No Chop Chili - Vegan Version

No Chop Chili - Vegan Version with TVP

Top with with some Fritos corn chips... Yum!

I have been making a super simple chili that I call “No Chop Chili” for more than 10 years. The recipe is based on a “knock off recipe“ I found on the Internet; the chili is supposed to taste like the chili you get at Wendy’s Restaurants.  I made a few tweaks to the recipe and I just kept making it the same way over and over. Most of the times I have made this chili over the years, I made it with ground beef.  In the past few years, I’ve substituted ground turkey to make a lighter version.  This is a recipe I make for my husband at least once a month. The leftovers are great.

A number of months ago, I decided to switch to a vegan diet and my husband followed along a few months later.  He was craving the chili so we decided to make the chili with “Beyond Beef/Beyond Burger”, which is an item you might be able to find at your local grocery store.  Beyond Beef/Beyond Burger is a rather expensive item.  It’s a vegan meat substitute and is made from pea protein and other ingredients.  At my local store, it costs $9.99 for a one pound package.  When I make the No Chop Chili with the Beyond Beef/Beyond Burger, I make the chili following the original recipe, but I substitute half of the one pound package of Beyond Beef/Beyond in place of one pound of ground beef as described in the recipe (or I double the recipe and use the entire pound).  Here is the original No Chop Chili recipe which you could easily follow if you’d like to make the chili and substitute Beyond Beef/Beyond Burger (Click HERE for the original No Chop Chili recipe).  I like to make the recipe with just half the amount of Beyond Beef/Beyond Burger for two reasons: cost and taste.  My husband says a little of the Beyond Beef/Beyond Burger goes a long way. It does really give the chili a different flavor which he compares to the “flame grilled flavor” you might be able to imagine in some packaged foods.

My husband is very happy with the Beyond Beef/Beyond Burger version of the No Chop Chili.  Me? Not so much. I am not the biggest fan of the the “flame grilled flavor” and I also find the the smell and texture kind of weird. I am not knocking the Beyond Beef brand.  Like I said, my husband loves it.  I was hoping to make a vegan version of the No Chop Chili that was more like the chili I’ve been making for so long but I desired a different meat substitute.

I recently tried a new-to-me ingredient called Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP). I thought it might be good in this recipe, I tried it out, and I LOVE IT.  I’ve already made it two times in the last few weeks.

Here it is:


No Chop Chili - Vegan Version with TVP

1 cup Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP), I used Bob’s Red Mill Brand (See LINK)
2 1/2 cups water (divided)
1 beef style bouillon cube (I use a Not-beef Bouillon cube, Edward and Sons brand) See LINK
1 15−ounce can of dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 15−ounce can of pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
1 8−ounce can tomato sauce
1 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes, fire roasted if available (liquid included)
1 4−ounce can of diced green chilies
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder


1. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. I use a Pyrex measuring cup that is microwave safe to heat the water.  Dissolve the bouillon cube in the hot water; stir to combine.  Place the TVP in a medium sized bowl; pour the “beef” flavored broth over the TVP and set aside for about 10 minutes so that the TVP can absorb the liquid.
2. Add all of the remaining ingredients to a soup pot plus 1 cup of water.  Add the hydrated TVP to the pot including any liquid that was not absorbed by the TVP.  Stir to combine.
3. Cover the pot with a lid, bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.  Simmer covered for about 20 minutes (stirring occasionally).

The chili is good by itself.
It’s even better topped with some diced fresh onion (we use sweet onion).
Better yet... top the chili with diced fresh onion and some dairy-free cheddar style cheese (I like Daiya brand).
If you want to get a little decadent, place a handful of Frito brand corn chips in your chili (Yep! The original Frito corn chips just happen to be vegan!).  Pretty much any corn chip is good in the chili.  Of course, little oyster crackers or saltines are good in the chili as well.

Enjoy!

