Vegetarian Chipotle Chili with Jalapeño Corn Bread Crumbles

Dear New Yorkers, It's Supposed to Be Cold in January.

New York City has had an unusually warm winter. Temperatures have remained consistently in the mid 40s, we've even had a few days in the low 50s. However, during the last couple of weeks we've had a handful of days below freezing and even seen a little snow (also known as... weather typical to the North East region in the month of January).

If you were to overhear a conversation about the recent weather on the subway, or at the water cooler, the gym, the nail salon, or any of the gazillion places in NYC designed for eavesdropping; you would rightfully assume the entire city must have been suddenly and alarmingly transplanted to Antarctica.

This morning I was walking behind a group of teenagers on their way to school. I overheard one of the girls say to her friend, "GURL, it's RIdiculous out here!!!"
Gurl friend responded, "RIGHT?! Even my SCALP is cold".
Needless to say, said teenage girl was sans hat.

I'm sorry to have to be the one to break the news, my darling fellow New Yorkers, but it's likely going to be cold here for many, many... many more weeks. My recommendation? Go put on your incredibly precocious & impractical gorgeous designer coats and assorted winter accessories, and march yourself to the grocery store to stock your shelves with the ingredients for this hearty, healthy chili. Guaranteed to warm your extremities, even after your long 6 minute walk to the subway.

Vegetarian Chipotle Chili with Jalapeno Corn Bread Crumbles
(Adapted from a recipe I cut off a Boca burger box in 2002 & the Canyon Ranch cook book)

Chili
Ingredients:

2 red peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1onion, chopped
2 clovesgarlic, minced
2 tsp.olive oil
1 can(15 oz.)black beans, drained
1 can(15 oz.) chili beans (pinto beans) in sauce
1 can(15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can(14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup frozen corn
1 pkg. (12 oz.) meatless ground crumbles (these are found either in the produce section, or the frozen section of a grocery store)
1/4 cup (or less, but I wouldn't do more) chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 
1 Tbsp.chili powder
1/2 tsp.ground cumin

Preparation:

Heat oil in large saucepan. Stir in peppers, onions and garlic on medium-high heat for 3 min.

Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Bring to boil; simmer on medium-low heat 30 min., stirring occasionally.

*Note: This chili, like most chili recipes, freezes VERY well and I always split it in half. Some for now to enjoy while sitting on the couch, with a big comfy blanket, absorbed in bad TV and watching the snow fall outside. And some the next time I'm feeling really lazy and don't want to cook.

Corn Bread Crumbles
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Pinch sea salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or corn based margarine, softened
1 large egg
6 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons dry fat free milk
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon finely diced jalapeno pepper (remove seeds for less spice)

Preparation:
1.  Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking pan with canola oil. (or two smaller pans, if you wish to freeze a loaf)
2.  In a large bowl combine sugar, corn syrup, salt, butter, egg and water. When mixed, add the dry ingredients, careful not to over mix.
3.  Transfer batter into prepared baking pans. Bake for 35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted in the middle, and the tops of breads are lightly browned.
4.  Remove from oven, cool.
5.  Makes 24 pieces. (This serving size is intended for crumbling, if you wish to eat it as a slice of bread, it makes 12.)

Potato & Tempeh Fajitas

Hold the Jamon Por Favor!

Let me start by saying that our honeymoon ROCKED. It was quintessentially "us" and we had a phenomenal journey through South America. Over the course of 17  days we hiked, cuddled, canoed, and smiled our way through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. Give me a million dollar travel budget and I wouldn't change a thing.

During our travels we had three or four truly phenomenal, unique meals. (Yes dear reader, I DID try a bite of my hubby's steak in Buenos Aires, and yes dear reader it was alarmingly good.) However, the other 47 or 48 meals were..um..less than awesome.

Breakfasts consisted of Wonder Bread (sometimes there was a toaster, sometimes there wasn't) with dulce de leche or jam, sickeningly sweet yogurt, Tang (yes. Tang.) slices of processed cheese and ham, and a brown liquid substance they referred to as "coffee".

