Tuesday Choupi

Last night proved to be a fun one in the kitchen. I've mentioned it before, but Tuesdays often end up being a soup day. Making something you can have over the next few days. This one ended up being spur of the moment, spontaneous if you will. I'm calling it the Tuesday Choupi. Choupi, being a cross between a chili and a soup. Its hearty like a chili, but not quite all there to put it in such a category. I was tossing in things left and right. "Oh, I have a few potatoes!" & "Lets put in carrots!!" may have been things I said. This dish has some kick to it, so feel free to modify the spice down to your liking. It makes a ton! My pot was simmering to the brim with this concoction. And not gonna lie, it turned out awesome. Once again, when Al came home, he inhaled a huge portion. Gotta love him.

TIP:
I am constantly using chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in my dishes. Not wanting the to waste a whole can, try this out for size. Take the whole can when you first need it and throw it in a food processor, process until nice and smooth. Use what you need the first time, and then put the rest in a ziplock baggie, place in the freezer. It makes it so easy to then, when you need it, break off a chunk and use! An extra step the first time around and a super time saver all subsequent times!

INGREDIENTS:
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 bell pepper, chopped
salt and pepper
2 tbls chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, food processed
2 tbls ground cumin
1 tbls ground corriander
1 tbls chili powder
1 teas oregano
1 4 oz can diced jalapenos
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
water(refill the tomato can with water, dump in...twice)
4 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cans of white beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup bulgur

*In a LARGE pot, heat a bit of olive oil over medium-high. Add in the onion and garlic, sweat out for 3 or 4 mins. Throw in the carrot and bell pepper, throw in some s&p and cook until the veggies are tender. Sprinkle on all the seasonings and the chipotle peppers as well as the diced jalapenos. Work together so everything is covered in spicy goodness.
*Pour in the can of diced tomatoes in their juices. Refill the empty can with water, pour in and do it one more time. Adding in a total of 2 cans of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add in the potatoes and let it boil for 5 min and then reduce heat to a solid simmer, place the cover over the pot, tilted.
*Add in the beans and continue to simmer for about 10 mins, again mostly covered. Then add in the bulger. Simmer for another 10 min with the cover fully on, check to see if the bulger and potatoes are done. As soon as they are...serve!

Chunky Chili

I want to start out with a confession. I am sad to say the vegan diet was broke a meal short of a full week. ::sigh:: We ended up eating with family yesterday and we ended up eating....chinese. I can't bat an eye at mongolian beef without desiring all of its saucy-ness. Unashamed we dined and chatted and enjoyed ourselves. Really enjoyed ourselves, and by that I mean went back for seconds. Uffda, now that that's off my chest I can move on.

To tonights main dish, er just dish. Chili! And since the above mentioned relapse happened, I thought it appropriate to jump back in with an "almost" vegan dinner. You're probably thinking....its either vegan, or its not. This would fall under the category of vegetarian not vegan simply because the meat crumbles that I used are alas, not vegan. They contain egg product.......or something, and milk too I believe. Anyways, I just about doubled this recipe by adding in more beans and veggies and tomatoes because left over chili is as good as just made chili-if not better. So this makes a TON of chili. For reals. We found this recipe to be absolutely terrific and enjoyed every bite of our obscenely large bowls.

 INGREDIENTS:
1 tbls olive oil
3 onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
12 oz of vegan/vegetarian burger crumbles
1 tbls chili powder
2 tbls cumin
2 teas cayenne
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 cans (28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups corn
2 cans of kidney beans
1 can of black beans
1 can of large butter beans
3/4 cup medium-grind bulger
salt and pepper

*Heat oil in a large pot, over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, crumbles, chili powder, cumin and cayenne. Cook for about 5 min until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the bell peppers and jalapeno and work that together for a minute. Then add in the tomatoes with their liquids and water. Bring it to a boil and then add the corn, beans, and bulger. Dropped the heat down to medium-low and cook uncovered for about 15-20 min. Season, if desired with s&p.