The BEST Vegetarian Chili Ever

THE BEST VEGETARIAN CHILI EVER

https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/best-vegetarian-chili-recipe/

I guess sometimes my posts are more like recipe reviews.  I have been trying lots and lots of new recipe lately. In fact, I have so many recipe that I want to try in the near future that sometimes I lose track of all the recipes.  When I saw this recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs (www.ambitiouskitchen.com) and I saw that the recipe freezes well, I decided to make the chili and then just freeze nearly all of it.  I enjoy all of the healthy cooking I do for myself, but sometimes there are just too many portions for just me to eat.  When my husband saw that this recipe has a “bunch of orange stuff in it”, I knew it would be up to me to eat all of this.  Lately I’ve had the idea to find more freezer friendly recipes and make big pots of soup and then freeze many of the portions so I can just enjoy a portion now and again instead of eating the same chili seven days in a row.  

So almost all of this chili went into the freezer but I had a little tiny bowl so I could see if it really is the Best Vegetarian Chili Ever.  It’s mighty tasty.  I really like it.  I regret that I did not let my chili simmer just a bit longer than I did.  Some of my carrot and sweet potato chunks were a bit larger than the rest and I would have liked for them to have cooked a bit longer.  I figure when I defrost a portion of this chili, I could simmer it on the stove top for awhile to soften up the vegetables a bit more.

Here is the recipe link for THE BEST VEGETARIAN CHILI EVER.

Baked Potato Topped with Mixed Veggies and Ranch Dressing

Baked Potato Topped with Mixed Veggies and Ranch Dressing

I have a fun sort of childhood memory about Ranch Salad Dressing. I don’t recall having Ranch Salad Dressing until I was at least 10 years old (I know that because we moved from California to Oregon when I was nine years old and I can remember my mom making Ranch Dressing in our new home).  My mom made the Ranch Salad Dressing with the dry packet mix and I think she had to add buttermilk and mayonnaise. She always made the dressing in a translucent green square-shaped Tupperware container so we called the dressing “Square Box Dressing” instead of Ranch Dressing.  That’s my funny story about Ranch Salad Dressing.

Sometimes I think I come up with some odd or unconventional ideas for meals and this is certainly an example. A few weeks ago, I started to make a vegan version of Ranch Salad Dressing.  The recipe can be found HERE on a blog called “Forks Over Knives”.   I decided to make a baked potato and I topped it with some mixed vegetables (from a bag of frozen), Ranch Salad Dressing, and hemp seeds.  Yep, sounds like an odd recipe and would you think I was even more odd if I told you I like this for breakfast?  It’s good!

So this is not much of a recipe but more of an idea for a ridiculously healthy, easy, and inexpensive plant-based meal.

BAKED POTATO TOPPED WITH MIXED VEGGIS AND RANCH DRESSING

Ingredients:

1 baked russet potato

About 3/4 cup cooked mixed vegetables

Vegan Ranch dressing *

Hemp seeds

* The Vegan Ranch Salad Dressing can be made with or without salsa which I discovered by accident (I forgot to add the salsa the first time I made the dressing... Oops!).  Above, you can see the dressing made without salsa which I prefer when topping baked potatoes.

I think you could really get creative with this meal idea.  Steamed broccoli and Ranch Dressing on a baked potato would be good.  I bet corn, black beans, diced avocado, and Ranch Dressing WITH Salsa would be another really good combination.  I bet I will come up with some other great combinations in the future. I’ll be sure to keep you posted!

Mexican Lasagna (Vegan)

Mexican Lasagna (Vegan)

It was my husband who gave me the idea to try out a vegan diet.  In October, I had my annual physical and my blood work showed my cholesterol is high.  I have been maintaining a weight loss of about 30 pounds so I was hopeful my cholesterol levels would be better with all the changes I’ve made in my diet, but that was not so.  It occurred to me that I was eating a lot of animal protein and, upon my request, my doctor gave me 90 days to see if I could make some changes and lower my cholesterol levels on my own.  My doctor suggested I may just have “bad genes” or that my high cholesterol is “hereditary”, but I’d like to see what I can do.  I’ve been eating a plant based diet since mid-November 2019.  

I think my husband was really surprised to see how much energy I have had while eating a plant based diet.  I have not been hungry or tired or gained weight; these were my fears.  Actually I have lost weight and am having a really easy time keeping my weight steady eating this way.  

My husband finally decided to try out a plant based diet with me.  This is nice because we are eating the same things (I am not cooking separate meals for him like I have been for a really long time).  If I was just cooking vegan dishes for myself, I would be eating a lot of Indian and Chinese inspired dishes.  Now that I am trying to find recipes my husband and I will both like, we are making lots of Mexican Inspired meals.  

