This is spicy. No, really. You’ve been warned.

Here’s the good news though: at least in my opinion (and the opinion of those who’ve tried it), this chili is spicy in the best way. There is definitely some intense heat, but that’s followed up by a really, really good flavor. I swear it kind of has three totally different tastes. The initial blast of heat, the rich flavor after that and kind of a sweet aftertaste. Pretty impressive for a soup.

I snatched this recipe from Kathy Patalsky‘s way popular vegan blog, Healthy. Happy. Life. She created it for use in a chili cookoff, which is what I needed it for as well. I made a few small changes to the original recipe and I’ve included some important notes that I would definitely consider if you decide to give this a try – and you should! Who cares if it takes you all night to make it (it will!)? It freezes!

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, this was the only vegan entry in my office chili cookoff and it came in a very close third (out of 8 or 9 ish?). Not too shabby.

Spicy Vegan Chili
Recipe courtesy of Healthy. Happy. Life.

Ingredients

A) Roasted Veggie Tray
1 small poblano pepper, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 small jalapeno pepper, diced (seeds removed)
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1 large carrot, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced (about 3/4 cups)
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp garlic powder
drizzle of agave syrup

B) Veggie/Protein Pot, then Roast
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tbs Earth Balance
2-3 tbs molasses
3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
3/4 cup red onion, diced
2-3 Field Roast Chipotle Sausages, diced
1 1/4 cups celery, chopped
3/4 cups red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup canned sweet corn, drained
2 tbs olive oil
1-2 canned chipotles in adobo
1-2 tsp adobo sauce from can

C) Tomato Base*
4 cups canned fire-roasted tomatoes
1 tsp salt
2 tbs chili powder (or to taste)
1 chipotle in adobo
dash cayenne
2 tbs agave syrup
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 dark chocolate espresso squares
1 lime, squeezed and zested (about 2 tsp zest)
1 bay leaf (remove after simmering)

D) Beans
1 lbs kidney beans (dried)
1/2 lb pinto beans (dried)
7-15 cups water
8 cups veggie broth
1 tbs sea salt
-reserve 3+ cups of soaking liquid

E) Garnish
Daiya cheddar shreds
Lime cream

*The ratio of tomato base to stuff here is a little on the dry side. Before I froze the leftovers, I made a 1/2 batch of additional base and added it to the remainder. It helped a lot. I think I’d go ahead and do this to start with next time. It’s a matter of taste, I suppose.

Note: I used fresh, organic ingredients wherever possible. Just, FYI.

Directions

• If possible, prepare chili one day ahead of time and reheat in oven or stove to get the best flavor
• Soak beans in the mixture of veg broth and salted water overnight (at least 12 hours) or fast-soak
• Drain beans, reserve 3 cups of soaking liquid
• Prep veggies for your entire recipe (chop, dice, peel, etc.)
• Arrange your roasting veggies (A) on a baking sheet and toss with seasoning ingredients. Roast in oven at 400°F until caramelized (about 30 min)
• Meanwhile, toss all your pot/roast veggies (B) into a large pot over high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Cover with lid and allow to continue simmering on low for another 20 min. Finally, toss these veggies on a large baking sheet and roast for another 20 min.
• To a large pot, add the roasted veggies (A) and the soaked beans (D). You can also add about 1-2 cups reserved soaking liquid. How much you use depends on how tender your beans are at this point. If they’re still hard, you’ll need more liquid. Simmer this mixture on very low heat, covered.
• Meanwhile, in a sauce pot, add all the tomato base ingredients (C). Bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat, uncovered at least 15 min.
• When the tomato base is reduced a bit, add it to your main chili pot with the veggies and the beans and add in your (B) mixture from the oven
• Stir well, cover and simmer on low for 1+ hours (the longer, the better – mine simmered for ~5 hours)
• Garnish and serve immediately or chill and reheat the next day

Yield: 3.5 quarts

I realize we’re a little past peach season at this point, but that’s what bookmarks are for, right?

