<p>I woke up to cold today and am throwing together a pot of chile without meat, that seems like it needs the meat! All great meatless chile recipes welcome.</p>
<p>Funny you should start this topic, I perused vegetarian chili recipes yesterday and i’m going to make Gold Rush Chili today, made with butternut squash. My daughter, who is also a vegetarian will be coming home tiday for a 2 day visit. I will post the recipe as soon as I have had my morning “coffee”.</p>
<p>I don’t make our veggie version of chili from scratch because we found a great little mix in the health food section of our supermarket. It’s made by Fantastic World Foods and it is their Hearty Vegetarian Chili in a box which consists of textured vegetable flour and spices, you just add the beans and tomatoes. Delicious! But from scratch I would imagine you could just add the textured protein instead of the meat? Enjoy :)</p>
<p>Gold Rush Chili (from Fatfreevegan.com). </p>
<p>I used a canned, organic blend of pinto, kidney, and black beans, but you can use any kind of beans you like in this mild but richly flavored chili. If youre using home-cooked beans, use about 3 cups.</p>
<p>This makes a very thick chili. Cook over low heat and try not to add any extra water unless absolutely necessary.</p>
<p>1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon mild chili powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
1/8-1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or to taste)
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 15-ounce cans beans (see note above), drained
3 green onion, sliced (for garnish)</p>
<p>Prepare the butternut squash (see discussion above), and set it aside. Heat a large, non-stick pot over medium-high heat, and add the onion and bell pepper. Sauté until the onion is translucent and the pepper is soft, about 7-9 minutes. (You may add a little water to prevent sticking.) Add the garlic and sauté for 2 more minutes.</p>
<p>Add all the seasonings, and stir well to coat the vegetables. Stir in the tomatoes (and their juice), water, squash, salt, and pepper. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.</p>
<p>Add the beans, and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Cover and cook until the squash is tender but not falling apart (about 40 minutes). Serve in bowls, garnished with green onions.</p>
<p>Makes 6 servings. Each contains 284 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (3% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 64g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 825mg Sodium; 12g Fiber.</p>
<p>My husband ate the can of black olives last night I really wanted for this chile.</p>
<p>So far my chile has:</p>
<p>Tomato sauce
Garlic
Yellow Onion
Green Onion
Kidney Beans
Canned Corn
Chopped Red Bell Pepper
Chopped Green Bell Pepper
Bay
Oregano
Chile Pepper
Fennel Seeds
Cardamom
Sliced mushrooms</p>
<p>That sounds great. I think I’ll throw in a butternut squash, since I have one in the house, and a can of black beans, too.</p>
<p>Try adding barley in place of the meat. It gives it more texture.</p>
<p>I make what I call “cheater’s chili”. I soak black beans overnight; I chop and brown onions and peppers (both sweet and hot peppers); I add store-bought salsa in generous quantities; I drain the beans and add the beans to the mixture and cook until the beans are tender. After it’s cooked I might need to add some more chili powder, depending on my mood. (It’s not always vegetarian; sometimes I add ground beef or ground turkey.)</p>
<p>(I really don’t like the texture of canned beans. I don’t find it that hard to soak beans overnight. In a pinch, you can simmer them for an hour.)</p>
<p>If you have a Whole Foods nearby, you can buy TVP (textured veggie protein) in the bulk aisle and it is very inexpensive. I put 1/2 cup into a stock pot with 1 28 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes, chopped peppers, onions, garlic, the Whole Foods chile mix or whatever spices you like, and then I add a can of beer–a cheap pale ale like Bud is best, actually! Another thing that will really perk it up and make you not miss the meat is adding a small amount of chipotle pepper powder–it adds spice and smokiness. I’ve made this same recipe with a bean medley (black, pinto, red kidney) and no tvp and was also good, but I like the texture of tvp.</p>
<p>All these recipes are perfect. Thanks.</p>
<p>Milkandsugar, that looks like a terrific recipe. Thanks for posting it! :)</p>
<p>Just had one yesterday that had zucchini and yellow squash in it, too. The squash was obviously added near the end since it was still nice and fresh firm.</p>
<p>I use a recipe that is almost identical to the one posted by milkandsugar, the only difference is I use 1 1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes. I sometimes use 14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes. At the end, I add a mango that has been peeled and cubed and a garnish of fresh cilantro instead of spring onions. </p>
<p>Taste great with cornbread.</p>
<p>Ooo, the mango idea sounds good!
