Chili con Tempeh! Huh?
There is nothing like a really good bowl of something hot and filling on a chilly night. Yet sometimes, chili is just good on some chips with vegan cheese for nachos. Over some cornbread. Or some rice crackers. Rice noodles are great. Even over rice. Sorry, I gotta have my rice everyday.
Chili is one of those meals like soup that has the protein base with tomatoes in there somewhere. Different vegetables are also tossed in, as well as some kind of broth, beans, and spice choices. All combined and served with biscuits, cornbread, or even tortilla chips.
For something more hearty, I chose to use tempeh instead of just beans or tofu. Usually, I bake the tempeh to help add another depth of flavor. The browning or roasting aspect helps deepens the flavor; it builds a base, a foundation that sets the entire stage for the chili.
Beans add extra protein as well as fiber. I chose black beans for their heartiness as well as their slight sweetness. While adding corn for a hint of sweetness, as well as corn is a good source of vitamin C and fiber. Still, be careful not to eat too much corn, it’s high in sugar content and will blow you up – inflame you, cause you to appear bigger than you really are. Yet when you balance foods, it lessens the effects of a single food on it’s own. That is why when you eat things that are flour, sugar, fat and fried (all inflammatory), it creates a reaction within your body that has damaging effects when eaten regularly.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 cup onions, diced
- 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup celery, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-inch piece ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, roasted and ground
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon gochujang (red pepper paste)
- 1 perilla or shiso leaf, chiffonade,
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1 (15-ounce) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can of fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup fresh or frozen yellow or white corn
- 2 cups water
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Sauté 2 tablespoons water, onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic, and ginger in a medium-high heat pot until onions are translucent.
- Add ground sesame seeds, cinnamon, gochujang, and perlla or shiso leaf. Continue to sauté to intensify the flavors by caramelizing the onions, peppers, and gochujang for 3 minutes.
- Add black beans, undrained tomatoes, corn, and 2 cups water.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat, simmer for 30 minutes. You can cook longer to intensify the flavor. If that is the case then simmer for 45 minutes total.
- Serve with blue corn chips, rice crackers, corn bread, biscuits, rice, or noodles.
