We have a rule around our house that says that whoever gets home first has to make dinner. So, yeah, if you manage to dodge traffic and get home at a decent hour, you get punished. It's all good, though. We don't cook any of the same things, so it adds a little variety to life.
This is one of the husband's specialities. To be honest, it was like pulling teeth to get him to fess up as to what is in it. Apparently, he likes having secret recipes. To that I say TOO BAD. Half the fun of finding good foods is sharing them with friends.
I don't know where this recipe first originated, but the husband adapted it to make it vegetarian. While he does eat meat, he's pretty health-conscious. The substitutions cut out a ton of calories and manage to do so without cutting out any taste. Or so he says. I wouldn't know because I only like chili this way.
Easy Vegetarian Chili
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 package Morningstar Meal Starters Grillers Crumbles or 1 package Boca Ground Crumbles
2 6-oz cans tomato sauce
1 package chili seasoning
1 can beans (Any will do--kidney, white, black, whatever)
(That's the "basic" ingredients. Depending on what we have sitting around, this often gets embellished. Potential additions include an extra can or two of beans (the photos show kidney beans and garbanzo beans), hot sauce, zucchini, tomatoes, corn, etc.)
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the red pepper and onion and sauté until softened. Add the Crumbles and cook until lightly browned.
Add the tomato sauce, chili powder, and beans. Cover the skillet and allow to simmer until heated all the way through.
Tah-dah! No. Seriously. You're done. You can embellish if you'd like, but that's the basic idea.
We serve it with a bit of cheddar cheese and some crackers most of the time, but the same vegetarian chili also gets used when we have chili dogs. It's versatile, n'at.
Also, it's a hit with the short person. She invaded my "photo shoot" because she wanted to start eating it IMMEDIATELY.
I'll admit, it's pretty good.
Especially since I'm not the one who makes it.