40 Day Vegan (Day 23)

Ohhhh was today ever a good day.  Ran out of coffee and the mail carrier has yet to deliver Mom's package from Brazil, so I tried a new kind.  Melita's Vienna Roast with Silk hazelnut cream was very tasty. 

Jean made some banana muffins the other day from some very ripe bananas and I was starting to feel sorry for myself.  So I found this great recipe for which I happened to have all the ingredients on hand AND it was super simple.  It is so delicious and goes perfectly with the vegan chili. 

Photo by Bgrace

Here is how you make it:
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, mix the wet ingredients in a different bowl.  Gently combine. Bake in oven at 350 degrees at least 70 minutes...check to make sure the middle is done.  Cover with foil if over browning.

Dry Ingredients:
1 C shredded coconut (I like sweetened)
1C sugar
1/2 t baking powder
1 1/2 C self rising flour

Wet Ingredients:
1 1/2 C bananas mashed
1 C coconut milk
1 tsp.vanilla

Now I didn't plan on making chili today, but I had a hankering for something salty this morning and so I pulled out some potato odds and ends--a few russet, a few red--and sliced them really thick.  I coated them with a good amount of olive oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.  Bake them at 375 until tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.  About 40 minutes.  Toss them halfway through to make sure they get crispy on both sides. 
So I pulled them out of the oven around 10 AM and they were divine.  I dipped them in salsa...and that got me thinking that I needed some chili.  I hadn't actually made vegan chili before but I was pretty sure I could just adjust my regular recipe. 

This is really fantastic.  Remember those beans I showed you how to make in your crock pot?  Pull out your leftovers.  This makes a fabulous base for your chili.  I had made black beans, so I dumped them in, added a can of white and a can of dark red kidney beans, undrained.  Then I added a large can of diced tomatoes, a half bag of frozen corn, about 1/2 C. chunky salsa, a couple slices of onion and a little more salt, pepper, and cumin (about 1 teaspoon).  I threw in about 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper--you can always add more later if you want it spicier.  Cook on high for a couple hours until it is hot and bubbly. (And if you want meat by all means throw it in.)
Now here is the fun part.  This is how they serve soup in the fun restaurants.  Take those potato slices you have left over and build a little tower in the center of your soup bowl.  If you're serving company, this is what you would put on their place setting.  Then ladle or pour the chili around it.  Top with chives and you can dollop with vegan sour cream (which I did after I took the picture).

I am planning on indulging in this a couple times today...I may throw in a salad and a juice popsicle later.