Steel Cut Oat Bean Chili

One of my favorite vegan chefs out there, Chef AJ, shared a recipe on Facebook for a Steel Cut Oat Bean Chili. The picture itself oh so appetizing. The recipe was super simple. It looked like it would come together is around 30 minutes. The temperatures have been dropping all week and today .. snow was coming down in gentle flurries all day long. It was a perfect day for a bowl of chili. I even had all the ingredients on hand. It was meant to be :) 

Adapted from: www.sheknows.com (original recipe in OATrageous Oatmeals, by Kathy Hester)

Prep Time: ~25-30 min

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1. 2 cups water 
2. 1.5 tsp Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base 
3. 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
4. 1 tbsp Oregano
5. 1.5 tbsp Ground Cumin
6. 1 tsp Smoked Chipotle Chili powder
7. 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
8. 1 (14.5 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 
9. 1 (14.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1-1/2 cups homemade)
10. 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
11. 1 cup frozen corn
12. 1.5 tsp Liquid smoke
13. 1 tsp Freeze-dried Cilantro leaves (or fresh)
14. Juice of 1/2 a lime (optional)
15. Salt, to taste

Directions:

I pretty much followed the directions on the sheknows.com website with the exception that I did not wait for the oats to be completely cooked before I added the rest of the ingredients. I let everything cook together which blended the flavors much better in my opinion. Bring the water and vegetable base to a boil in a heavy cast iron pot (I used my Le Creuset). Add oats, bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Then stir in remaining ingredients, bring to a boil again and reduce heat to low, cover with a heavy lid to prevent excessive evaporation and serve when the oats are completely cooked (about 20 min). I forgot to use the lime juice listed in the original recipe. And with the vegetable base I used, I didn't even need to add salt to this recipe. It turned out great!!

My Assessment: This chili was really good. I love using different grains in my chili recipes and hadn't used Oats until now. The recipe was so simple, even with my couple of substitutions and additions, anyone could throw it all in a pot and have a wholesome dinner in half an hour!! A+++ 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 242 (Fat Calories 19)
Total Fat 2.1 g; Carbohydrates 44.7 g; Fiber 9.8 g; Sugars 3.5 g; Protein 12.0 g


If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

The Kitchen Sink Soup

Cold winter days call for a heartwarming soup and some home-made bread. I got wish #1 today. My husband coined the term The Kitchen Sink Soup - according to him ... "Its got everything in it, but the kitchen sink!" ... well yes, it is kind of true. I always use the same basic recipe and it works like a charm, every time, no matter what you put in it. 

The Kitchen Sink Soup

Prep Time: 20-30 min

Ingredients:*

1. 2 cups Protein (Red Kidney Beans, Black beans, Chick Peas, Various Lentils)
2. 2 cups Vegetables (Onion, Spinach, Green Beans, Corn, Peas, Carrots, Kale, Celery)
3. 1/2 cup Starch (Red Potatoes, White Potatoes, Brown Rice, Wild Rice, Barley, Quinoa, Noodles)
4. 1/2 cup Mushrooms (white, cremini, shiitake, portabella, oyster)
5. 4-6 cups Vegetable broth
6. 6-8 Dry Sun-dried Tomatoes (I buy the Whole foods 365 brand), sliced/diced.
7. 1 tbsp Minced garlic
8. 1 tbsp Miso (Barley or Soy).
9. Pepper, to taste.

Directions:

Line a stock pot with vegetable broth and add garlic. Once the garlic begins to release its aroma, add remaining ingredients (except Miso). Bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until whatever starch you've added are done. When I use beans and/or chickpeas, I typically use canned. When I use lentils, I tend to use red lentils which are quick-cooking. Once starches are done cooking, turn off heat and add miso. I used Barley miso today. I typically don't discriminate between various kinds of Miso and use them interchangeably in my recipes. Do a quick taste test and if needed added more broth (as needed) and miso for flavor, or salt (if you prefer). Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and serve steaming hot. 

The Kitchen Sink Soup

Today, I used Red kidney beans, Baby spinach, Red Onion, Green Beans, White mushrooms and a blend of Brown and Wild rice. Umm Umm Good!! 

