Vegetarian Chili

Lately I've been trying to cut down on my meat consumption in a bid to be a bit healthier for summer. I also like the challenge of having to adjust my existing recipes to work without beef or chicken. In doing so, I've been really impressed with the vegetarian meat substitutes available in the supermarkets around me. I'll definitely be popping back to try some more of them soon!

Vegetarian mince

Celery and Onion

Defrosted mince soaking up the stock

For this chili, I used Quorn's mince. I really think it's a great option because it's so similar to actual beef mince. Sam said if I hadn't told him, he wouldn't have noticed a difference... pretty high compliment! In a bid to make it further resemble normal mince, I popped it in a pan with a little water and a beef stock cube and left it to soak up the stock. Because of that step, I wouldn't say this is technically a vegetarian dish but you could easily skip it or use a vegetarian approved stock cube instead.

Peppers and garlic join the pot

Adding the mince

Everything ready to simmer 

Because I'm using the vegetarian mince, I upped the veggies and spices to help make it tastier. The mince has a slightly softer texture than beef so I topped it with some extra celery to give it a little crunch. I also made a quick pico de gallo and added some olives, green onions and cheese. Delicious! Finally, I'm putting 20 minutes as the cook time but the longer you leave it to simmer, the better!

Finished dish!

Prep TIme: 10 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

300g Quorn mince

1 beef stock cube

100ml water

2 sticks of celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp chilies, chopped

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika 

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can red kidney beans, drained

Toppings: pico de gallo, sour cream, green onion, olives, and celery. 

Method: 

In a small sauce pan, add 100ml of water and the beef stock cube. When the stock is ready, add the Quorn mince and stir to defrost and allow the stock to coat the mince. 

In a larger pan, saute the celery, onion, garlic and bell pepper in a splash of olive oil. When the vegetables have softened, add the mince and spices and cook over medium heat until the spices are fragrant. Finally, add the tomatoes and beans, and leave to simmer for at least ten minutes. Top with cheddar cheese, sour cream, salsa, green onions, olives and celery. Enjoy!