Lunch, more often than not, was 2 pieces of white bread with ham and cheese. No mustard, no mayo. I spend a significant portion of our trip peeling ham OUT of my sandwiches.

Dinners were a little more varied, but with the exception of the three or four meals I already mentioned, NONE of them included vegetables! You can FORGET about whole grains... I think their cows eat better than they do!

So while our blissful newlywed hearts may have wanted to stay on our trip forever, our digestive systems were QUITE ready to go home.

Potato & Tempeh Fajitas

(From the beautiful Canyon Ranch cook book)

                                        

Ingredients:

• 2 medium russet potatoes sliced thin
• 1.5 teaspoons chili powder
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 bell pepper, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces, and seeded)
• 8oz tempeh
• 4 whole wheat tortillas
• Salsa
• Guacamole
• 0% Greek Yogurt (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400F

Mist a baking sheet with oil or non-stick cooking spray. Arrange the potato slices on the baking sheet and spray again.  Combine all of the spices in a bowl, mix well, and sprinkle over the potatoes - reserving a spoonful for the tempeh.

Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until browned.

Mist a skillet, add the pepper, tempeh and reserved spices - cook until the peppers are tender and the tempeh is hot.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and divide  onto each of the 4 tortillas. Do the same with peppers and tempeh. Top with salsa, guac, & yogurt.

Appreciate every single bite of flavorful whole grainy, vegetarian proteiny goodness.

Apple and Cheese Soup

Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My!

When I was a young teenager, my family took a trip to Africa.  Please do not get the wrong impression of my family. Decently cultured and open minded? Yes. Jet-setters? Far from it. 97% of the vacations we took in my childhood were to Pennsylvania to visit my grandparents.

And yet, off we went to Africa.

Our two weeks in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Zambia prompted my first foray into vegetarianism. I couldn't stand the idea of gazing upon gorgeous gazelles, zebras and giraffes during the day...and feasting on them at night. But not my Dad. He employed the "when in Rome" philosophy, and tried to appreciate everything that was put in front of him including, at one point, a giant worm. (Deep fried, but still!) If I recall correctly he remarked that it, "tasted like chicken".

I don't remember my reaction to these dinners particularly well, but I'd have to guess that I was incredibly polite, delicate and unopinionated.

Oh. No. That can't be right. More likely I made super classy gagging noises and mimed barfing.

This was not the first time I'd been like, WAY grossed-out by something my Dad willingly ingested. He has a favorite lunch (a concoction he's enjoyed since his own childhood) that to this day I simply can't stomach. Want to guess?

Nope, not ramen. Nor is it EZ-Mac. Hungry-man dinner? Sorry, wrong again! 

Ready? He fills a big cereal bowl with Cheez-its, and then mixes in a hearty serving of apple sauce and proceeds to eat the whole thing with a spoon. Sometimes there's peanut-butter involved.

He argues that I've never actually TRIED his infamous concoction, and that it may well be that my taste buds are simply not as sophisticated as his refined senses.

Perhaps, but my opinion remains unchanged.

Gag. Barf.

Apple & Cheese Soup
(Adapted from this recipe in Food Network Magazine)

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, Diced

2 medium apples, peeled cored & diced

1 large white potato, pealed & diced

1 1/2 cups chopped peeled butternut squash

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/3 cup apple cider

3 cups low-sodium chicken or veggie broth (if the soup is too thick for your tastes, add more)

1/2 cup 1% milk

3/4 cup grated extra-sharp reduced fat cheddar cheese

3/4 cup grated smoked or aged Gouda

Directions

• Spread squash & potatoes on a cookie sheet, spray with olive oil & sprinkle with salt and pepper
• Roast at 400F for 30 minutes
• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat
• Add the onion, apples, potato and squash
• Season with salt and pepper and cook until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in the sage and flour.
• Add the cider and cook over high heat, stirring, until thickened.
• Add the broth and milk, cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the potato & squash are completely soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the cheese to the soup and stir over medium-low heat until melted.
• Puree in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth; season with salt and pepper
• Cozy up with your bowl of soup and feel justified in being JUST as sophisticated as the Doc.
• Now help me brainstorm ways to apologize for this blog...