Wish #2 (homemade bread) will be granted soon ... Santa brought me a B&D Bread Maker!!! Yeah!!!

* This is a 'no added salt' recipe i.e. no salt is added over and above what is already in the condiments. In this soup, all the salt is coming from Miso and the sun-dried tomatoes add a lot of flavor, thereby reducing the need for additional salt. 

Quinoa Chili

Every year on the last weekend before Halloween we visit with T's mom .. at the Indian Lake Campgrounds for The Annual Halloween Campout. Every year, the menu includes Chili, Beef & Vegetable Soup, Shredded Chicken sandwiches and cupcakes and desserts galore ... of course along with all the candy that you could possibly want to eat. Since both T and I are plant-based this year, I decided to bring along a plant-based Chili. I asked folks on our 'New Herbies' page on facebook what their most favorite Chili recipe was and I got a few suggestions ... and this one (Savvy Vegetarian) seemed the most interesting. Since we have to leave early tomorrow to get to the campgrounds, I decided to make it tonight on the stove top, although the website provides the crock-pot version as well. After making it as described, I decided that it didn't meet our expectations at all. My husband is a new herbie and I needed to live up to his expectations of "real" chili. The recipe below is my uber-modified version. The biggest change is 0% Added Fat. 

Quinoa Chili

Prep Time: 60 min, with prep time included.

Ingredients (12 servings):

1. 1 Medium Red Onion, diced
2. 3 Stalks of Celery, diced
3. 1 Jalapeño, deseeded, diced
4. 2 tbsp minced Garlic
5. 1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
6. 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
7. 2 cups Quinoa, rinsed and drained.
8. 1 can (15oz) Black Beans, rinsed and drained
9. 1 can (15 oz) Pinto Beans, rinsed and drained
10. 2 cans (15 oz) Dark Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
11. 1 can (15 oz) Hunt's Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, with Garlic
12. 3 cans (8 oz) Tomato Sauce, unsalted
13. 8 cups Water or Vegetable Broth
14. 3-4 tsp Cumin powder
15. 6-8 tsp Coriander powder
16. 3-4 tsp Italian seasoning
17. 2-4 tsp Taco seasoning
18. 2 tsp dried Basil
19. 1-2 tsp dried Cilantro
20. 2 tsp Paprika (add more, to taste)
21. 3 tsp Chipotle Pepper (add more, to taste)
22. 2 large Bay leaves
23. 2 tbsp Light Molasses
24. 4 tbsp Soy Sauce, or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
25. Salt and Pepper, to taste
26. Fresh Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions:

In a large pot, add diced onions, celery, jalapeño and garlic and 1 cup of vegetable broth. Cook until both onion and celery are translucent. Add diced bell peppers, and cook for another 5 minutes. Then add remaining ingredients and all the spices except for the 'hot' spices which should be added once the quinoa is cooked and even then mix in the chili peppers slowly and taste test frequently. Add water or broth as needed once the quinoa is cooked to get to the right consistency for chili. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and freshly cracked black pepper. 

Quinoa Chili

Our Assessment: Tony LOVED it!!! He's a 'real' chili guy and he LOVED IT!!!! I am so excited. He wants me to add this version (with my modifications) to our regular rotation and guess what? Winter is here ... we'll be eating a lot of it.  The pot is now sitting in the fridge. Tomorrow, I plan to transfer it to my crock pot first thing in the morning. I'll check consistency again, and add broth if needed. Let's hope someone in our Omni family, besides us, is willing to try it. It is truly yummy!!

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 464 (Fat Calories 27)
Total Fat 3.0 g; Cholesterol 0 g; Carbohydrates 85.3 g; Dietary Fiber 18.3 g; Sugars 8.1 g; Protein 26.3 g

10 min Red Beans & Rice

So I often make my version of comfort food ... Rajma (Red Beans & Rice) the Indian way and it takes a while. Some days are meant for a quick and easy - plug it, set it, leave it recipe. This is that 10 min version of Red Beans & Rice :) I love this version because its a ONE-POT meal .. and those are the best kind! 