An alternative to cornbread, is to serve it with creamy polenta!</p>
<p>These vegetarian black bean chili recipes are favorites with my family: [Vegetarian</a> Black Bean Chili with Orange and Cumin Recipe at Epicurious.com](<a href=“http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Vegetarian-Black-Bean-Chili-with-Orange-and-Cumin-351017]Vegetarian”>http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Vegetarian-Black-Bean-Chili-with-Orange-and-Cumin-351017)</p>
<p>[Vegetarian</a> Black Bean Chili Recipe at Epicurious.com](<a href=“http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Vegetarian-Black-Bean-Chili-230632]Vegetarian”>http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Vegetarian-Black-Bean-Chili-230632)</p>
<p>I usually just add tvp in place of meat and it tastes very good. I do use a cheater for the spices. I buy this stuff at the grocery store [Carroll</a> Shelby’s Original Texas Chili Kit, 4-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12): Amazon.com: Grocery & Gourmet Food](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Carroll-Shelbys-Original-Texas-4-Ounce/dp/B000H23Z1C/ref=pd_sim_gro1]Carroll”>http://www.amazon.com/Carroll-Shelbys-Original-Texas-4-Ounce/dp/B000H23Z1C/ref=pd_sim_gro1) </p>
<p>My daughter doesn’t eat meat and one of my son’s doesn’t eat beef so I usually make vegetarian or chicken chili. My two unique ingredients are corn and mushrooms and I try to use at least three different kinds of beans to make it interesting. The corn adds a nice bit of color. I don’t measure anything.</p>
<p>Must have shredded extra-sharp cheddar for topping and trader joe’s cornbread for a side.</p>
<p>One of the very best vegetarian cookbooks is</p>
<p>[Recipes</a> for the Vegetarian Slow Cooker](<a href=“http://www.globalvegankitchen.com/FVSC_Main.html]Recipes”>http://www.globalvegankitchen.com/FVSC_Main.html)</p>
<p>These recipes are so easy and so good!</p>
<p>I have been making this recipe from Cooking Light Magazine for years and years:</p>
<p>Red, Gold, Black & Green Chili</p>
<p>1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (or 2 small cans of Mexican spiced diced tomatoes)
1/2 C Bulgur
2 T olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2-3 tsp bottled hot sauce
2 green sweet peppers, chopped
1 can corn (or 2C fresh or frozen)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained</p>
<p>Serve topped with fat free sour cream and/or shredded Mexican mix cheese and/or salsa
and/or fresh cilantro (optional) and/or tortilla chips.</p>
<p>Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice. Place bulgur, 1 C of the tomato juice, and 1/2 C hot water into a small saucepan. Cover and bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer x 10 minutes.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, saute oil, onion, and garlic until onions are tender. Add cumin, chili powder, and hot pepper sauce, green peppers, tomatoes, corn, beans and bulgur in its liquid. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or more for flavors to blend. </p>
<p>Makes 6 servings. </p>
<p>Variations: can also add yellow pepper. diced carrot, diced zucchini.</p>
<p>This stuff is so good, and even my carnivorous husband usually prefers it to chili with meat. It’s good cold the next day too.</p>
<p>Thanks for the recipe, milkandsugar! I’m so glad I spotted this thread this morning. I made your chili and it’s yummy. Also quite flexible, since I made some adjustments based on what I had in the house. I used a buttercup squash (rather than butternut) that seemed large so I doubled the recipe; added some diced carrots (should have sauteed these with the onions, as they took a long time to soften); added smoked paprika; used one can each of black, kidney, pinto and great northern beans; and threw in some frozen petite corn at the very end. With the bright orange carrot and the yellow corn plus all the different beans it is a very pretty dish.</p>
<p>I’ve been making this recipe since I came across it last year. I usually omit the veggie burger crumbles and add extra beans and mushrooms. We all love it.
[The</a> Best Vegetarian Chili in the World Recipe - Allrecipes.com](<a href=“http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/the-best-vegetarian-chili-in-the-world/detail.aspx]The”>http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/the-best-vegetarian-chili-in-the-world/detail.aspx)</p>