Recipe Test: Vegetarian Chili

I made Vegetarian Chili and corn bread (for my family) last Saturday dinner.

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch

Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

At first, I was overwhelmed by the list of ingredients!  I skipped some of the veggies as I did not have them.  

Here are the list of ingredients I used (I marked my changes in pink): 

1 Tablespoon (instead of Tablespoons) canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 to 3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced, depending upon taste (I didn't have any)
1 medium zucchini, stem ends trimmed and cut into small dice
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears) (I skipped it as I am not able to eat corn while on the elimination diet)
1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms (about 5 large), stemmed, wiped clean and cubed (I used 8 large white mushrooms instead.)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespooon ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (I skipped it as I don't like it too spicy)
4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 cups cooked black beans, or canned beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce (I used tomato paste + water)
1 cup vegetable stock, or water
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

I skipped the following (I made corn bread instead):
Cooked brown rice, accompaniment
Sour cream or strained plain yogurt, garnish
Diced avocado, garnish
Essence, recipe follows, garnish
Chopped green onions, garnish

 I usually chop onions, mushrooms and celery on the day I purchase.  This reduces overall cooking time tremendously.  Another tip: buy dry beans and cook at home.  Not only this will reduce the cost, but also will reduce the amount of cans for recycling.  

What is an easy way to peel tomatoes?  Make a shallow X in the bottom end.

Put the tomatoes in the hot water.

 

See how easy it is!?  This technique can be used for peaches.

Let's start cooking!

 

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, and peppers, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the zucchini, corn (if you are using), and mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until soft and the vegetables give off their liquid and start to brown around the edges, about 6 minutes.

3. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

 

4. Add the tomatoes and stir well.

 

 5. Add the beans, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. 

Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, to taste.

You may choose to follow the rest of the steps on the original recipe. 

It was very good!  Once you have the veggies chopped, it was fairly quick recipes.  I did not simmer for 20 minutes in the step five as my husband and I were hungry.  :-)

★★★★★
5 out of 5