Here is a fun recipe we tried out... Mexican Lasagna.  I pretty much followed the recipe with just a few exceptions.  I used a red and yellow bell pepper instead of red and green. I omitted the cashew cheese sauce as well as the cilantro and olives.  I added a few pickled jalapeño slices in my lasagna layers.  I also warmed the refried beans with a little bit of salsa to make the refried beans easier to spread.  Finally, in place of the fresh tomatoes, I substituted a can of drained fire roasted tomatoes. The flavors in this casserole are really good.  The texture is rather soft.  I am learning that many vegan foods are soft in texture.  For us, what made this dish super was good was all the toppings we added to our individual portions.  Here our suggestions:

Shredded iceberg lettuce
Chopped tomatoes

Diced avocado

Crushed tortilla chips (we used blue corn tortilla chips)

Sliced black olives

Pickled jalapeno slices

Spicy Ranch Dressing (see recipe HERE).  Note: this recipe is great made with or without salsa.

This recipe comes from a great blog called “Dianne’s Vegan Kitchen”.  Here is the recipe link:

https://www.diannesvegankitchen.com/mexican-lasagna-or-taco-pie/

Here is a photo of my Mexican Lasagna.  It’s not very attractive looking but our individual portions with gobs of toppings looked great and were mighty tasty.  It was nice to have this big casserole in the refrigerator for a few days of leftovers which were easy to reheat in the microwave oven.

Bowties & Beans (Easy Vegan Pasta Skillet)

BOWTIES AND BEANS

I am so excited to tell you about this recipe.  We’ve made a version of this recipe for years in my kitchen.  It started with a recipe called Skillet Lasagna which I believe was from a Better Crocker cookbook (some sort of fast and easy cookbook... my mom gave it to me... thanks, Mom!). The original recipe called for Italian pork sausage, bell pepper, onion, mushroom, dry pasta, mozzarella cheese, pasta sauce, water and spices. Over the years I got to the point where I could just throw things in the pot and it was always good.  We never added mushroom and we always added in extra spices and we always added some Parmesan cheese to each serving.  More recently, we’ve made the recipe with ground turkey and eliminated the mozzarella cheese to make the dish lower in fat.  

My husband recently decided to join me in eating an exclusively plant based diet (no food from any animal sources) and every recipe we have been gravitating toward has been Mexican-inspired. Mexican Lasagna, Black Bean and Potato Burritos, Taco Pizza, Tostadas... you get the idea.  While we both love Mexican-inspired dishes, you can have too much of a good thing.  I was getting to where I was craving something like spaghetti and meatballs. I have tried a number of vegan “burger” recipes in the past several weeks so I started to research vegan “meatball” recipes.  Despite my research, I was determined I was not going to find a recipe that would yield a nice firm meatball. I was even contemplating looking at the frozen vegan “meatballs” at the grocery store and maybe trying something like that. 

It suddenly occurred to me that I was just overthinking this.  We decided to make the Skillet Lasagna recipe and just add a can of beans and eliminate the meat.  So easy!  The end result was delicious and we both loved it.  We got adventurous and tried out some interesting toppings.  

You can see some of the toppings in the close up photos below. 

 We tried topping the pasta with hemp seeds.  Result: delicious!  

We also tried a topping that I made in my blender:  Vegan Parmesan cheese (bread crumbs, sliced almonds, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder).  Result: also delicious!  

The toppings are optional but I like them both.  The toppings are a great way to add some additional vitamins and protein to the dish.

Lots of great spices from the spice rack.

Okay, here is the recipe:

Bowties & Beans (Easy Vegan Pasta Skillet)

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion (I used a sweet onion), diced

1 medium bell pepper (any color; I used red), diced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

3/4 teaspoon salt (I used kosher salt)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Several grinds of black pepper

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar (optional)

3 cups of pasta (I used Barilla brand Mini Farfalle “bowties”).  May substitute 8 to 9 ounces of a different shape small pasta such as small shells or penne pasta.

1 jar (24 ounces) of pasta sauce (I used Barilla brand Tomato Basil sauce)

24 ounces of water (fill the pasta sauce jar with water)

1 can (15.5 ounce) cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained (May substitute any bean such as dark red kidney bean or garbanzo bean, but I liked the creaminess of the cannellini beans.  Next time we make this, we might add in two cans of beans instead of just one.

