Vegan Chili

A sure crowd pleaser and decievingly simple to make!  Don't be scared off by the list of ingredients.  If you use a slow cooker, there are only three simple steps: 1. wash & chop veggies 2. open cans 3. throw everything in the slow cooker and leave to cook for 2-3 hours.  Voila!  Beautiful, delicious, and nutricious chili!  I was a bit unsure because this is my first attempt to make a veggie chili, but I'm pretty stoked by the outcome =D  I read about a dozen recipes and came up with this..

All of the following ingredients can be omitted or added depending on your own personal taste preference, you're the cook! =)

Ingredients:
1   Tablespoon Cooking oil
2   Carrots, diced
1   Onion, diced
3   Cloves of garlic, minced
2   Red Bell Peppers, diced
1   Green Bell Pepper, diced
1   Anaheim Chili, diced
2   Jalapeno Chilis, take the seeds out with latex gloves or with plastic wrap to avoid the ultimate "finger sting", dice and remember to wash everything (the knife, your hands, and cutting board).
2   Cups of Baby Bella Mushrooms, chopped
1   Zucchini or Italian Squash, diced
1   15oz Can of Whole Kernel Sweet Corn, drained (you can opt to use fresh corn if its in season)
1   15oz Can of Black Beans, drained
1   15oz Can of Pinto Beans, drained
(you can use regular beans by soaking and cooking the beans beforehand)
1   28oz Can of Peeled Tomatoes (No Salt Added)
(you can use fresh Roma tomatoes. Cut crosses at the bottom of the tomatoes, boil a pot of salted water and blanche the tomatoes then drain and put tomatoes in an ice bath, the skins should come off easily after that.  Peel and roughly chop.)
2-4 Cups of Vegetable stock
1   Tablespoon of Chili Powder
1   Tablespoon of Cumin
1   Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
2   Tablespoons of Dried Basil
2   Tablespoons of Dried Oregeno
***Secret Weapon: 1 Teaspoon of 5 Spice Powder***
Salt and pepper to taste
When serving, top each bowl with a dollop of sour cream, chopped cilantro or chives, shredded cheddar cheese and diced avocado.
(I added a few pieces of beef sausage for the meat eaters and a poached egg for breakfast)

Instructions:
When using a slow cooker...just follow the steps outlined in the intro above.

When using a pot...heat on the stove over medium high and add cooking oil.  Add the carrots, onion, and garlic.  Cook for a few minutes then add the pepper and chilis.  Cook for another few minutes then add the mushrooms and zucchini.  Cook for another few minutes then add the corn and beans and tomatoes followed by all the seasoning.  Stir and cook for a few minutes then add the vegetable stock until it covers all the veggies by over an inch.  Bring to boil and reduce to simmer, cover simmer over low heat for 2 hours.

When using a Thermal Insulated Cooking Pot (a.k.a. the "Magic Cooker")...follow all the same above instruction when using a pot except you use the "Magic Cooker" pot and simmer only 10 minutes on the stove then take the pot and place in "Magic Cooker", seal and forget about it for 3 hours.  I chose to use a "Magic Cooker" and it is my preference for slow cooking because it doesn't need any electricity and the food is essentially cooking by its own heat, genius!

Stir-Fry Bok Choy & Mushrooms

Stir Fry Bok Choy & Mushrooms

Ingredients:

A Few Bunches of Bok Choy

A Few Ounces of Mushroom (I used King Oyster here, but you can use almost any other meaty mushroom like Shitake or Portebello sliced)

2-3            Cloves of Garlic

Salt & Pepper

• When stir-frying any veggie dish, you generally want to slice or chop your ingredients into similar shapes and sizes so that it’s visually pleasing and cooks evenly.

1. Wash all the veggies and slice the bok choy and mushrooms into 1-inch pieces.
2. Add a tablespoon of cooking vegetable oil to a hot wok or large sauté pan over medium high heat.
3. Mince the garlic and add to the pan, once you see the garlic sizzle and smell the garlic aroma add the mushrooms and let the mushrooms cook until slightly brown, a few minutes.
4. Add the bok choy, salt and pepper to taste, toss with the mushrooms and sauté for a couple minutes until leaves wilt.  Remove from heat and serve.

• Remember to keep cooking time in mind, whatever will need more time to cook should be added to the pan first.
• You can also use any other green veggie, such as broccoli, chayote, or spinach.  The mushrooms are sort of like a yummy meat substitute. =)  Below is spinach with beech mushrooms and also a little sliced red chili for an additonal spice.