This is the last recipe from our recent vacation and while the filling is good, the real standout element here is the crust. This is Kim Barnouin‘s pie dough recipe from Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook and it is fantastic. It’s great for any fruit pie or even a veggie pot pie, as she recommends. It makes a very “sturdy” crust that still manages to remain light and flaky. If you’re planning an apple pie for Thanksgiving this year, I’d highly recommend giving this dough a try.

Vegan Peach Pie
Recipe Courtesy of Jolinda Hackett & Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

Filling Ingredients

• 6 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
• 3 tbs all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 2 tbs cold Earth Balance, cut into small pieces
• 1 tbs soy milk
• 1 tsp sugar

Dough Ingredients

• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 14 tbs ice water
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening

Directions

• Mix together the flour and salt for dough in a large bowl
• In a glass measuring cup, add 1/2 cup of the cold water, then add the vegetable shortening to equal 2 cups of water and shortening combined. Lightly pack the shortening to remove air bubbles and then scoop out the shortening from the measuring cup with a spoon and add the flour mixture, discarding the water
• Using a pastry cutter, cut the shortening into the flour mixture until small flaky dough balls start to form. Add the 14 tbs of ice water, one tbs at a time and continue mixing
• Add additional tbs of water if the dough seems too hard. Chill the dough in the fridge if it’s too soft. Divide dough into to two equal portions and roll into balls
• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the peaches in boiling water for just a few seconds, then carefully remove. This should make removal of peach skins easy. Peel and slice peaches
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, nutmeg and allspice for the filling with the peaches, tossing to coat
• Roll out the first ball of dough and place in a 9 in. pie pan
• Spread filling into the pan and drop cut Earth Balance onto the mixture
• Roll out the second ball of dough and place over the top of the pan. Trim any extra dough and then press the edges to seal, crimping with a fork or pinching closed with your fingers
• Brush the top of your pie with soy milk and sprinkle with sugar
• Make about 6, 1/2 in. cuts in the top crust to release steam during baking
• Bake for about 1 hr, or until pie is bubbling

If you’re from St. Louis, you’re familiar with The Jewel Box in Forest Park. It’s one of the most beautiful spots in the park and is a frequent and popular site for weddings in the city.

Just outside the entrance to this lovely glass structure sits a large Koi pond. If you happened to be attending a wedding here last weekend, you’re sure to remember it. Not because it was particularly beautiful against the backdrop of the changing leaves but because it was drained – with the fish still in it.

Yeah, that’s right. The parks department decided that it was time to drain the pond for the winter and simply left the dozens of fish still living in it to flail around, gasping for breath on the concrete bottom until they died.

Fortunately, a handful of them were spared this cruel and horrible death by the wedding photographer that happened to be on site last Saturday who spent every free minute she could find trying to rescue the fish that were still alive. A few of them are even lucky enough to call a new tank in her house home.

To that photographer, Alecia Hoyt, thank you for your kindness. To the fellow photographer, Kelly Manno, who was so outraged by this cruelty that she thoughtfully recorded the events of the day and wrote about them on her blog, thank you for taking the time to speak up about something that is so clearly wrong. To my photographer friend, Stevie, thank you for bringing the whole hideous situation to my attention.

As for the parks department, I have harsher words for you:

To drain a pond with absolutely no regard for the fish that live in it is beyond irresponsible and cruel. It is heartless. If you can’t be bothered to care for the fish that you put in the pond, do not put fish in the pond. There is simply no excuse for not removing the fish before the water was drained for the season. Regardless, I’d really, really like an explanation. More than that, I want a guarantee that this will not happen again.

If you’re from the area, please contact Mayor Slay’s office to voice your disapproval (respectfully, of course) and demand more responsible and considerate future policies. If you also happen to be engaged and considering a Forest Park venue, I’d recommend exploring some of the many other gorgeous locales the city has to offer. At least you’ll be assured that your wedding guests won’t be horrified by the sight of a few dozen dead/dying animals as they walk in the door.

P.S. I also know a few good wedding photographers…

The St. Louis Walk for Farm Animals is this weekend! You busy?

This year I’ve pulled together a little group to walk as the Usually Vegan team and we’d love for you to join us! If you register before Saturday, the cost is a mere $15. Saturday morning the price jumps to $35, so sign up now and save some bank!