Red Beans & Rice

Prep Time: 15 min from start to finish

Ingredients:

1. 2 cans of Red Kidney Beans or Pinto Beans (or one of each!)
2. 1 can of Diced Tomatoes
3. 1 medium Onion, minced in a food processor
4. 1 cup Brown Rice
5. 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
6. 2 tsp Cumin
7. 2 tsp Garam Masala
8. Salt to taste

Directions:

Add everything to the pressure cooker with 1.5 cups of water and cook under high pressure for 10 min. The cook time is essentially for the brown rice because everything else is pre-cooked. If you're using a stove-top, allow it to reach full pressure, reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 min. Release steam immediately. Mix with a wooden spatula, garnish with freshly cracked black pepper and serve.

You could also make this in a slow cooker (if you're using canned beans), else the beans will need to be pre-cooked. Or you could make this on the stove-top - adjust water to 2 cups (as some of it will evaporate in a pot), and cook until rice is tender. 

Gimme More ... Dal Makhani

Here's another one of our favorites. Tony's, Alex's, li'l Nik's and even mine. In our household, Dal Makhani is definitely a gimme more and is typically made by the crock-load and doesn't last long!! A hot summer day off in celebration of our freedoms definitely called for a slow-cooked meal. Yum!!  

Today's preparation, as always, was enjoyed with Jeera Rice - white Basmati (long-grain) rice boiled with Cumin seeds and drained (just like pasta). 

Dal Makhani

So Tony is an Indian food enthusiast who sticks to 2 basic items on an Indian menu ... Dal Makhani (Buttery Black Lentils) and Chicken Tikka Masala. He requested an Indian meal this weekend and in his vocabulary that usually means Dal with Steamed rice and chapatis.

Dal Makhani

Dal Makhani is made with Black Lentils, or Urad Dal. These beans have black skins with a creamy white interior. The whole bean has a strong, earthy flavor mainly because of the black skin and is most often used in this preparation. Split dal, with the skin retained also has a similar strong flavor. The split dal without the skin in my opinion, tastes like mush!

Urad Dal

Unlike most of my other recipes, Dal Makhani takes a few hours of cooking time. Stove-top cooking is not recommended, and pressure cooking is most commonly used. But the easiest fix-it-and-leave-it method is to use a crock-pot or slow-cooker.  I found a recipe online on another blog (Oh Taste n See) and modified it to my own style and taste ….. 

Prep Time: About 6-8 hours in a slow cooker.

Ingredients:

Cucumber & Red Onion Salad

1. 1 cup whole Urad dal
2. 1/4 cup Red/Black Kidney Beans
3. 1 large Red onion onion, diced
4. 2 large tomatoes, diced. 
5. 2 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
6. 1 tbsp Cumin powder
7. 1 tbsp Coriander powder
8. 1-2 tsp Red Chilli powder
9. 1 tsp Turmeric powder
10. 3-5 Bay leaves
11. 1 cup Soy Milk
12. Salt and pepper, to taste
13. 2 tsp fresh Coriander leaves, finely chopped. 

Directions: 

Wash and soak the beans overnight* in ample amounts of water (3-4 times the amount of beans). You can add a dash of salt here (some people do), but in my opinion it only slows the osmosis of water into the bean and I just use plain water. Put all ingredients, except for the milk, in the crock pot, and about 3 cups of cold water and cook on high for about 5 to 6 hours. The tomatoes and onions will cook down so don't worry about how they're diced. A course chop is all that's needed. Occasionally stir the pot during this time, and add more water if needed. About an hour or so before dinner, add soy milk, stir well and reduce heat to low. Garnish with pepper and Coriander leaves. I served it over Turmeric Spice Rice, and with Chapatis. Alongside, I also served a Cucumber and Red Onion Salad ... thinly sliced cukes and onions, with salt and lemon/lime juice. 

Nik's Reaction: Although he's loved dal-chawal (Lentils and rice) in the past, he wasn't in the mood for it this time. He enjoyed the Turmeric Spice Rice I made, and had some of Mutter Paneer Bhurji with a buttered, rolled-up Chapati.

Tony & Alex's Reaction: Both ate voraciously. I think Alex had 4 chapatis and at least 4 servings of dal-chawal ... teenagers!! Overall, this meal is always a hit with the Coder men!

* I've even made this recipe without soaking overnight and it works just as well if you leave the crock pot on high throughout! 

