Oh do share Tex! I can find a suitable substitute for the butter. Would margarine work just as well?

You shouldn't have too much trouble finding vegan margarine, if you're so inclined. But, I might point out that in many cases you can simply substitute oil for the butter/margarine, and although you will find it to have a different flavor, if you know the flavor of various oils well, you shouldn't have too hard a time making a palatable finished product.

I like browning rice with Soy Sauce, and then tossing in some steamed vegetables! One of my favorite quickies! And healthy to boot!

That's pretty much what I did for dinner last night. Similar to the meal I posted about, but used brown rice, steamed carrots, onion, green bell pepper, and spinach leaves, all fried in olive oil and soy sauce.

Made a vegetarian chili tonight. mmmmmmmm. I used soy crumbles in place of ground beef and it turned out great. You'd never know the difference.

Made a vegetarian chili tonight. mmmmmmmm. I used soy crumbles in place of ground beef and it turned out great. You'd never know the difference.

Now, don't get me wrong, mason. I LOVE healthy fare. I am always willing to sample good vegetarian chili, and have made not a few pots of it myself. BUUUUUTTT, in every case (including my own), I COULD tell the difference (didn't make it any less yummy, though...lol)

there is nothing like a bowl of chili to beat the bug, especially if you add enough hot sauce.

Well Gid, I gave some to my step-father who is very much a meat eater. I didn't tell him it was vegetarian. After he ate it ate told me how good it was I told him it had no meat and he called me a liar. He said "it had some kind of meat in it".

Seasoned, browned soy crumbles in a chili are almost impossible to distinguish from browned ground beef. Try it some time.


Tim, I put enough chili powder, cayenne, and cumin in it to kill all but the heartiest of germs. My basic philosphy on chili is if it doesn't make your forehead sweat, it isn't hot enough.

I may have to try to make some vegetarian chili. I love that kind of thing, but I don't eat ground beef.

Gotta recipe?

Tex, I don't exactly use "recipes", especially for chili. When I cook I often just make it up as I go along, and it seems to work for me.

When I make make chili, it usually goes something like this:

Big pot

Pour in a large can of tomato juice. If pot is about half full good, otherwse grab another can.

A large package of soy crumbles (formerly know as browned ground beef LOL)

Large white onion, chopped

Green bell pepper, chopped

Red bell pepper, chopped

A couple jalapenos, chopped

A couple chili peppers, chopped

a couple cans of kidney beans

a can of diced tomatos

a can of black beans

a bunch of chili powder

a bunch of cumin

a bunch of cayenne

splash in some olive oil

I let this mess simmer on low heat for at least four hours (six is better), stirring occassionally and tasting for proper seasoning. I usually wind up adding more chili powder and cumin at a couple of points during the simmering process.

It's simple fare, but I (and a lot of other folks) think it's pretty tasty. If you want it a little thicker for some perverse reason, add a can or two of tomato paste. (It thickens pretty well during the simmering process without it, I never use it)

Mason: Hey, thanks. Sounds WONDERFUL!

I make a lot of things without recipes, too, and just go by feel. This one sounds like a winner. I haven't had chili in sooo long (I stopped eating ground beef several years ago), but I used to really love it. Lots of good beans and veggies in this, too.

My husband's tummy will thank you (if I don't tell him it has soy crumbles in it, hahaha)!

LMAO Tex. See my comment reagrding my step-father. If you don't tell him, he'll never know.

I do have a couple of "secret" ingredients I use in mine that most folks wouldn't like because they tend to be too hot. If you can get your hands on some habanero sauce and some Hotter N Hell sauce, put a couple splashes of each in it. Makes a world of difference.

Made a vegetarian chili tonight. mmmmmmmm. I used soy crumbles in place of ground beef and it turned out great. You'd never know the difference.

Hmmm......Chili!!!!!

in many cases you can simply substitute oil for the butter/margarine

That's what I do a lot.  I use olive oil in cooking.  It ha Omega-3 in it, which helps fight bad cholesterol.

I am working on eating mainly vegan.  Even if I switch over to eating 100% vegan, I never will be 100% animal product free- my thyroid replacement meds are made out of pig thyroid, and there is no way I'm changing.  I lived through many years of hell until I got switched from synthetic.  But, since I eat this way for health, not ethical reasons (though it's not hard to fall into the ethical reasons once you quite the meat products) I don't have a problem with the meds.

A lot of margarines have milk products in them, but in very small quantities.  If you are doing this for health reasons, Olivio, or Smart balance, though they have trace amounts of dairy, are probably a fine choice.  Otherwise, places like meijer sell Vegan butter replacement (as well as cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, etc.)

 

Dharma, I use olive oil quite a bit myself. I am also doing it for health reasons although I can't really disagree with the eithical aspect either. I use vegan margarine and cheese, and they're pretty good. I've been looking for vegan peanut butter but haven't located any yet.

I don't blame you on the medication, if it helps better than synthetic go for it.

Otherwise, places like meijer sell Vegan butter replacement (as well as cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, etc.)

And here's a tip: if a recipe calls for cottage cheese, tofu can usually be crumbled and used as a substitute.