I’ve always loved chili. Growing up in Cincinnati, Skyline Chili was—and still is—almost a religion. I recently visited a food truck in Utah that offered “Cincinnati Chili” poutine. So yeah, it’s a thing.
I haven’t had Skyline Chili in years, even though they now sell a vegetarian version. It’s just that I haven’t been to Cincinnati in quite a while. Instead, I’ve experimented with lots of other versions of veggie chili. My favorite, so far, comes from Friendly Foods by Brother Ron Pickarski.
Because the recipe calls for canned beans, it’s pretty quick to put together. I almost always accompany it with homemade cornbread.
The recipe that follows substitutes extra beans for the seitan in the original recipe, but you’re welcome to add 1 cup of chopped seitan instead of one of the cans of beans.
Meatless Monday: Vegan Chili
- 1 cup peeled and finely diced onion
- 1/2 finely diced celery
- 1/2 cup finely diced green bell pepper
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon red miso
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups fresh tomatoes (blanched, seeded and chopped) or 1 32-ounce can tomatoes
- 1-1/2 tablespoons barley malt syrup
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans or pinto beans
- 1 15-ounce can black beans or 1 cup drained and chopped seitan
In a heavy soup pot, sauté the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic in the oil, along with the seasonings, over medium heat. Sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
Dissolve the miso and tomato paste in the chopped tomatoes and add to the sautéed vegetables. Add the barley malt syrup and stir well. Finally, stir in the cooked beans and chopped seitan (if using). Cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat.
Serve alone, over brown rice or over spaghetti squash.