Smoky Vegan Chili Food

SMOKY VEGAN CHILI

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in hot oil until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir burger crumbles and browning sauce with the onion until onion and crumbles are coated with sauce; add stewed tomatoes, vegetable broth, chili beans, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chipotle chili, and salt.
• Bring mixture to a low boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the tomatoes and beans are softened, 15 to 20 minutes.

SMOKY VEGETARIAN CHILI

Steps:

• Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add scallions, celery, red pepper and garlic, and cook until softened, about 8-10 minutes.
• Stir in tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, salt and chipotle, and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add beans, corn and vegetable broth, and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes.

VEGAN CHILI

Steps:

• Make the chile paste: Add all the dried chiles to a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until slightly darkened and giving off an intense roasted aroma, 2 to 5 minutes. Turn down the heat if they begin to smoke. Add 1 cup water; it should immediately boil. Reduce heat so water barely simmers, and cook until chiles have softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer the chiles and liquid to a blender and blend at high speed, scraping down sides as necessary, until a completely smooth purée is formed, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Prepare the chili: Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the vegan ground meat and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until fat has mostly rendered and it is starting to sizzle rather than steam, about 10 minutes. (I don't mind leaving the rendered fat in the chili. It homogenizes as the chili reduces, so the end result should not be greasy. However, you can drain the mixture at this point if you prefer less fat in the finished chili.)
• Add the onion, garlic, oregano and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened, about 2 minutes. Add the chipotles, cumin and reserved chile paste, and cook, stirring frequently, until the paste reduces to the point that it starts to sizzle and fry, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently until homogenous, about 1 minute.
• Add chopped canned tomatoes and scrape up any brown bits that have stuck to the pan. Add kidney beans, soy sauce and 1 cup water, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors have developed and chili is thickened to desired consistency, about 30 minutes. Stir in vinegar and liquor, if using. Adjust texture by adding water, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with whatever garnishes you like.

SMOKY VEGGIE CHILI

Steps:

• Set a medium stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. (Don't use a nonstick pot.) Dice onion, and add it to the dry pot. Stir continuously until the onion begins to turn translucent, browns slightly, and begins to stick. Add 1/2 cup vegetable stock, to deglaze the onions.
• Meanwhile, dice the sweet potato and set it aside. To the onions, add ground cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and chopped chipotle chile. Add diced sweet potato and remaining 2 cups of vegetable stock. Simmer over medium heat until the sweet potatoes begin to soften, about 6-8 minutes.
• While the sweet potatoes are cooking, dice the zucchini and mushrooms. Crush the canned tomatoes by hand, and add them to the pot.
• Add diced veggies. Rinse the canned beans, then add them to the pot. Season chili with salt to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are slightly tender, about 20 minutes. Coarsely chop kale and cilantro, and add to the pot.
• Serve hot, garnished with an optional dollop of dairy-free sour cream, sliced avocado, and chopped scallions.