Rajma Chawal (Red Beans & Rice)

Last night was all about home cooked comfort foods and simple desserts. We had an old favorite in the Coder household ... Red Beans & Rice (राजमा चावल) and Honeydew melon for dessert. I've posted the recipe before, so here's the link. 

Rajma Chawal

Since, T likes some meat with his meals, I sautéed some sliced smoked sausage separately and when both sausage and the rajma were done, I poured a couple of ladle-fulls of rajma on top of the sausage and let it simmer for just a couple of minutes. 

.. now which piece should I eat!!

Nik's Reaction: As usual, he's a big fan of rice. He ate almost all his entire serving of rice and beans and then ate his full of honeydew ... !! Overall, a dinner that was a hit with Daddy, and Mommy & Nik too!! 

Saag Beans (Spinach and Beans)

Here's another recipe for comfort food from the Indian subcontinent. Saag (made with any kind of green leafy vegetable) is a staple during the winter months. A lot of people associate "saag" only with Spinach although Dill (soya), Fenugreek leaves (methi), Mustard Greens (sarson), Turnip Greens (kadam ka saag) and Radish Greens (mooli) are all used quite routinely in North Indian cooking.  Saag is often eaten with rice, or with Makki ki roti (flat corn bread).

Saag Beans

Prep Time: 20 minutes with a pressure cooker; 40 minutes on the stove;

Ingredients:

1. 1 pack frozen black eyed peas
2. 1 can of dark red kidney beans
3. 1 cup fresh or frozen baby spinach
4. 1 large fresh tomato, or 1 can of diced tomatoes
5. 1 small red onion, diced
6. 1 can Low Sodium Vegetable broth
7. 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
8. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
9. 1 tsp ground cumin or cumin seeds
10. 1 tsp ground coriander seeds
11. 2-4 bay leaves
12. 1-2 tsp garam masala, or curry powder.
13. salt, black pepper and red chilli powder, to taste. 

Directions:

In a pressure cooker, or stock pot, heat a third of the vegetable broth to a rolling boil. Reduce heat and mix in ginger-garlic paste and all dry spices. Bring back to a slow boil, add remaining ingredients. Cover and pressure cook for 10-15 minutes, or simmer in a pot for 25-30 min.   I served mine over a small bed of  brown basmati rice. Umm Umm Good!

Rajma Chawal (Red/Black beans & Rice)

The first snow in Central Ohio. Tony wanted to have Chili (how blah!). So i decided to introduce li'l Nik Coder to a tried and tested Punjabi staple for cold Sundays ... 'Rajma Chawal' .. or simply put 'Red/Black beans & Rice'.

Rajma Chawal

Total Prep Time: About 20-30 min.

Ingredients:

1) 2 cans* of red/black beans, drained and rinsed (Rajma).

2) 1 tbsp ginger/garlic paste**

3) 1 6 oz can of tomato paste (or a fresh medium tomato, puree'd).

4) 1 small bay leaf

5) 3 small whole green cardamoms

6) 1 tbsp Garam Masala***

7) 2 cups basmati rice (chawal).

8) 1 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds

9) 1-2 tsps cooking oil (olive, canola, vegetable!)

10) 1 medium/large red onion, diced.

11) salt to taste.

Directions:

Li'l Nik Coder LOVED it!!! 

In a deep pot, saute onion in cooking oil until it begins to brown at the edges. Add ginger garlic paste, mix well and add in tomatoes. Saute for another couple of minutes and then add beans. Mix well, bring to a boil and add 2 cups of hot water and all remaining spices (except the cumin which i like to add to the rice). Mix well and allow to simmer on the back burner.

In a separate pot, boil rice and 1 tsp cumin seeds in ample water. Drain. Serve Rajma Chawal in a bowl, pour rajma over the rice!!!

For the weak of heart, the mild heat of the garam masala can be toned down with a dollop of sour cream, or plain low-fat yogurt. Enjoy!!!

Footnotes:

* I used canned beans. If you want to use dry beans they will need to be soaked overnight and then pressure cooked for at least 30-40 min. in advance of anything else.

**  Available at most Indian stores, or you can use fresh ginger and garlic, diced.

*** Available at most Indian stores; Fortunately :) I use a homemade version my mom sends from India.