On Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 12:03:28 AM UTC-5, 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. 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. Other
> than adding a lot of beans, does anyone have useful tips on "vegetarian
> chili"?

I often make "chili beans" or "chili sin carne."

I add quite a bit of ground dried chile, usually from Pendery's in Fort Worth.

Acme, Concho, and El Rey are good starter chiles, but there are many more to try.

Some ground Korean chile often goes in too.

Only sometimes do I add tomatoes (usually 6-in-1 Ground Tomatoes).

Always cumin seed, sometimes toasted, sometimes freshly ground.

Dried Mexican oregano goes in toward the end.

I like mayacobas, cooked from dry, but pintos (even canned) are fine.

I probably shouldn't admit it, but occasionally I'll add some textured vegetable protein (Bob's Red Mill; simmered separately and drained). Adds some protein and texture without adding meat. This is the only thing I use the stuff for.

No matter how you make it, it's usually better the next day.