Heat a large pot over medium to medium to medium high heat; add in 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil.  Once the oil is hot, add in the bell pepper and onion.  Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 to 5 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften.  Add in all the spices (oregano through sugar).  Stir to coat the vegetables with the spices and cook an additional minute.

Next add in the remaining ingredients (pasta, pasta sauce, water, and beans). Stir to combine and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The cooking time will vary depending upon which type of pasta you use so I recommend checking your pasta at about 15 minutes for desired tenderness.  I live at high altitude so pasta takes a bit longer to cook here.

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:

HEMP SEEDS: I recommend giving them a try.

VEGAN PARMESAN CHEESE:

In a blender or food processor, combine 1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko bread crumbs), 1/4 cup sliced raw almonds, 1/8 cup nutritional yeast, and a pinch of garlic powder.  Pulse in the blender or food processor until the almonds are pulverized.  Sprinkle over pasta dish.

TOP WITH SOME GREENS:

I did not try it today but I’ve been at Italian restaurants where my pasta dish was served with a handful of raw arugula on top.  I think that would be a great addition to this pasta recipe.  Also, one could easily stir a few handfuls of raw spinach in to this pasta recipe when the pasta is cooked through.  My husband would not go for that, but I would like that.  

If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to hear about it.  

Lots of leftovers. Love that!

Here’s a close up of the pasta dish with some of the Vegan Parmesan Cheese (above).

Mmm! Simmering on the stove top (above).

Here is a sample plate where we were trying out the toppings (hemp seeds on the left and Vegan Parmesan Cheese on the right).

Very Frugal Vegan Not Chicken Noodle Soup

Very Frugal Vegan Not Chicken Noodle Soup

Since switching to a plant based diet, I have joined some Facebook Groups related to plant based cooking. One group is called “Plant Based on a Budget Support Group”; the group is hosted by Toni Okamoto.  She is a cookbook author among other things and one of her cookbooks is called “Plant Based on a Budget”.  The other day, I was watching one of Toni’s YouTube Videos. She showed what she ate in a day and she showed that the ingredients in her meals were all from the Dollar Tree store.  I recall she made a smoothie with frozen fruit and almond milk, a brown rice stir fry with frozen vegetables, and a veggie burger with more rice and veggies on the side.  I’ve been known to purchase some frozen fruit and veggies at my local dollar store as well.

The other day when I was shopping at my local Kroger store, I found some bargains and I made up a quick and easy soup.  This meal really hit the spot since I’ve been suffering from a nasty head cold for a week now.  There’s nothing like a nice hot and steamy bowl of brothy soup when you have an icky cold.  This recipe makes a really big bowl of soup which can be easily be made into two smaller portions if desired.  My calculations reveal this recipe (one big bowl of soup) contains about 10 grams of protein.  

The vermicelli I purchased for this soup cost 29 cents.  The frozen veggies were $1.00.  The vegan “chicken” bouillon cost a few dollars but it’s actually quite economical because the eight bouillon cubes in the package make a total of 16 cups of broth.  

Very Frugal Vegan Not Chicken Noodle Soup

2 cups of water

1 bouillon cube (I used Not Chick-N brand)

1/2 cup (55 grams) vermicelli

I cup of frozen mixed vegetables (thawed)

Option: garnish with a dash of fresh or dried parsley.

In a small pot, bring the water to a boil. Add in the bouillon cube and stir until dissolved.  Add in the vermicelli, reduce heat, and simmer until noodles are desired tenderness (my package directions specified the noodles should be cooked for 5 to 7 minutes).  Add in the mixed vegetables and cook another minute so that the vegetables are warmed through.  If desired, garnish soup with a sprinkle of fresh or dried parsley.  

Lentil Sloppy Joes (Vegan)

Lentil Sloppy Joes (Vegan)

My husband keeps joking with me that I decided to switch to a plant based diet so that I could experiment with new ingredients and try a bunch of new recipes.  There might be some truth to that. I am having a lot of fun trying new dishes.  

This week I’ve been enjoying Sloppy Joes made with lentils.  This recipe is making a lot of meals for me. I probably could have frozen some of the portions.  The recipe does have a rather long list of ingredients but I have a well stocked pantry. I have been enjoying my lentil Sloppy Joes over toast (open faced sandwiches) and in baked potatoes.  It’s a nice change of pace from many other meals I’ve been enjoying.  

