Vegetarian Chili

This is my vegetarian version of the famous Wick Fowler’s chili, which can be made from the original recipe (which calls for the boxed mix), from the many copycat recipes online (like this or this, or this or this) or from the current instructions appearing on the boxed mix. I’ve tweaked the recipe to suit my tastes and to make it work with beans or soy crumbles. You could also use real ground beef (use 2 lbs.), but you will need to take extra time to brown the ground beef and drain off excess fat.

Wick Fowler, in case you are curious, was a journalist, war correspondent and chili aficionado.  He started selling his chili mix in 1964, a few years before helping to start an annual chili cook-off in Texas which ended up eventually morphing into two cook-offs (the convoluted history of the Terlingua chili cook-offs, both the original Terlingua Championship and that of the Chili Appreciation Society International can be found here).

Real chili aficionados would be appalled by the idea of a vegetarian chili, especially one seasoned as mildly as mine. All the same, my family and friends love this recipe.

Vegetarian Moussaka

I saw a very appetizing recipe in Weight Watcher’s Magazine for what looked like a vegetarian moussaka (Creamy Greek Veggie Bake). I changed around the recipe, changing the filling into more of a veggie chili (I added beans, lots of tomato paste and seasoned with oregano and cumin instead of cinnamon and allspice). I also added some olive oil into the bechamel sauce that goes on top of the dish.

I love the contrast of the chunky filling with the creamy eggplant, but the filling can be made and served on its own as a vegetarian chili (perhaps in little filo shells with a dollop of sour cream as an appetizer, like the Susie Fishbein Chili Bites KBD Short on Time).

I haven’t tried it yet, but I bet the moussaka could be made dairy-free (speaking of Susie Fishbein, see this dairy-free moussaka topping).
UPDATE: I made this dairy-free just by leaving out the bechamel, and it is excellent that way. What makes the dish is the contrast of the creamy smooth eggplant with the chunky veggie chili.

Three Easy Pieces: A Three Casserole Tex-Mex Party Meal

I can be quite lazy when it comes to cooking, wanting maximum results for minimum efforts.

Here is my almost fail-safe and easy menu for dairy meals: mac-n-cheese, bean chili, and yellow rice. All three dishes can be made quickly, and well ahead of serving. I put each in a casserole dish (9×13) for reheating and fill out the meal in different ways to change around the meal a bit.

For a large party, I serve these three easy pieces with cornbread, quacamole, salsa, and tortilla chips, plus lots of salad. The foil pans of chili, rice and mac-n-cheese go into chafing dishes to stay hot.

For a smaller meal (and you could do this for the large party, too), I serve guacamole, salsa, salad, tortilla shells and soft flour tortillas, plus taco sauces and condiments.

I used to serve a Mexican lasagna with this meal, but it is not necessary.