Brooke Van Gory's Vegan Chili

Since the weather here in Chicago is suddenly really snowy, and bitter cold, my family likes to revert back to soups and stews for dinners. This is not only a huge comfort food situation, but it is also really awesome when you have kids busy in sports and activities that have you running all over at dinner time. Now, I am going to admit it here. My "normal" chili this recipe is not. My regular recipe is chalk full of meat, takes a full 14 hours to make, and is award winning, so I will never give up it's secrets. ;) Surprisingly enough, however, this quick vegan recipe is the chili my carnivore husband PREFERS now. Go figure.

Ingredients:
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans black beans
(If you are hardcore like me, you use your pressure cooker, and make em yourself, but sometimes, I used canned for time)
1/2 a package Morningstar Farms ground "beef" crumbles
1/2 an onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 cans diced canned tomatoes
1 can Rotel tomato/chili mix
2 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Mexican Orageno
salt and pepper to taste

This is also really cost effective, because you can get TWO full meals out of one bag of Morningstar Farms crumbles. So serving for serving, this whole meal costs less then 2$ a serving. ;)

Toss the onions, garlic, and crumbles in a pan, and "brown" them until the onions are cooked. In the same pan, add in the cans of tomatoes and Rotel (drained first) and the seasonings. Rinse the beans, then toss them in there, too. Cook for 10 minutes on medium, stirring occasionally. The tomatoes will reduce nicely.

Serve in a nice crock. We like to add in goodies at the end like shredded cheese, sour cream, and oyster crackers. Personally, I like my chili with a slice of crusty bread! :D

Brooke is the owner and seamstress at Brooke Van Gory Designs. She lives in The Chicago suburbs with her two kiddos, and her rock star husband! You can shop BVG here, and follow her on Google+ here.