Chili Faux Carne - Vegetarian Chili with TVP

Quick Vegetarian Chili

Keep the ingredients on hand and you too can whip up a batch of chili in no time at all. Stock up on canned tomatoes and beans when they are on sale for the most bang for your buck.

Never had TVP before? This is a great recipe to use to try it for the first time.

The 1 cup of TVP adds only 320 calories and gives you 48 grams of protein, 16 grams of dietary fiber, with almost no fat and no cholesterol.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, more or less as your taste dictates
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 30 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 15.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 Tablespoons chili powder (not chili seasoning)
2 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon cilantro
salt & black pepper to taste
1 cup dry TVP granules

water, up to 1/2 cup if needed

Directions:

Saute onions in oil until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for another couple of minutes, but avoid burning. Add crushed red pepper flakes and turmeric, stirring just to season oil.

Add beans and toss to coat well with oil. Add canned tomatoes. Add other seasonings and mix well.

Add dry TVP directly to pot, stirring to fully incorporate. Add additional water at this point a little at a time, if mixture is too thick for your liking.

Reduce heat to low and allow to cook for at least 1 hour. As with most soups, stews, sauces, etc. longer is better. When possible start this in the morning and allow to cook all day.

Serving:

A perfect dish in the cooler months on top of rice, wagon-wheel pasta, or even our corn pancakes. Can make a nice light lunch spooned on top of a plain baked potato as well.

In the summer, its even great on hot dogs.

Can be topped with grated cheddar cheese and/or sour cream if you like.

Variations: