DDD #143 – Cirque Du Macabre Vegan Chili for a Chili Cook-Off – for the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2019

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So – this weekend, I entered a Chili Cook-off!  There were only two vegan entries of the 14 adults competing & it was meat chilis that won the chili titles but I won for best presentation.  Check it out!

Click the image below to watch this on my Youtube channel.

It was a lot of fun & it raised money for the Downtown Women’s Shelter.   Kids competed, too!

Homemade Chili Powder

2 TBS smoked paprika

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix & store in a jar.

Cirque Du Macabre Vegan Chili 

Serves a fuckton!

INGREDIENTS

1 TBS olive oil

2 each – Anaheim, Pasilla & Jalapeno peppers (I used 3 large jalapeno peppers)

2 small sweet potatoes – peeled & cubed

3 ears of unshucked corn or 2 (15 oz) cans of corn kernels

2 celery stalks – chopped

1 large onion (I used 1/2 white & 1/2 sweet onions) – diced

2 red bell peppers

1 TBS chili powder (recipe for homemade is above)

28oz can crushed or diced tomatoes (I used San Marzano)

2 TBS hoisin or BBQ sauce

2 TBS chipotle in adobo – minced

2 TBS vegan bouillon (I used vegan beef bouillon)

1 (4oz) can hot diced jalapenos (optional)

1 (4oz) can mild diced chilis

5 (15oz) cans of beans (I used a mixture of chili beans, light red kidney beans & black beans)

3 lbs vegan ground beef

8-10 large vegan sausages (Beyond Meat are the best)

2 (12oz) tubes vegan chorizo (soyrizo)

4 cups of water

GARNISHES: chopped cilantro, shredded vegan cheese, diced onion, chopped scallions, crushed corn chips, rice, corn bread, hot sauce

DIRECTIONS

I charred all the peppers (Anaheim, Pasilla, red bell & jalapeno) on a grill until the skins were black.  I did the same with the corn.  I put the peppers in a closed container to cool & then peeled & seeded them under cold water.  I shucked the corn.  You need not roast the peppers & corn but it adds a lovely smokiness.  Cool & chop.  Cut the grilled corn from the cobs.

I cooked the sausages on an outdoor grill.  Cook yours as you please.  Cool & chop.

Heat the olive oil in an Instant Pot or on the stove.  Saute the onions & celery until soft.  Add the chili powder & saute a minute.  Add the ground beef & brown it.

If using a slow cooker, transfer the meat from the stove to it.

Now – add everything else or as much as fits in your slow cooker of Instant pot (minding the maximum capacity line).  If it all cannot fit – leave out a few cans of beans.

Slow cooker – cook on high for 4 hours.  Add remaining beans – if they fit – & heat through.

Instant Pot – pressure cook for 45 minutes.  Add any beans you have left & stir to heat them through.

Serve!

 

Vegan Chicken & Mixed Vegetable Pot Pie

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

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To be honest – I prepped this thing a few months ago & it has been sitting in the freezer – uncooked – ever since.  I did this because this recipe makes enough for TWO full-sized pot pies.  So – cut everything in half – if you only want to make one.  Or – do what I did.  Make two pies & freeze one for later.

Vegan Chicken & Mixed Vegetable Pot Pie

Makes TWO pot pies

INGREDIENTS

4 pre-made vegan pie crusts – for the top & bottom of two pies

9 oz vegan chicken – cubed (I always use Beyond Meat)

5 TBS vegan butter

1 onion – diced

1/2 lb mushrooms – chopped

4 carrots – diced

3 small potatoes – cubed

4 celery stalks – chopped

1 cup peas

2 1/2 cups vegetable stock

3 bay leaves

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups almond/soy/or other vegan milk

2 TBS fresh thyme – chopped (or 1 1/2 tsp dry thyme)

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp dry rosemary – chopped

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 1 TBS butter & saute the onion, mushrooms, carrots, celery & potatoes over medium heat – stirring often.  After about 5 minutes – add the thyme, oregano & rosemary, bay leaves & the stock.   Bring to a boil & reduce to a simmer & cook it down util the vegetables are soft & most of the stock boils away.

