Crock Pot Cactus Corn Chili

As the holidays are now over and life is starting to get back in order, Superbowl will be fast approaching. No, I am not a fan of the Superbowl except for watching a few occasional commercials however, my hubby has made it an event for me also.  How?  Well, as the caterer. Yes, I am invited to his party since I am the personal chef in my household.

Trust me, I don't mind one bit.  Generally I'll prepare the food and once in awhile have the wives come by for a poker or card game while the men hoot and holler. It's all great fun and I love cooking and baking, but sometimes crowd cooking can be intimidating.  That's why I love one pot cooking and for the most part, this is.  You can make it, let it cook while you move on to bigger and better things...like cards!  And when the guest arrive, they can serve themselves and you can simply enjoy your friends and family instead of slaving over the stove while they are there.

So party on...

Be part of the party...

And Celebrate the good times!



Crock Pot Cactus Corn Chili

Cactus Corn Chili for a crowd~

Need: one large crock pot (mine holds 19 cups of water)

2 white onions diced

1 red pepper diced

1 green bell pepper diced

1 jalapeno diced

2 Tbs fresh garlic minced

1/4 of a lime

12 oz package of Melissa's Soyrizo

12 oz package Yves Veggie Cuisine (Veggie Ground)

7 oz can of green Ortega chile's diced

1 paddle of nopales cactus

2 ears of corn

30 oz  can Black beans

30 oz  can Pinto beans

30 oz can kidney beans

2- 28 oz cans tomato sauce

1 c water

2 Tbs Cumin

2 Tbs Chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

In a shallow pan, grill onions, red and green bell peppers, jalapeno and garlic until onions start to get translucent.  (Cooking these veggies bring out the flavors in them.)  Add to a crock pot, squeeze the 1/4 slice of lime over them and turn on high heat.  Then add soyrizo, veggie Ground, Ortega chile's, all beans and stir. At this point, your crock pot will be close to full. Add tomato sauce, water and spices. Stir and cover.

Clean and prepare Nopales Cactus by grilling it in a little oil seasoned with salt and pepper. Once the nopales is slightly turning yellow slice it into long strips but do not cut all the way through keeping it intact at the bottom, add water to the fry pan until the cactus is covered.  Boil for 3 mins, cool and dice. Add diced cactus to Crock pot and discard water, which will look slimy.  Cook on high for 1 hour and then turn down to low and cook for 4 more hours.  Right before serving, cut corn off cobs and add to chili. 

Serve with cilantro, avocado and/ or a dollop of vegan sour cream and cheddar style non-dairy shreds.

This serves a big crowd 15-20 people.  If you want it to go even further, serve a scoop of chili over a 1/2 cup of cooked noodles and you'll have a delicious Hungarian style goulash as my grandma called it.

Grilled veggies...



Grilled Nopales Cactus paddle

Here's where you insert (oooh and aaaaah and yummmm!)

Crowd pleaser for Vegans and non-vegans alike, this delicious chili has the beauty of warmth on a Cold winter day, warmth of a seat closest to the fireplace and taste that'll knock your socks off.
With this, you'll rock the next party, Superbowl or simply dinner at home for your family and you can have some the next day and freeze the rest.
Try these options too for your extra frozen chili:
Chili Spaghetti~
Thaw, heat, process in food processor and serve over spaghetti noodles and sprinkle with Hungarian paprika and Cheddar Cheese-like non dairy shreds.
Or:
Chili Cheese Chip Dip~
Food Process 1 cup thawed chili with any Teese Vegan cheese or cheese sauces like Nacho, creamy Cheddar or Cheddar Cheese, heat in microwave on stove until bubbly.  Mix in diced fresh tomatoes and  serve with Chips.  This dip is the bomb.

Teriyaki Thai Cabbage Salad

Today I was inspired to create a meal simply by glancing into my fridge and finding a beautiful head of cabbage. (Honestly, I had to create something with it or I'd simply starve!) In the past I have had Thai lettuce wraps and absolutely loved them so I decided to clean out the veggie drawer and use what I had to create this oh so tasty meal. Even my nephew, who is so pro-meat, enjoyed this a bunch! (Of course when he asked if this was a fake meat dish, I simply replied it was a vegetable dish.  So I left out the meatless ground answer for now but fessed up after receiving his compliment on how good it was! I'm so sneaky that way!)
This is how I created it but this veggie dish is a canvas that can be added to, using any veggies you'd like.

Teriyaki Thai Cabbage Salad

Ingredients~
12 oz package Yves Veggie Cuisine (Tm) Meatless Ground
Shredded Cabbage, as much as you'd like.  It's best to have twice as much as the meatless mixture
1/2 cup finely diced yam
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup finely diced orange bell pepper
1/4 cup finely diced peanuts
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder or fresh garlic pulverized
1/4 to 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce or marinade
2 Tbs sesame seed oil
1 Tbs sesame seeds (oops, forgot them in my picture)

 

First I diced all my veggies while the sesame seed oil was getting nice and hot.

 

I sauteed the yams first until slightly tender. 

 

 Then I added the celery, bell pepper, peanuts and sauteed a few minutes more. I added the meatless ground, onion powder, garlic powder and teriyaki starting with a 1/4 cup and adding a little more each time until all veggies were coated and I cooked the mixture until it started to caramelize. 

 

 

 To plate, I put a handful of cabbage onto the plate and added a scoop of mixture on top.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and eat. Yummo!