Tasty Three Bean Seitan Chili
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 oz. package of vegan seitan finely diced
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce and 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
salt and pepper
Lightly brown the seitan in a separate pan.
Saute onions and bell peppers in a pot until onions become a translucent gold color.
Add garlic and jalapenos to pot and cook 1-2 minutes.
Combine lightly browned seitan and remaining ingredients into pot. Cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
This recipe got my bean-hating bf to eat beans! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Slowly, day by day, unbeknown to him, he's becoming more and more vegetarian (and hopefully one day, vegan). I really needed to use up some gluten-free seitan I made (recipe here: http://www.asparagusthin.com/2008/11/gluten-free-gluten.html) because I made it too dry. *Weeps* Why did I have to discover I have a wheat and soy intolerance!? WHY CRUEL WORLD! Now my undying love for tofu will be forever unrequited!
Anywhoooooo, My seitan went fabulously in this recipe, some of it disintegrated and made the chili even thicker, but I'm not complaining. For beans I soaked and used up some of the navy beans and black-eyed peas that I'm sure have been in my cupboard for about a year and a half (I swear, I've moved with those beans 3 times) which is good because my picky-eater hasn't acquired a taste for the red or black beans yet, and I love all beans the same (with an exception for an obsession with chickpeas and fava beans. Except I have this weird reaction to fava beans, they make me go super-hyper-crazy-weird - does this happen to anyone else?).
Of course, a garlic fiend as well I added an entire bulb of garlic, as well as a can of chipolte peppers in adobo sauce, and skipped the maple syrup as I'm not such a fan of spicy-sweet things. I souped it up with a couple dashes of mega-death hot sauce as well. Yuuumm! Thanks for the recipe! ;)b
Hi Chana,
I'm glad you and your family enjoyed this recipe. Since experimenting with chili recipes I've learned that I also use lots more chili pepper and cayenne pepper too. The recipe is a great foundation for any chili - I like to sub out the seitan for a diced yam or a cup of butternut squash.
Hi,
I just noticed that I only have one teaspoon of chili powder - it should be 1 tablespoon of chili powder.
Also, instead of the seitan try 1/4 cup of barley.
I found this recipe many months ago when I first married my vegetarian husband and was desperate to obtain some recipes that would satisfy us both. This is one of the most excellent chili recipes I have ever made. It is full of super-healthy vegetables, which is awesome because my hubby is one of these strange vegetarians who doesn't really like veggies. Also, seitan is the perfect meat substitute for this dish -- I served my down-home, Texan cowboy father a bowl of this, and he absolutely raved over it (even said it was "larrupin'").
We really like our dishes spicy, so I always add twice as much chili powder and extra jalepenos. If you use pickled jalepeno slices, you can even pour in some of the juice for an extra "kick." I am also a garlic-aholic, so I typically throw in at least 5 or 6 cloves -- sometimes a whole head!