On 6/3/2021 1:03 AM, Michael Trew wrote:
> I made my typically chili con carne from my pre-war Better Homes/Gardens
> cook book, but I decided to nix half of the cost of the dish and make it
> without ground beef this time; vegetarian if you will.Â* Substituted
> butter/olive oil for the fat and started off frying garlic/onions, then
> adding crushed tomatoes, green pepper and seasoning; finally lots of
> kidney/pinto/black beans.
>
> Honestly, I didn't feel that it was missing much of anything without the
> ground beef... it maybe halved the cost, which was a nice bonus.Â* Other
> than adding a lot of beans, does anyone have useful tips on "vegetarian
> chili"?

Not chili and not "vegetarian", although you could make it so. I make a
nice spicy bean soup using black beans, red kidney, garbanzos, great
northern, navy, pinto and cut green beans. If you want it to be
vegetarian use vegetable stock/broth rather than beef. Can't guarantee
how good it will taste if you use just water or vegetable "stock".

I do sautee the onion and garlic in butter/oil. This quick fix soup
uses canned versions of all the beans. One can of each type of bean, e
water and stock to cover. Add all the herbs and spicse. Simmer on low
heat for about 2 hours.nd the

You could add canned crushed tomatoes at some point if you like.

This bean soup is nicely spiced, seasoned with ground chili seasoning,
1 tps. gruond thyme. A little ground ancho pepper and a Tbs. of liquid
Tabasco or some other hot sauce.

I thicken the soup with 1/4 cup of pearled barley added in the last 20
minutes of cooking. The soup is quite nicely spiced and filling. I
nearly always bake a skillet of cornbread to go with it. If I'm feeling
adventurous, cornmeal griddle cakes cooked on the stove top to go with.

Jill