If you’d rather spend your Saturday morning sleeping in (and believe me, I feel ya on that one), you can visit our fundraising page to make a donation in support of Farm Sanctuary‘s incredible work without missing out on your beauty sleep.

We hope to see you there!

This was another new recipe I tested out while we were on vacation a few weeks ago. Clearly, I found it quite difficult to photograph. That’s ok though, because it was yummy.

The one thing about this that I should mention is that it does not reheat well – or, at all really. The chips turn into soggy city. So, make this when you have several people to feed or are just really hungry!

Vegan Mexican Casserole
Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light

Ingredients

4 tsp olive oil, divided
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 (12 oz) package meatless crumbles
48 baked tortilla chips
cooking spray
1 (15 oz) can beans of choice, rinsed and drained
1 tbs fresh lime juice
2 cups chopped, seeded plum tomatoes
2 tbs minced fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded Follow Your Heart Monterey Jack cheese
2 tbs chopped green onions
1 recipe, lime cream (optional)
1/4 cup sliced olives (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Heat 2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook 4 min. or until tender
• Add garlic and jalapeno; cook 1 min. Stir in chili powder, cumin, pepper and crumbles, cook 3 min or until thoroughly heated
• Arrange half of tortilla chips in an 11×7 in. baking dish coated with cooking spray; top evenly with crumbles mixture
• Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in skillet over medium heat. Add beans, mashing with a wooden spoon until chunky and thick; cook 2 min. or until heated, stirring constantly. Stir in lime juice
• Combine tomato and cilantro. Layer beans and tomato mixture over crumbles mixture in dish. Top with remaining chips, pressing slightly to crush
• Sprinkle evenly with cheese and bake for 13 min. or until cheese is bubbly
• Cut casserole into 6 equal pieces, top each serving with lime cream, 1 tsp onions and 2 tsp olives

Yield: Serves 6

Chef Anthony Bourdain, star of the popular culinary series No Reservations on the Travel Channel is featured in an article in the new issue of Playboy. It seems he has a strong opinion about vegetarians and vegans, the latter of whom he says this about:

“I don’t have any understanding of it. Being a vegan is a first-world phenomenon, completely self-indulgent.”

I’ve got to credit him for at least coming up with an angle I’ve never heard before. Vegans are selfish?

Forget the TV show. This guy should do stand-up!

I generally love sites like Slate and Salon. I suppose that gives you a very good idea about where I stand politically, but I don’t think that’s much of a secret anyway, right?

Both sites have a resident advice columnist and since I’m a bit of a nosy rosy, I frequent their posts. This week on Salon there was a really interesting exchange between their columnist, Cary Tennis and a reader who wrote in about a friend that “bullies” her dog. The woman was clearly very disturbed by her friend’s negligence and borderline abusive behavior towards her pet and wrote in asking for advice on how she might be able to get through to her friend to improve the circumstances of this animal (she’s tried to broach the subject several times in the past, to no avail).

Cary’s initial reply was short, semi-breezy and generally unhelpful. This is someone who regularly provides very, very insightful and long replies to his readers that are often full of philosophical musings – so I was a little bummed at his perceived dismissal of this particular question. And then yesterday, he came back with this.

Giving a brief recap of the reader’s issue, he went on to say that the letter had outraged him so fully that he’d been unable to provide a complete response and now, having had more time to think through the issue, would like to expand on his first reply.

It caused me to think a great deal not just about dogs and animal welfare but also about how rights expand and evolve in a society, and what we ought to do as people when our conscience is outraged by the behavior of a friend.

There is all kinds of beautiful and thoughtful prose about animals and our responsibility to them as humans (and animals ourselves) but his general advice boiled down to this: “Make an authentic, personal, heartfelt case for what you believe.”

The larger message in his response revolves around this same simple idea and I think he lays out an inspiring and realistic roadmap for social change using it:

Social change happens in many ways, but one primary and inescapable way is that people who are passionate and informed and courageous make personal testimony to others.

The expansion of rights begins like this, does it not? Do leaders appear fully formed with a message and a movement? Or does leadership begin in a primal moment of conscience, when someone courageously speaks from the conscience and from the heart, not to a crowd below a stage but to an intimate, a sister or brother or friend or parent? Great social ideas do not emerge fully formed; they are tested on close compatriots.