I found the Vegan Lentil Sloppy Joe recipe on www.Food52.com. The recipe link is HERE.

Vegan Lentil Sloppy Joes

Ingredients 

• 1 cup brown or green lentils, soaked for a few hours (or overnight) and rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup white or yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped (about 3/4 to 1 cup)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder, dried
• 1 15-ounce can crushed, fire-roasted tomatoes 
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon organic brown sugar or maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (adjust according to taste; how much is needed will also depend on the tomatoes and tomato paste you use)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth (or more as needed)
• 6 sprouted grain buns (also good on toast or in a baked potato)
• Instructions

1. 
   Place lentils in a large pot, and cover with water (enough so that there's at least a full inch or two of water above the lentils). Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the lentils are chewable, but still have some firmness to them. Drain them and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the onion is soft and clear, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, chili, paprika, and mustard, and continue cooking for another minute or two, until the garlic is quite fragrant. 
3. Add the lentils, fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar or maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Add more broth as needed. Simmer until the mixture has thickened to your liking, about 15 to 20 minutes (I like thick sloppy joes, but if you like 'em sloppier, that's fine, too!). 
4. Remove mixture from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Divide sloppy joes onto the buns and top with toppings of choice, including some Tabasco or sriracha for heat, if desired. Serve.

In some of the photos, you can see a creamy looking sauce on top of the Sloppy Joes.  This is a cashew cream concoction and it is one of our new favorite things.  Spicy Ranch Dressing from “Forks Over Knives”. Here is the Spicy Ranch Dressing recipe LINK.

One Pot Pumpkin Black Bean Soup (Vegan)

One Pot Pumpkin Black Bean Soup (Vegan)

My lovely friend, Harriet, had me over for lunch the other day and she made this amazing soup.  So many complex flavors, so creamy, so healthy!

The recipe comes from a blog called "Minimalist Baker".  As written, the recipe is not vegan/vegetarian, but it is easily adaptable.  Just leave out the chicken and use vegetable broth. Easy peasy, right?  I made a number of changes to the recipe so I am providing the original recipe link and my version below.  I added extra ginger and extra pumpkin puree. I substituted Rotel in place of fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies (I could not find that at the grocery store).  The original recipe calls for 1 to 2 cups of broth and I did not want any leftovers, so I used an entire can which is about 1 3/4 cups broth.  In my soup I used full fat coconut milk which made my soup very rich. The original recipe calls for lite canned coconut milk, so either can be used. I did not top my soup with cilantro but I must say that fresh lime juice in this soup is really great; I think it helps cut the fattiness of the coconut milk. I did not add my lime juice to the soup; I am enjoying each bowl of reheated soup with a fresh squeeze of lime juice.  Yum!

One Pot Pumpkin Black Bean Soup 

Original Recipe link here:  

https://minimalistbaker.com/1-pot-pumpkin-black-bean-soup/

Ingredients

• 2 tsp avocado oil 
• 1 ½ cups diced white or yellow onion (I used 1 sweet onion)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 heaping tablespoon of finely minced fresh ginger root 
• 1 medium jalapeño, minced (seeds and stem removed)
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled, diced 
• 1 10-oz can Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chilies) 
• 1 14-oz can vegetable broth
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder 
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander 
• 1 14-oz can Thai Kitchen brand coconut milk, full fat (very rich... may substitute lite canned coconut milk) 
• 1 15-oz can pumpkin pureé  
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 2-3 Tbsp lime juice
• Sea salt to taste
• 3 cups chopped greens (I used about 4 ounces of baby spinach) 

 Instructions

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and onion and sauté until translucent — about 4-5 minutes — stirring occasionally.
2. Add minced garlic, ginger, and jalapeño and continue cooking for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add diced sweet potato and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, broth, cumin, chili powder, and coriander, and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until sweet potatoes are tender (about 5-10 minutes).
4. Add coconut milk, pumpkin purée, drained black beans. Cover, return to a simmer, and cook for 5-10 minutes to allow flavors to develop.
5. Stir in chopped greens (optional), cover, and cook on low until wilted (about 3-5 minutes).
6. Squeeze a wedge of fresh lime into each bowl of soup.

