Three Bean Chili

I like to try to trim the grocery bill by including vegetarian and vegan meals into the menu.  This is one of my favorite fall meals, and with fall right around the corner, I thought I’d get a batch in the freezer ready to go.  This is a hearty, meat free meal that can satisfy the hungriest in the house.

I used dry beans for this recipe.  Most folks will tell you to soak your beans.  I cheated – come on, this should not surprise you!  For this recipe I used my crock pot and I did not soak my beans.  In 6 hours on high, the chili was great.  The black beans did loose a bit of their color and the white beans absorbed a bit of color from the tomato.  If you’re a or plan ahead a little bit more than I did, free to soak your beans first and then reduce the amount of liquid you put in the chili.  This can alos reduce the cooking time.  If you don’t have time to mess with the steps, throw everything in your crock pot, stir, check it a couple times during the day to make sure there’s enough liquid and serve it when the beans are soft.  This is a fairly mild chili, if you prefer a spicier chili, you will want to add more seasonings or hot peppers.

This recipe makes about 5 quarts of chili.  After you’ve served it as a stand alone meal with cornbread the first night use it as a COI and serve it as your protein over baked potatoes or rice later in the week for a second meal.  Any remaining bits left in the fridge go well on hot dogs.  You will still have lots for the freezer for later meals.

Vegan Three Bean Chili

Ingredients

6 cups Water

3 cups Tomato/Vegetable Juice (like V8)

2 cups Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) Flakes

1 cup dry Black Beans

1 cup dry White Beans

1 cup dry Pinto Beans

1 medium White Onion, chopped

2 Green Peppers, chopped

1- 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes

1 Tablespoon Cumin

2 teaspoons Chili Powder

Directions

1. Measure out your beans and sort them for broken beans, rocks and dirt clumps.  Rinse your beans and put them into your slow-cooker on high with all other ingredients. (To reduce cooking time, soak beans in hot water for 2 hours or in cold water overnight.  Reduce liquid by half if you soak beans.  If using pre-cooked beans, increase quantities to 2 cups each)


2. Once your chili comes to a boil, depending on the heat of your cooker, you may want to turn it down to low to avoid burning around the edges.


3. Monitor your chili as the beans and TVP will absorb the liquid.  If it looks too thick, add more water.


4. Once beans are soft, serve and enjoy!

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