I LOVE this. It’s a great reminder that the little things really do count. Maybe you’re not Ingrid Newkirk or Wayne Pacelle, two giants of the animal welfare movement who can each claim direct responsibility for influencing thousands upon thousands of people, but your choice to have a veggie burger for lunch today just might have a real impact on the co-workers you’re sitting with – and that matters!

Maybe it’s cliche, but it’s really nice to be reminded that change starts with the small choices each of us make every day.

It’s apple season!

Last week I spent some happy time drooling over this collection of cooked apple recipes from Mark Bittman in the New York Times Magazine and promptly decided it was time for a trip to Eckert’s to pick some apples!

This first recipe is the literal fruit of that labor. I plan to try out several more of these over the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

Baked Apples with Praline
Recipe courtesy of New York Times Magazine

Ingredients

4 apples
4 tbs Earth Balance
1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Halve and core apples
• Put cut side down in a greased 9 x 13 in. pan
• Drizzle with 1 tbs melted butter and apple juice and bake for 20 min.
• Meanwhile, cook brown sugar, chopped pecans and remaining butter over low heat, stirring, until butter melts; add vanilla
• After 20 min. turn the apples, baste and top with praline mixture; bake for another 20 min.
• Remove from oven and serve immediately (with coconut ice cream, if that’s how you roll)

Yield: Serves 4-8

It’s that time of year again!

The St. Louis Walk for Farm Animals is next weekend! For anyone unfamiliar, The Walk for Farm Animals is a series of annual fundraising and outreach events that take place across the U.S. and Canada every year to benefit Farm Sanctuary.

Farm Sanctuary, of course, is a fantastic organization that works to end cruelty to farm animals and promote compassionate living through rescue, education and advocacy efforts. They actually own and operate two shelters in New York and California where hundreds of rescued animals from stockyards, factory farms and slaughterhouses come to recover from a lifetime of abuse and neglect. They are amazing and I’m thrilled to be able to do something tangible that supports their work and promotes their important message.

Last year was the first time I participated in the St. Louis walk (the first I’d heard of the Walk for Farm Animals, period) and I had a really great time, despite the crummy weather. I recruited my mother to walk with me last year and am happy to say that she’s super excited to join me again this year to walk for team usuallyvegan.com!

This year’s event really snuck up on me. I only just realized it was less than two weeks away a few days ago, so I’ve got a little catching up to do in the fundraising department!

Even if you’re not vegan (or vegetarian), Farm Sanctuary’s cause is easy to embrace. Animal welfare aside, factory farming hurts us all, but even if you eat animal products, you can (and I’d say should) still have a concern for the treatment of the animals involved. That said, if you’d be interested in supporting the cause, please visit our fundraising page to make a donation.  Better yet, if you’re free next Saturday morning, join us! The usuallyvegan team (aka: me, my husband and my mom) would be delighted to have you!

Here’s another recipe from my recent vacay menu. We were the King & Queen of sweets for breakfast last week and this one was top notch.

Like the key lime pie, this one also comes from Isa Chandra, though this time it was from one of her books, Vegan Brunch, instead of her blog. Clearly, she rocks the house.

As you might expect, this would be an excellent addition to any breakfast or brunch menu. Enjoy!

Vegan Coffee Cake
Recipe Courtesy of Vegan Brunch

Ingredients

(Topping)
1 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup canola oil, plus up to 2 tbs more, if needed

(Cake)
3/4 cup non-dairy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly grease an 8 in. round springform pan or 8 in. square pan. In a small bowl, add milk for the cake and the vinegar; set aside to curdle
• For the topping, mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small mixing bowl. Drizzle in canola oil by the tablespoon, using your fingers to swish around the mixture until crumbs form. Alternate drizzling and mixing until all the oil is used and large crumbs have formed
• For the cake, mix together the milk mixture, sugar, canola oil and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until smooth
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Evenly sprinkle on the topping and pat it down lightly
• Bake for 35 to 40 min. or until a knife inserted through the center comes out clean
• Let cool for at least an hour (or as long as you can stand) before slicing and serving