Happy New Year: Amazing Black Eyed Peas

Amazing Black Eyed Peas

I was not until I was an adult that I learned that black eyed peas are a New Years Day tradition for many folks.  I don't think I ever ate black eyed peas as a kid and I can't say I've ever cooked them in my home as an adult.  Not too long ago, my friend Harriet had me over for lunch. She was copying some recipes for me and I noticed a black eyed pea recipe in her recipe book. The recipe called for just three ingredients... black eyed peas, nutritional yeast, and Ume Plum Vinegar.  I had actually just purchased a can of black eyed peas and I had nutritional yeast on hand, so I just needed the vinegar. I found it this week at Natural Grocers/Vitamin Cottage.

The recipe as written calls for one pound of dried black eyed peas.  You cook the black eyed peas in a pressure cooker or on the stove top until tender.  To the cooked peas, you two tablespoons of nutritional yeast and two tablespoons of the Ume Plum Vinegar.  Since I was using canned black eyed peas, I just reduced the amount.

The Ume Plum Vinegar has a very surprising taste. The color is a beautiful vibrant purple and I was just sort of expecting it to have a fruity, vinegar taste.  Instead, the combination of the nutritional yeast and the plum vinegar had a rich, savory, salty flavor.  I recommend not adding any additional salt to your dish; I just don't think it's necessary.  The first time I had the black eyed peas, I had it with some left over tofu.  The second time I had the black eyed peas, I had it as you see in the photo above with steamed green beans, cooked barley, and more leftover tofu. I decided these delicious black eyed peas would be great in a Grain Bowl such as this because the sauce would season all the ingredients nicely.  I loved this combination.

Amazing Black Eyed Peas

1 (15.5 ounce can) black eyed peas, rinsed and drained

about 3 tablespoons water

1 heaping teaspoon nutritional yeast

1 heaping teaspoon Ume Plum Vinegar 

Add the black eyed peas and about 3 tablespoons of water to a small pot.  Cover with a lid and bring to a boil to heat the beans through.  Add in the nutritional yeast and Ume Plum Vinegar, cover with a lid and simmer for a few minutes. Enjoy!

I feel nutritional yeast and the plum vinegar both have very strong flavors. I recommending starting with the measurements noted above and add more if desired (up to 2 teaspoons of each). 

Happy New Year!

Slow Cooker Curry with Chicken and Potatoes

Slow Cooker Curry with Chicken & Potatoes

I cannot believe how seriously easy this recipe was.  I found this recipe on a blog I used to follow years ago.  The blog name is www.365daysofcrockpot.com 

The recipe is called Slow Cooker Yellow Chicken Curry and I had it in my slow cooker (Crock Pot) in just minutes.  It's not the most attractive dish in my photos, but the flavors are great!  

Since I am currently on Week 3 of a Whole30 Challenge, I left out the brown sugar.  In my recipe, I used little fingerling potatoes, which worked out great.  I just cut the larger potatoes into a few pieces so that all potato bits were similar in size. I did not have any cilantro or lime juice so I left that out and it was still very flavorful.  I served my yellow chicken curry over steamed green beans which was a surprisingly good combination.  Here is the recipe from www.365daysofcrockpot.com

YELLOW CHICKEN CURRY

Scale

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced or 2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
• 1 lb yellow potatoes (about 3–4 medium potatoes), cubed (I left the skins on)
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 (13.5 oz) can full fat coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 lime, juiced–optional
• Cilantro, for garnish

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Instructions

1. In your 4-6 quart slow cooker place the onions, potatoes and chicken.
2. In a bowl, stir together the coconut milk, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, turmeric, curry powder, coriander seed, salt and red pepper. Whisk until combined. Pour the mixture over the contents of the slow cooker.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours (some slow cookers may take only 3 hours). Test potatoes for tenderness.
4. Gently stir. Stir in the lime juice, if desired. Add in more turmeric and curry powder and salt to taste.
5. Serve curry with cilantro over rice, if desired.

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Notes

I used my 6 quart slow cooker for this recipe.

Click here for the INSTANT POT version of this recipe.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @365dayscrockpot on Instagram

Find it online: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/slow-cooker-yellow-chicken-curry/

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