Too Early For Chili?

I made another Whole Foods trip after work.

Here is my bounty!


There are a few produce items that aren't included in there, but that's 90% of it.

-Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk - If you haven't tried almond milk before and want to, it's a great kind.
-Go Lean Crunch - I used to eat this stuff every day, and haven't had it for a couple of years.
-Pure apple juice - It's not sweetened. I'll mix some wheatgrass in with this stuff and drink it in the morning.
-Boca soy crumbles- for my veggie chili!
-Tofutti - it's a cream cheese imitation for a lasagna I'm making later this week
-Whole Foods brand hummus (of course)
-Tempeh - but not just any tempeh: smoky, "bacon-like" tempeh. Except it's not meat. It's soy protein!
-Coconut milk creamer (hazelnut flavor) - I saw it on another blog and thought I'd give it a try.
-365 Organic green tea - I used to drink at least one cup about every day. I'm getting back into it!

If you don't read my blog very much, or if you don't eat things that seem out of the ordinary, you might be wondering what all that food is and what is the appeal. I too, at one point, shied away from veggie burgers and hummus and almond milk. One day I just started trying these items, one food at a time, and realized that they are GOOD and good for you. Reading other healthy living blogs has opened my eyes to some wonderful foods and recipes, and I hope I might introduce some of my readers to things they haven't seen before.

I just made some veggie chili, and although I've only had a few bites, it tastes REALLY good so far. The recipe is from Paula Deen, believe it or not, and it doesn't have any cream, sugar, or butter.

1 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp chili powder
1 to 1.5 tsp chipotle chili pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1 16 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 16 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 16 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 16 oz can corn, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 cups vegetable broth

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven (medium high heat). Add onion and garlic and saute until tender
2. Stir in chili pepper, oregano, and salt; saute 2 minutes. Add beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and veggie broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until heated through.


So that was PAULA'S recipe....I changed it a bit

I thought I had chili powder and oregano, but it turns out I didn't. Instead, I used garlic salt and cumin, and I didn't add the additional salt on the ingredients list. My can of diced tomatoes was only 15-16 oz, and I didn't have a can of tomato sauce, so I added a little over a cup of marinara sauce. I also didn't have any vegetable broth, and I never buy any. Instead, I dissolved a tablespoon of vegetable BASE in 2 cups of water. Buy veggie base - it's more economical!

Also, I had some leftover tempeh so I crumbled it into small pieces and add that ALONG with some Boca soy crumbles when I added the beans, etc.

Finally, I sauteed some mushrooms for a few minutes and then added that to the chili.

The result?




I am so darn proud of myself. The chili is really flavorful and delicious. It was extremely easy too - try it!