Meanwhile – melt the remaining 5 TBS butter over medium heat in a stock pot & whisk in the flour.  Once that is combined & thick – SLOWLY add the milk – in small increments – stirring the entire time.  Whisk continuously – until the roux is thick.

Stir the roux into the vegetables & add the peas & cubed chicken.  Simmer until it is thickened & then remove the bay leaves.  Season with S&P.

Press the crusts into two pie pans & divide the filling between them.  Top the pies with remaining crusts & pinch the edges closed.  Perforate the top with a knife of fork so steam can vent.

Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the crust is the color you desire.  Mine wasn’t browning so I rubbed vegan butter on top & it helped a bit.

If you are freezing one (or both) of the pies – try to prep the edges tucked into the pan – like mine above.  That way there is no fragile rim to get crushed in the freezer.  Wrap tightly in foil & freeze.  You might want to write the date on the foil – so you can keep track of when you froze it.  To cook it – let it thaw & then just bake at 400 for about 30 minutes.  If you do not have time to thaw it – heat oven to 425 degrees, place the pie on a baking sheet, cover edges loosely with foil and bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake 70-80 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown

When your pie is cooked – let it rest at least ten minutes before cutting into it.

Annie & Dan Shannon’s Vegan Yankee Pot Roast Dinner

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

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So – I got this awesome cookbook you see above and I am very excited to present to you the first recipe that I tried from it – their Yankee Pot Roast Dinner.  The book is full of gorgeous photos & easy to follow recipes but it was the image below that set my mouth to watering immediately.

That looks so much like meat!   It looks so warm & comforting and VEGAN!  So – I made it today.  Easy!  Very easy.  (Please note – the photo above is from the Shannons’ cookbook – the rest are pictures of my effort to recreate that.)  I only made two modifications to the recipe – in that I used truffle bouillon rather than vegan beef (because I had it) and I added some Earth Balance butter to the top as it baked because it wasn’t browning the way I wanted it to.   Oh – and I used a full pound of baby potatoes which was a good thing because I nearly ate them all as the “roast” baked.  This is a delicious recipe & the leftovers could make a nice sandwich.  To those unfamiliar with meat made from vital wheat gluten – the texture is more like a dense stuffing than any real red meat but the flavors are earthy & aromatic and, ultimately, very satisfying.  Loads of gravy might be a nice addition – so if you have a favorite vegan gravy recipe – maybe whip some up.  Or use my VERY easy vegan gravy.

Annie & Dan Shannon’s Vegan Yankee Pot Roast Dinner

INGREDIENTS

Above – in the book.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the over to 400 degrees.

The instructions for the vegetables can be seen in the book above.

To make the roast – in a large bowl – combine all the ingredients from the vital wheat gluten through to the sage.  In another bowl – whisk the remaining three liquid ingredients together.  Blend the wet & dry ingredients by hand until you have a spongy, springy ball of dough.  Form the dough into a round, flat loaf  & carefully place it on top of the vegetables so it is slightly covered by the boiling broth (my broth was not deep enough) – cover it & simmer it for about 15 minutes.

Add a ladle of broth to a separate casserole dish & carefully transfer your roast into it using oven mitts & spatulas.  Bake the roast for about 15-20 minutes.  The book says, “Monitor the roast, basting it a few times with the broth while it’s baking.  Remove the roast from the oven once it develops a crispy golden-brown crust, 15-20 minutes.”

I cooked mine for closer to an hour & added vegan butter to the top of it 20 minutes before I took it out – to aid in browning.

Serve with the vegetables & few ladles of broth.

I found this recipe to be very easy, my house smells like Thanksgiving & I have a big casserole dish of yummy, vegan comfort food.  I cannot wait to try another recipe from the book.

If you want to buy the book – it is available many places – including Amazon.

The authors can be followed at:

www.MeettheShannons.com 

Vegan Foods = Joy! on Facebook

@AJShannon on Twitter

@MeettheShannons on Instagram

Vegan 15 Bean Soup with Arugula and White Truffle Oil for the Slow Cooker

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

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First – two cool things about LA: the vintage cars that lined Wilcox the other day – evidently there for a period scene in a film and the gorgeous sunrise in that un-retouched or enhanced image above.

