Black Bean Chili with Toasted Spice Seasoning
3 cups dried black beans, soaked
8 cups water
2 jalapeno peppers, minced
1½ Tbsp. grated ginger
1 bay leaf
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 Tbsp. chili powder
½ Tbsp. oregano
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
4 cups plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup bulgur wheat, uncooked
½ cup boiling water
Salt and pepper
Seasoning:
½ Tbsp. mustard seeds
½ tsp. fennel seeds
Olive oil
Soak beans overnight. Drain beans. Place in a large pot and add 8 cups water. Bring beans to a boil, and then add peppers, ginger, bay leaf, and ½ cup cilantro. Cover loosely and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours. Remove from heat and discard bay leaf.
Toast cumin seeds in a dry skillet. After seeds darken, add chili powder, oregano, and tomatoes. Stir well and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. In another bowl, combine bulgur with boiling water, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.
When beans are cooked, remove 1 cup and puree it with some cooking liquid. Combine puree with remaining beans. Stir in tomato mixture and bulgur. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes.
Place mustard seeds in a pot over medium heat, cover and cook until seeds start to pop. Add fennel seeds and cover. Cook until popping stops and fennel darkens. Pour over chili. Add remaining cilantro and drizzle with olive oil.
Cashew Mushroom Loaf
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 oz. cashews
4 oz. bread crumbs
3 medium parsnips, cooked and mashed
½ tsp. dried rosemary
½ tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
¼ pint hot water
Salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
1 oz. margarine
8 oz fresh mushrooms, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil and saute onion and garlic until soft. Grind the cashew nuts., then mix with the bread crumbs. Mix in the mashed parsnips and herbs. Add cooked onion mixture, being sure to scrape all the juices into the mixture. Dissolve the nutritional yeast in the water and add to the vegetable and nut mixture. Season well.
Melt the butter in a skillet and saute the chopped mushrooms until soft. Grease a loaf pan, then press in half the nut mixture. Add mushrooms, then top with the rest of the nut mixture. Press in well. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. When cooked, remove the pan and let stand for 10 minutes before turning onto a plate. Serve hot or cold. Slice to serve.
MINESTRONE
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 medium zucchini, scrubbed, sliced into ½ inch rounds
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14½ oz. can broth
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 15½ oz. cans kidney beans, drained
2 tsp. dried marjoram
¼ tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1½ cups cooked rice
Add all ingredients except rice to crock pot. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours (high 4 to 5 hours). Add cooked rice and stir to combine. 6 to 8 servings.
Cornmeal Dumplings
½ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 egg substitute, beaten
2 Tbsp. soy milk
2 tsp. oil
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and sugar. In a small bowl, combine egg, milk, and oil Stir into dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Drop mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls into any basic vegetable broth or soup. Cover and cook 30 minutes more without lifting lid until end of cooking. 6 to 8 servings.
