping sauces we used:
mushroom soy sauce + dark sweet soy + scallions
sweet chili sauce
chinese mustard + soy sauce

Mock Chicken Salad Sandwich and Dal Makhani

This was a quick lunch during the week. Mashed chickpeas combined with vegan mayo, celery, carrot, a touch of mustard, garlic powder and onion powder makes a delicious salad filling. I livened up the whole thing with a layer of Piccalilli relish.


I got the recipe for this tasty vegan Dal Makhani from the Holy Cow blog. It's sooo yummy! I used Earth Balance margarine and plain soymilk in mine for creaminess. I ate it with lavash bread instead of rice. Can't wait to make this again. Recipe is posted here.