Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking (31 page)

D
ON’T BE FRIGHTENED
of the habanero! Although this chili is spicy, it has a wonderful fruity flavor and is not at all palate killing. I think that leaving the pepper whole, scoring it, and allowing it to infuse the chili yields the best balance of heat and flavor. The flavor is lifted further by the late sweet and sour additions, leading to a balanced, wholesome, and filling chili. I like it served with brown rice and a refreshing pile of Pineapple Kale-Slaw (
page 232
) on the side. If even after thickening you would like a thicker chili, make a little cornstarch slurry and stir through.

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes, divided

1 cup dry pigeon peas, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed (see Notes)

1 ripe plantain, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut into ¼-inch pieces (see Notes)

1 habanero or Scotch bonnet pepper, whole and only scored (see Notes)

½-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and scored

1 bay leaf

½ medium onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons oregano

¹
/
₈
teaspoon allspice

2¾ cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)
 

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon cane sugar

1½ tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
 

Salt, black pepper, and hot sauce

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
Combine the peas through the stock in the slow cooker.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 8 hours, or until the peas and plantain are tender.

3.
Remove the habanero and bay leaf.

4.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice through arrowroot until smooth. Stir into the chili, cover, and cook for 1 hour on
LOW
to meld flavors and thicken.

5.
Taste and season with the salt, pepper, and hot sauce as required.

NOTE
:

To find pigeon peas, try an Asian spice store or anywhere that stocks a range of Latin products. If you can find only canned, reduce the stock by ½ cup and cook for only 6 hours, or until the plantain is perfectly tender. If you have trouble finding even canned pigeon peas, use either chickpeas or black-eyed peas in the same quantity.

Buy the plantain when it is green and a few days in advance of making this recipe; allow it to ripen in your fruit bowl alongside bananas. For this recipe it is best when it is completely yellow and just starting to have black specks.

To score the habanero, make vertical slits with a sharp knife on the sides of the pepper to allow the flavor to come out when cooking. If you like less spice, make fewer slits, even making only one if you really don’t want lots of heat. I usually make four slits around the sides of the pepper.

Coffee’d Tempeh Chili

I
N THIS BEAUTIFULLY
intense chili the chocolate provides a little hint of sweetness and depth of flavor that accentuates the coffee nicely, as in a café mocha. It’s all about balance, and the chocolate helps to achieve that. It cooks down to quite a thick chili, so if you’d like to add a little more liquid at the end, feel free. Serve with a side of Cornbread Scones (
page 243
) or just a big pile of tortilla chips for dunking and scooping.

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 10 minutes

8 ounces tempeh, cut into ½-inch pieces

2 cups cooked red kidney beans or one 19-ounce can, drained and rinsed

½ medium onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ancho chile powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon chipotle chile powder

2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons agave

½ cup strong coffee or espresso (see Note)

One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

¾ cup vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)
 

2 tablespoons semisweet vegan chocolate chips
 

Salt and black pepper

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
Combine the tempeh through the stock in the slow cooker. The tempeh won’t be completely covered.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 5½ to 6 hours, until the tempeh is tender and sauce thickened.

3.
Stir in the chocolate; cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

4.
Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.

NOTE
: To make strong coffee without a coffeemaker, dissolve 4 tablespoons of instant coffee granules in ½ cup boiling water.

VARIATION:

Not a tempeh fan? Double the beans to 4 cups (or two 19-ounce cans) and proceed as directed.

Maple-Infused Sausage Chili

depending on sausages used

T
HIS RECIPE WAS
originally devised to use up that half-recipe of sausages left in the fridge, but you’ll find yourself making (or buying) the sausages to be able to make this chili! Yes, it is that good. With developed flavors that call out spicy, smoky, and just a little sweet, I like to serve it simply, with Cornbread Scones (
page 243
) or Baked Garlic Potatoes (
page 214
) as the only accompaniment. Adjust the number of chipotles to taste. If you’d like your chili thicker, use a cornstarch slurry at the end of the cooking time.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes, divided

¾ cup dry black beans, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 chipotle in adobo, seeded and minced, or more to taste

1 tablespoon maple syrup

3 cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)
 

½ pound vegan sausage or seitan, store-bought or homemade (Seitan,
page 45
, or Chipotle Lentil Sausages,
page 49
), grated (about 3 cups after grating)

1 cup Simple Tomato Sauce (
page 55
), or canned

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon liquid smoke
 

Salt, black pepper, and hot sauce

1.
In the slow cooker combine the beans through the stock.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 6 hours, or until the beans are just tender.

3.
Add the sausages through the liquid smoke; stir well.

4.
Cover and cook for 1 hour, or until the flavors are well melded and the beans are very tender.

5.
Taste and season with the salt, pepper, and hot sauce as required.

VARIATION:

Instead of grating all the sausages, grate only half and cut the rest into ½-inch chunks for a texture variation.

South American Chili

A
TRUE MEAL IN
a bowl! Vegetables, beans, and grains together add up to a yummy meal, served, if you wish, with a little something to dip. It’s a thin, saucy chili perfect for eating from a bowl; it will thicken as it stands, so the next day it will be great with nachos or in a burrito. If you’ve never eaten amaranth, this is a gentle introduction. It provides a cute “popping” texture to the dish as well as a little thickening.

Serves 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes

½ red onion, finely chopped

1½ cups corn kernels, from 2 cobs, frozen, or canned

2 jalapeño peppers, or serrano peppers, seeded and minced

2 finely chopped bell peppers, red, orange, or yellow (not green)

1 teaspoon oregano

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon ancho chile powder, or chipotle chile powder

½ teaspoon chile flakes, optional, or more to taste

1 bay leaf

2 medium peeled white potatoes, cut into ¼-inch dice (see Note)

¾ cup dry pinto beans or Columbian red beans, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed

4½ cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)