Now for yet another insanely easy vegan recipe for a slow cooker.  Even a child could pull this off.  I added arugula because I had it & it was beginning to wilt but it was no match for 5 hours in a slow cooker and basically disintegrated so – if you want to add arugula, stir it into your soup just before serving.

Vegan 15 Bean Soup with Arugula and White Truffle Oil for the Slow Cooker

INGREDIENTS

20 ounces of mixed beans (throw out the gross ham flavor packet)

10 cups vegetable stock

juice of 1 lemon

1 onion – diced

5 carrots – sliced

5 celery stalks – chopped

2 red potatoes – cubed

3 garlic cloves – minced

Arugula (optional) – as a last minute add in (CHOP IT – or else you will have long strands of red hot wilted arugula hitting you in the chin)

Parsley – chopped as garnish

White truffle oil to drizzle (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Put all that shit (except the arugula, parsley & truffle oil) into a 6 QT slow cooker & set on high for 5 hours.

Garnish as you like.

See?  EASY!

Potato and Cauliflower Tikka Masala – Vegetarian or Vegan or Not – for the Slow Cooker!

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

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I have really been on a slow cooker kick lately.  I just fucking love the idea of dumping shit in there & walking away & coming home to a house that smells delicious & feels like someone has been thinking of and cooking for you.  Even those of us that live alone.

I used real cream in mine but you can sub that out with a vegan alternative, coconut cream likely being the simplest option.  I used cauliflower & potatoes but any veggies will do – or chick peas or a vegan meat – like the awesome Beyond Meat’s vegan chicken.  Or add seafood or real chicken.  Whatever floats your boat.

There are a lot of ingredients but none are very exotic – and all you gotta do is dump them into the crock pot & leave.  So come on now!   Why not try it?

I like a lot of gravy in my Indian dishes & there is a boatload here.  I initially tried to use coconut milk creamer in place of heavy cream but it just wasn’t dense enough – so – I resorted to real heavy cream.  Again – coconut cream (thicker even that full fat coconut milk) – would be a great vegan substitution.

Potato and Cauliflower Tikka Masala – Vegetarian or Vegan or Not

This fills a 6 quart slow cooker so it makes a lot.

INGREDIENTS

1 head cauliflower – cut into small florets

4 red potatoes – cut into bite-sized pieces

(other veggies work, too like: peas, broccoli, zucchini, green beans or even white or red beans)

1 onion – diced

2 jalapenos – seeded & minced (optional)

6 garlic cloves – chopped

1-3 TBS fresh ginger (I used 3 but my ginger was jarred & maybe not as pungent as fresh)

26 oz (or so) tomato puree

1/2 cup yogurt (or vegan yogurt)

3 TBS garam masala (you can make it yourself if you cannot find it at your grocery store)

1 TBS turmeric

1 TBS ground cumin

1 TBS paprika

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 TBS cayenne pepper

1 (14 oz) can coconut milk (I used lite but full fat is even better)

1 cup water

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1 cup heavy cream or vegan alternative (including coconut cream or more full fat coconut milk) – plus a bit more just in case your tikka masala needs tweaking

2 TSP cornstarch (more or less)

Cilantro as garnish

Cooked rice (I used brown Basmati)

DIRECTIONS

Put everything from the cauliflower through to the water into a large slow cooker.  Stir it all up & set on high for 5 hours.  Longer than this is perfectly fine – but just know your cauliflower might begin to disintegrate a bit.  If you go away longer – like a lot longer – maybe set it on low so it doesn’t scorch.  Not all slow cookers are created equal & the heat each of our machines generate can vary widely.

After 5 hours or once your vegetables are tender, take about 1/4 cup of your heavy cream (or vegan alternative) and whisk the cornstarch in.  Once there are no lumps – put this in the slow cooker with the other 3/4 cup of cream.  Stir it up.  Let this heat through & thicken a bit.  Taste for seasoning.  If it is too thick, add more coconut cream or cream or water.   If it is too thin, add more of the cornstarch mixture.

Serve with cilantro over rice.

