Prep the beans and batter the night before
Bean Soak!
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| Soak 'em out! |
What you need
- 4 - 5 cups dried beans (I like traditional chili, so I use kidney beans, but different beans or a mixture of dried beans will also work)
- water
Crepe Batter Mix!
Mixing up the crepe batter in advance will make your crepes turn out a lot better. I've tried a bunch of versions of vegan cornmeal crepes and these are the best I've found. You can totally do this the night before, but if you don't get to it, even an hour of resting the batter will make your crepes hold together better when you go to cook them. Recipe found on smarterfitter.com.
What you need: Crepe Batter
- 1.5 cups unsweetened non dairy milk (I use Almond Milk)
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour (gluten free or wheat)
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour
- 1 tbsp arrowroot flour or cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup water
Combine everything in your blender or food processor (adding wet ingredients first and dusting in the dry ingredients helps with getting everything thoroughly mixed) and blend until the batter is beautifully creamy and smooth. Let sit in the fridge for an hour, or as long as overnight.
Now you can go to bed.
Chili Day: Boil the beans
Give these babies at least three hours to get soft. Great for when you have another project going on and can periodically check them.
What you need: Bean Boil
- Soaked beans
- Kombu seaweed (from any organic or health food store)
- Water
** Do not add salt to the bean boil! It makes the bean skins tough.
Drain and rinse the beans. Discard the soak water.
Put the beans in a large pot, cover well with fresh water, and add a couple of pieces of Kombu seaweed. This is the best thing I've ever found to help with digestion of beans.
Bring the beans to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Depending on the beans, the cook time could be anywhere from an hour to three hours, so I usually start this in the morning and check them every hour or so and make sure they don't run out of water. Stir every once in awhile to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The Kombu will swell into a sea-monster and the beans will begin to make a lovely broth.
Bring the beans to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Depending on the beans, the cook time could be anywhere from an hour to three hours, so I usually start this in the morning and check them every hour or so and make sure they don't run out of water. Stir every once in awhile to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The Kombu will swell into a sea-monster and the beans will begin to make a lovely broth.
The beans are done when they can be easily pressed into soft submission with a clean fingertip. See the supple bean on the wooden spoon below? The Kombu sea-monster may now be removed and discarded. At this point you can save the beans in the fridge or freeze them, but let's adventure on into Vegan Chili!
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| Thanks, sea-monster, for eating all the farts out of the beans. |
Make Chili!
What you need:
Note: All measures are approximate. Make to your flavour specs!
8-10 cups cooked beans (originally 4-5 cups dry)1-2 onions, chopped
3-4 carrots, chopped
3-4 sticks celery, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, rough chopped like in the pic (below left)
about 4 cups chopped mushrooms
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
2 small cans (156 ml) tomato paste (or make your own)
4 vegan sausages
(I use Field Roast non-soy sausages: 2 Italian, 2 Chipotle)
3-4 tbsp Corn meal (optional)
Olive oil for sautéeing
Beer or wine (optional)
Water as needed
Spices, flavours and herbs - approximate measures - add to taste
2 tbsp Cumin (essential)1 tbsp Chili Powder (essential - can get spicey so watch it)
2 tsp Thyme
2 tsp Oregano
2 tsp Basil
1 tsp Paprika (optional - smoked Paprika is really good if you have it)
1-2 Bay leaves (optional)
1 tsp Cayenne (optional - this makes it very hot - go slow with this one)
2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast (optional: adds a slight cheesy flavour)
Salt and Pepper
Cook it!
Remove the cooked beans from the pot, then drizzle some olive oil into the pot. Add the onions and cook slowly with a little black pepper until they are caramelized, just a little brown on the edges, and glossy and sort of transparent.Remove the onions and sautée the carrots and celery together in the bean cooking pot. You can add some of the spices and herbs to this sautée if you want; it gives the vegetables a nice flavour, but you can also wait and add the spices to the combined chili.
Meanwhile, sautée the mushrooms in olive oil with a little black pepper in another pan. Pour off and reserve the sauce they make as they cook. If you are using beer/wine, splash it into the mushrooms to deglaze the pan and surprise the hell out of the mushrooms just before they are done. This gives them a lovely flavour!
Remove the mushrooms when they are brown and shiny, set aside.
Crumble and sautée the 4 meatless sausages of your choice. Here's a visual on the brand I like the best. Not only is the flavour amazing, but there is no soy in them. They are made from vegetables and legumes. I use two of the Italian (also great in pasta sauce or lasagne, by the way), and 2 Chipotle to add a little spice.
Now it's time to put it all together! Add all of the cooked stuff: the beans, mushrooms, carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, sausage and tomatoes to the bean pot. Add the reserved mushroom sauce, and the tomato paste plus 2 cans of water, or more as needed. Add the spices and herbs and simmer.
Play a video game or watch a show for about an hour while the flavours get to know each other.
When it is really looking like chili, you can stir in the optional corn meal to thicken the gravy and also to bring the flavour closer to the crepes... and speaking of crepes... it's time to make the crepes!
Make Crepes!!
Take the batter from the fridge, stir it well, and then heat up a nonstick pan over medium heat. I don't like the idea of nonstick pans, but they do make crepe-making easier. However, I draw the line at non-stick spray. It just seems weird to use spray on food surfaces. Call me old fashioned, but I opt for a light wipe of coconut oil with a paper towel between crepes instead. I am sure spray is easier. Your pick!
Ladle about 1/2 cup of batter into the middle of the pan and then -- working quickly because the crepe will cook very fast -- tip the pan around and let the batter roll itself into a thin, even layer.
Cook for about a minute, until the top is dry and the edges start to come up slightly from the pan. Flip and cook the other side for about 15-30 seconds.
Eat it!
Roll up the crepes and serve on the side of the chili. Put a dollop of vegan Cashew Sour Cream on top for extra mind-blowing-ness!
Freezing the chili and and thawing it takes it to another level of digestibility. You have probably made enough for an army, so go ahead and freeze a bunch. It will be even better when you have it next time!
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