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elfsThis weekend I had a bunch of twenty-somethings over at the house. Everyone was vaccinated; we actually checked. But given that this was Seattle, I had requests for a vegan dish as the main, and I wondered what I could make that would satisfy everyone. I settled on chili.
It turned out to not be all that difficult. What was fun was that I ended up using my Instant Pot three times in one day.
First, I had to make vegetable stock. We keep a ziplock bag of vegetable ends, mostly onions but also celery, carrots, garlic, even some beans and stalks and bell peppers. The parts you cut away, like tops and such, they all go into this bag. It was almost a gallon’s worth of random vegetable matter, so I tossed it into the instant pot with six quarts of water and let it go at HIGH for an hour, then released the pressure. After cooling a bit, I strained it, and that was the first step.
Then I put two pounds of kidney beans into the pot, along with eight cups of water, and let that run on HIGH for 45 minutes, then release the pressure. I rinsed and cooled the beans. I replace the lost liquid with the vegetable stock; it’s a lot less gassy that way.
Then I made the chili (serves 8-12 hungry people!):
Just dump it all in the pot, run it on HIGH for 15 minutes. When the alarm goes off, let it sit for 10 more minutes, then release the pressure. Add the vinegar, then add the cornmeal in tablespoons to thicken it, if it needs it. You could also use potato starch instead, if you have anyone allergic to corn.
I was surprised at how tasty it was. I’m usually a meat eater, but this has been a pretty good experience in just how tasty a really vegan meal can be. There are approximately 12 grams of protein in this, mostly from the beans, which is only a quarter of what the average person needs, but it does imply that getting enough protein isn’t impossible on a vegan diet, just bulkier than usual.
It turned out to not be all that difficult. What was fun was that I ended up using my Instant Pot three times in one day.
First, I had to make vegetable stock. We keep a ziplock bag of vegetable ends, mostly onions but also celery, carrots, garlic, even some beans and stalks and bell peppers. The parts you cut away, like tops and such, they all go into this bag. It was almost a gallon’s worth of random vegetable matter, so I tossed it into the instant pot with six quarts of water and let it go at HIGH for an hour, then released the pressure. After cooling a bit, I strained it, and that was the first step.
Then I put two pounds of kidney beans into the pot, along with eight cups of water, and let that run on HIGH for 45 minutes, then release the pressure. I rinsed and cooled the beans. I replace the lost liquid with the vegetable stock; it’s a lot less gassy that way.
Then I made the chili (serves 8-12 hungry people!):
- olive oil
- 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
- 2 medium yams, chopped
- 2 large bell peppers, chopped, any color except green
- 1 can diced or crushed tomatoes
- 4 or more cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup quinoa
- The two pounds of dried beans, now cooked!
- 2 cups of the vegetable broth, or until it looks right
- Spices! I like chili powder (up to 1/4 cup), cumin (1 tbsp), gochugaru (Korean chili powder, a ton of umami), oregano (1 tbsp), Italian herbs, maybe some epazote or ajwain, plus salt and pepper. You could also try throwing in cinammon or cocoa powder.
- Apple cider vinegar
- Cornmeal
Just dump it all in the pot, run it on HIGH for 15 minutes. When the alarm goes off, let it sit for 10 more minutes, then release the pressure. Add the vinegar, then add the cornmeal in tablespoons to thicken it, if it needs it. You could also use potato starch instead, if you have anyone allergic to corn.
I was surprised at how tasty it was. I’m usually a meat eater, but this has been a pretty good experience in just how tasty a really vegan meal can be. There are approximately 12 grams of protein in this, mostly from the beans, which is only a quarter of what the average person needs, but it does imply that getting enough protein isn’t impossible on a vegan diet, just bulkier than usual.