Spicy Black Bean and Sweet Potato and Chicken Chili for a Slow Cooker (Vegan or Not!)

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

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There are still a few left! PERFECT book for your anti-Valentine’s Day book club meeting!

Buy a signed and LETTERED (hence – limited to 26 copies) copy of my book FROM THE LINK BELOW, and get copy of the short on DVD & 3 signed bookplates so you can give three people signed copies as gifts. The cost will be $25 which will include DOMESTIC shipping.

First come – first serve. When the 26 are gone – that is it. Buy ASAP if you want to be sure to get the templates for your Valentine’s Day gift giving this season!

http://www.bathingandthesinglegirlbook.com/store/p6/Christmas_LIMITED_Special%21.html

There is nothing easier than a slow cooker recipe that doesn’t require anything but putting raw ingredients into the slow cooker & going away for five hours.

In my case – I had to leave for ten hours so I added far more water than would typically required and, ten hours later, I found it still too wet so I added more beans & cooked it overnight.  This resulted in a few things:

1) a FUCKTON of chili

2) the sweet potato was underrepresented in comparison to the beans & they completely disintegrated in the 24 hours they cooked.

You won’t have these issues if you just go for the traditional 5 hours on high.  This recipe filled a 7 quart slow cooker to the brim – so – divide it in half for a more reasonable quantity of chili – or go for the whole megillah  if you are having a party or have a large family or even if you want to freeze some.

You can add real chicken or omit the chicken (vegan or otherwise) completely.  I used dried beans but canned beans could be used & this would cook up in an hour – or the time it takes for the sweet potato to soften.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili for a Slow Cooker (Vegan or Not!)

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs dry black beans (QUICK SOAK them if you want but I did not.  Or, the night before making the chili, rinse and cover the black beans with water in a bowl. Soak overnight at room temperature.  I did not but doing one of those things makes the beans less gassy.)

9 (or more) oz vegan chicken (or real cooked chicken) – optional (I recommend BEYOND MEAT brand vegan meats because they are THE BEST!)

7 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

16 oz salsa

3 large sweet potatoes – peeled & cubed

10 carrots – sliced

1 onion – diced

1 red bell pepper – chopped

3 chipotle chili peppers in their adobo sauce – minced

6-10 garlic cloves – chopped

1 TBS salt

1 TBS pepper

1 TBS onion powder

1 TBS garlic powder

1 TBS ground cumin

Garnish possibilities: cooked rice, chopped onion, sour cream, sliced scallions, cilantro, diced tomatoes, jalapenos or grated cheese.

DIRECTIONS

Put all that shit into the slow cooker & heat on high for 5 hours.  If it gets too dry – add water.  If it stays too wet – maybe take a cup or two of the chili out & puree it in the blender & put it back in or let it sit on high longer with the lid off.

Serve with your selected accoutrements & enjoy!

To reheat – boil a small amount of water (maybe 1/8 inch deep) in a pan & add the chili & mix it up & heat it through.

See?  EASY!

Spicy Baked Parmesan Zucchini Chips with Delta Dipping Sauce

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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OK – let me start by expressing frustration with my photography.  These shots today are all wildly off & yellow & gross because I broke the bulb in my lamp & had to replace it with a fucking energy-saving thing that makes the light strobe & look yucky & – well – grrrrr.

And – I am deluged with other food bloggers & their SPECTACULAR images like this one from The Iron You.

Homemade sriracha.  Fucking beautiful.

Or this one (or ANY one) from How Sweet It Is.

And ANYTHING on my fucking HERO’S blog – Thug Kitchen.

I included that cookbook promo here to also illustrate the Thug Kitchen IS SO MUCH COOLER THAN I AM – it hurts my soul!  I see the words “Expect that shit” and I am SO FUCKING JEALOUS that I am not Thug Kitchen that I feel actual physical anguish.  Expect that shit.  So simple.  Hilarious.   Tickles me & gives me butterflies of anxiety because it feels like a slap down.  And Thug Kitchen makes vegetarian, healthy food, too.  I mean my God.  How is it that I even show my face in public?   I am a loser & a fraud & a hack & a lame photographer & I have no hook.  Thug Kitchen.  I wish I could quit you.

