Vegetarian Chili Recipe - Quick and Delicious

Before the kids came along, we used to have an after - Christmas party with all of our friends that we usually didn't get to see during the holiday rush of family and travel, and we always served our vegetarian chili. Even the meat eaters asked for the recipe, which was embarrassing because it is so simple. Our 5-year-old likes it, but it is still a little too much for our 2-year-old, so we give her mostly the accompanying rice with a little chili and cheese mixed in.

After-Christmas Chili

Vegetarian ground beef crumbles equivalent to 1-pound *
2 cans Chili Magic or Chili Beans or other brand Chili Starter that includes beans and spices
2 cans Ro-Tel original or milder diced tomatoes
See below for rice and toppings

Brown crumbles in canola oil. NOTE: vegetarian crumbles do not brown like ground beef, but will get heated through and require more oil than ground beef. Add Chili Magic, add tomatoes, heat through.

Serve over brown or white rice. Top with shredded cheese, onions, jalepenos, or any other desired topping.

*different brands of crumbles have different amounts that create one pound. My favorite brand is Quorn.

Enjoy!

Healthy Soup Recipe for the Whole Family

I've seen several posts regarding resolutions to make healthy meals for the family this year. So, I decided to share my favorite quick, easy, healthy recipe that is my 5-year-old's favorite, even over pizza. It uses tofu, which kids really surprisingly love because the texture is easy for them to handle, and if you season it adults love it too. This is also a very versatile recipe. Should feed a family of four or five easily. Add bread or a salad if you want, or it is fine all on its own.

Easy Udon Soup

1 block of tofu
3 tablespoons (more or less) miso paste (see note)
1 cube of low sodium vegetable bouillon or Dashi stock
1/2 package of Udon or whole grain Udon noodles
any desired frozen vegetables

Boil water, as much as you think will feed your family (obviously I'm not a professional recipe maker), I use about half of a 3-quart pot for the four of us.

put the miso paste in a small bowl and ladle some boiling water into the bowl. use a spoon to dissolve the paste before adding the paste into the pot of boiling water.

add the Udon noodles and frozen veggies (check time requirement on the frozen veggies to make sure, Udon noodles are done in 5 minutes or so but unlike regular pasta they don't go soggy if you cook them longer) to the boiling miso water. Add the veggie bouillon cube or Dashi stock cube.

cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces (or my 2-year-old prefers hand sized pieces). add to the
pot.

Soup is ready when heated through and all miso and stock is dissolved.

NOTE: Miso comes in many flavors. We all like mellow white miso, but try red miso for a more pungent flavor. You can use less miso and more stock if you are watching your sodium intake.

You really can't go wrong with this recipe. You can puree the veggies first if your kids don't go for them. I've never tried rice, but you could probably use leftover rice instead of the noodles. Leftovers are better the next day. You can also add Red Chili Paste or crushed red pepper if you like spicy foods. I find all the ingredients in my local supermarket, and you can almost always find organic too.

Good luck and let me know how you like it!