Crock pot Chili

Today shall be a day for cooking. I love cooking, and since I've got nothing to do but study, and play soccer later, I thought I'd cook up a storm! I made (non-vegan) french toast for breakfast. And I'm making almond nut butter cup cakes later today. I will post a recipe for that. For now...

I’m in the “get rid of food and use what you have and spend less money” mode. So I threw together this one pot chili from some leftovers and a bit of fresh vegetables.

Crock pot veggie chili

1 can red beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 large can (any heat) salsa (I used Pace brand) + a bit of leftover salsa
1 small zucchini, cut into quarter chunks
1 package fresh mushrooms (no idea what variety they were)
10 baby carrots, cut into bite sized chunks
½ package veggie crumbles (I used Yves brand)
left-over (frozen) rice
1/2 bag frozen fiesta mix (corn, black beans, onions, green and red peppers)
6 oz can tomato paste
water to allow for absorption


Dump everything into a crock pot and cook on low all day. If you’re in a hurry you can also cook it on high. Everything’s pretty much pre-cooked anyway, the flavors just need to blend together.

Quinoa and Lentils

I had made this some time ago and froze it for the time when I was low on cash and motivation. Now was the time. It turned out quite tastey still after being frozen! Hurrah!

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup dry lentils (I used brown)
8 oz fresh muchrooms, chopped (I used rehydrated oyster mushrooms)
~1 cup water
Bunch of spinach(remember it reduces when cooked)

1. Cook lentils in a pot w/ vegetable broth as directed on package (~15 minutes for red)
2. Saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms - mix in quinoa - cook 5 minutes
3. Add above to pot w/ lentils - cover and cook 20 minutes.
4. Add water as needed so mixture doesn't stick.
5. Remove from heat. Shred spinach and gently mix into pot. Cover and sit for 5 minutes.