That said – and after showing you what folks who know what they are doing throw in your grill – I present you with the least inspired & most poorly executed photos ever.   These photos are my food blog equivalent of the rape victim in the bathroom mirror, hacking her hair off or smearing lipstick all over her face.  This is me sliding down the shower wall crying.  Goddammit.

So – I guess I will just get on with it.

These guys look all fucked up because of white balance & whatever – but they tasted great!  I ate the entire batch.  Quickly.  Without regard for decency.  Or dignity.  Count yourself lucky that I didn’t just smash them into my face & hair in a fit of wild self-loathing.  That shit could happen.  It’s been a bad week – on lots of fronts.  Early this week, I ate a tiny piece of a pot truffle and lost my shit for 20 hours.  DO NOT EAT TINY PIECES OF POT TRUFFLES!!!!!   Granted – I am NOT a pot person. Never liked it.  Renders me slack-jawed & retarded.  Immediately.  One hit & I will watch the same 2 minutes of Family Guy over & over because I cannot follow the plot.  But – like – a bite smaller than a Hershey Kiss off this devil’s poison fucked my whole world up from 8:30pm until early evening the next day.  And I slept 8 hours in the middle.  Actually – the beginning.  I swallowed that thing and hit my bed like a felled tree.  I was out in minutes.  But I woke up in the morning into a scene from Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas.  My phone mocked me.  My dogs seemed foreign.  I couldn’t even begin to think of driving.  So – I cooked all day.  But it was awful.  AWFUL!  I don’t know.  Some of my favorite people are degenerate potheads that “wake & bake” and use terms like Sour Diesel & crystals and whatever.  They smoke all friggin’ day & somehow function.  It all seems so innocent.  But pot today isn’t your 1970’s dad’s pot that you stole when you were 14 and smoked the whole joint.  Trust me.  That truffle would be what Michael Jackson would have progressed to when his propofol stopped working.  If he’d survived the propofol.  One silly, regrettable bite & I nearly had a lost weekend.

Other things went wildly wrong, too.  Personal loss (yadda yadda yadda) – and not of the belly fat variety.  I am attempting to distract myself from my own self-pity by fostering this gorgeous lady – Piglet! – who is meant to arrive at my house any minute.

She has very, very bad mange & it has rendered her bald.  Some mange dips & garlic washes will, we hope, restore her to a furry pup of whatever color she was born.  So – I am taking Piglet in – as a temporary stop – while her rescuer finds her a suitable forever home.  I am hoping she ratchets up my lagging sense of gratitude.

And  so – yes – the zucchini chips.  I made what you see from a single, though large, zucchini.  I also made it with egg wash though you could substitute milk with no issues.  They shrink down quite a bite – so – one big zuke did not go far.  Also – I had leftover Delta sauce from my Spicy Southern Fried Cauliflower and Delta Dipping Sauce with Smashed Baked Potatoes and White Gravy and Buffalo Mac & Cheese recipe

so I dipped these zucchini chips in it & it was pretty awesome.  I definitely recommend that you whip some up.

Spicy Baked Parmesan Zucchini Chips with Delta Dipping Sauce

INGREDIENTS

For the Delta dipping sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp lemon juice

1/8 cup vegetable oil

1/8 cup sambal oelek (or other chili sauce)

1/8 cup ketchup

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2-3 dashes hot pepper sauce (Tabasco or another brand)

1 garlic clove – minced

For the spicy baked zucchini chips

1 large zucchini – sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

2 eggs (or 1 cup milk)

5-10 shakes of your favorite hot sauce

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan (I used a microplane)

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS

For the Delta dipping sauce

Whisk the ingredients together & chill.

For the spicy baked zucchini chips

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Whisk the eggs (or milk) with hot sauce.

In a different bowl, mix the dry ingredients.  Coat a baking rack well with cooking spray & place that rack on a cookie sheet (or crumbs & mess will go everywhere).  Then dip each zucchini round in the wet mix & then the dry & place on the cooking rack.  Bake at 425 for about 30 minutes.

Commence to chow.