| Cooking vegetarian dishes isn't easy as some | | | | well. But the real advantage was the taste. It just |
| make it out to be. Between getting the fresh | | | | added a unique flavor to the dish that really |
| vegetables and produce at the local market, to | | | | helped move it along. |
| peeling and properly washing everything, requires | | | | My past experiences with vegetarian dishes of |
| time and effort. This article will share my | | | | this sort usually produced much frustration, as it |
| experience with vegetarian chili, truly a great | | | | so hard to mimic some of the flavors in the |
| recipe if you have some time. | | | | meat, albeit their health risks. So I pressed |
| I know what most of you are probably thinking, | | | | forward in this quest for a great chili, and decided |
| "Vegetarian Chili, how horrible is that". I probably | | | | to now choose the vegetables. A mixture of |
| would have agreed with you several years ago, | | | | fresh red peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic, |
| as my favorite chili dish in those days was loaded | | | | zucchini, tomatoes, basil, tomato paste, beans and |
| with fresh smoked bacon and spare ribs. Throw in | | | | vegetable stock got me rolling, and I used the |
| a can of beer and now you were really cooking. | | | | recently purchased "slow cooker" for this |
| Unfortunately that was just one of those recipes | | | | particular recipe. |
| that contributed to my forty-pound weight gain, | | | | The chili powder I used was a smoky blend of |
| so change was desperately needed. | | | | flavorings, and I added a small amount of cayenne |
| Getting back to my new found love, vegetarian | | | | pepper to give it some kick. I love those red |
| cooking, I decided to master my own version of | | | | beans, so in went some drained cans. The entire |
| meatless chili. What I really needed to find was an | | | | thing simmered for about five hours on low. I |
| adequate substitute for that oozing fat that was | | | | steamed up some brown rice, and poured the |
| so filled with flavor. Now the bacon part wasn't so | | | | concoction on top. |
| bad, as those wonderful little imitation bacon bits | | | | My experience with vegetarian chili wasn't without |
| did the job, but what could I do for that fat | | | | drama, as several friends came over to taste this |
| flavor. | | | | delight. Unfortunately the response was a bit |
| Considering meat fat is essentially an oil, and the | | | | mixed, as there were more complaints then |
| unhealthy type as well, I thought about | | | | compliments. I might have went wrong with the |
| substituting the natural meat fats with tasty | | | | vegetable stock, as it was low salt and kind of |
| Canola oil. Being low in saturated fat and high in | | | | flat in taste. Well anyway, back to the drawing |
| mono saturated fat, it has its health benefits as | | | | board. At least I got my fiber for the day. |