Katie's Vegan Chili

Sunday night (really, it was in the late afternoon), I threw together some hearty chili and this from 101 Cookbooks. The cornmeal crunch was fantastic, and the caramelized onions provided a perfect compliment to my chili.

I'm sharing my recipe here, but I'll warn you that when I cook this sort of thing I really just eye amounts and throw things in as I think of it, based on what's in my kitchen and how I feel. Most of the time it's edible. Sometimes, not so much. Though when it's edible, it's usually exactly what I want right at that moment.

Vegan Chili

splash of olive oil
onion (1-2, chopped)
2-4 potatoes, chopped small-ish (skins on!!)
2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped small
half package of tofu (this is what I had on hand, you could easily add more)
garlic (I use the crushed kind from the jar, a heaping tablespoon or two, to taste)

1 can whole plum tomatoes (I used the TJs version, no salt. any whole tomato would be good here)
2 cans red kidney beans (again, any kind would likely work. these were on sale)
1 can chopped green chilies (I would have used a lot more, as mine was only about the size of a tuna can, but I only had one in my pantry)
half a bag of TJs "soycutash" (a mix of corn, shelled edamame and red pepper, in the frozen section, you easily sub your favorite mix of frozen veggies, but bell pepper and corn are great here, and I liked the texture and flavor of the edamame)
2-3 tomato cans worth of water (veggie stock would also work, but I was out)
chili powder, pepper, salt, smoky paprika to taste
splash of red wine vinegar (I am convinced that this addition plus the smoky paprika made the flavor of this chili), I probably used between 1/4 and 1/2 cup.
Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot. Add onions and cook until browned. Add potatoes and carrots, cook until they start to brown and stick to the bottom. Add tofu and garlic, using the moisture to scrape up the flavor off the bottom of your pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir well.

Add the liquid from the canned tomatoes. Carefully add the tomatoes, crushing them as you throw them into the pot (I squirted juice all over myself, this is why we wear aprons). Fill the now empty can with water to get the rest of the tomato-y goodness out, dump into the pot. Do this 2-3 times.

Add the beans and chilies, WITH their juices. Don't drain either of them. Don't do it! The thick juice from the beans will help thicken your chili, and the liquid from the chilies adds flavor. Stir the pot. Add your frozen veggies (or a can of corn and some chopped bell pepper). Let simmer for a bit, then add the red wine vinegar and spices. Start on the shy side of your spices...you can always add more!

This whole process of chopping veggies and getting the chili assembled took me around an hour (it was a labor of love). I then let the pot simmer as I made up the cornmeal crunch. Caramelizing the onions took me forever, so I think my chili simmered for a good 3 hours before we ate. I ended up adding more chili powder, since I like mine spicy (I got this great stuff from my PILs when they came back from a trip to SE Asia. Yum!), and more smoked paprika, because it's just darn good. I also threw in some fresh ground cumin.

Serve with a generous slice of cornmeal crunch, and enjoy!
This fed Mr. K and I for a hearty lunch/dinner, and we had enough left over for a generous lunch yesterday (1 Tupperware each).