Hearty Veg Chili

I've made this recipe dozens of times... very easy, quick, filling, healthy, cheesy, heavy, satisfying, like... totally fart-worthy.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained about
1 cup of TVP (soy protein mince)
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn
shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese

1. First, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, corn, jalapeno peppers, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the TVP. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.

2. Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 40 minutes. Add the cheese, stir in and serve.
(optional): sprinkle fresh coriander or basil, parmesan cheese to top


Drink of choice: Terrazas de los Andes, Malbec 2006


"In Zen, they say: If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, try it for eight, sixteen, thirty-two and so on. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all but very interesting." -John Cage, _Silence: Lectures and Writings_

Tom Yum Gung Noodle Soup

THAI TOM YUM NOODLE SOUP

I know there hasn't been a lot of theory or recipes going on lately but us Cooksters have been busy on all sides of the world... Just made this tonight with my bro, turned out pretty well so I thought I'd post it.

for 3 ppl
-1.5 cup vegetable broth
-Tom Yum soup paste (a kind of lemongrass + chili concentrate)
-lime leaves or 1/4 slice of a lime
-1 pack of firm tofu, cut into cubes
-vegetables (can be any of the following, but not all coz it'll obviously overdo it): shiitake mushrooms, enoki (long thin white) mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, carrots, green onions, red + yellow pepper, and/or bamboo shoots.
-1-2 cloves diced garlic
-fish or soy sauce
-1 can of coconut milk

for noodles:
-Typically you use rice noodles, which in case you would put into the soup between steps 1 and 2 below. I prefer using thin somen-like wheat noodles-- which in case you need to cook separately from the soup (boil water and cook for only 6-8 minutes!).

for toppings:
-fresh chili (if you like the burning feeling)
-chopped coriander
-crushed peanuts


1. Fry 2TB of Tom Yum paste for approx. 5 mins in sesame or vegetable oil. Then, slowly pour in vegetable broth and heat together on med high heat for about 5-8 mins. Add the minced garlic and tofu (I put the tofu in at this stage to absorb the broth).

2. Add the vegetables and turn heat on high. Squeeze the lime juice over the veg, or just throw those lime leaves in. After about 10 mins of stirring and cooking on high, taste the broth-- if its too thin, add more paste; if its too spicy, don't fret... leave it be...(coconut milk will dull it a lot later). Cook another 5-7 mins or so.

3. Add the coconut milk and a teaspoon of fish/soy sauce. Stir for another 5 mins, add more paste for spice as desired.

4. To finish off: in a large noodle bowl, add the desired amount of noodles and Tom Yum soup mixture. Top with a healthy portion of cilantro, and sprinkle an equally healthy portion of crushed peanuts over.

Enjoy!!

P.S. And the drink of choice tonight was Sapporo Beer.