In fact, vegetarian chili is such a no-brainer go-to dinner, I should be making it more often. The problem is, much like muffins, I have this “thing” with chili. I can never really get it just right. I’ve made dozens I’d hoped would eventually become part of the Delectably Free family. And most of the time, when I’m making something destined for this site, I don’t stop until I’ve gotten it right (often to the detriment of my loved ones, who have to endure days on end of semi-edible versions of the same dinner or dessert). The problem with chili, though, is that one batch pretty much lasts multiple days — sometimes a week, even — and by the time it’s over the thought of making yet another batch of chili is simply incomprehensible and utterly scary (there are only so many times we can blame the curious odor in the room on the dog). So, usually, I leave it at that.

But, after two years of intermittent trial and error, my mental list of do’s and don’ts finally yielded a blog-worthy recipe. I’m not usually one to praise my own food. Perhaps out of fear or maybe even pride, I usually wait and let others’ reactions dictate whether I am going to post something or not. I rarely declare something “a winner” without a vote of confidence from my taste-testers. But after tinkering with and tweaking this latest batch, I made sure to tell everyone in the family that I had hit on something “really good,” without really caring what anyone else said. But just for the record, I’ll have you know what everyone else in my family liked it, too.

Serves: 8-10

3-Bean and Mushroom Chili:

Don’t be discouraged by the long ingredient list. I promise, most of these are pantry items, with the exception of maybe the mushrooms and the bell pepper. I used Bionaturae jarred strained tomatoes for the “strained tomatoes,” though I’m sure crushed tomatoes would work here as well. When I was younger, my mom used to make chili often and we’d serve it over elbow noodles. I love chili with cornbread (the classic combo), but decided to serve gluten-free noodles with this version and encourage you to do so as well. It’s really good! Finally, the 6-cups of baby bellas will cook down to what seems like a piddily amount, so definitely add the full amount — it really makes a difference in the overall taste.

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

6 cups baby bellas, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 teaspoon salt, divided

1 cup strained tomatoes, no salt added (see note, above)*

1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes with juice

½ cup water

1 15 0z. can black beans, not drained

1 15 oz. can aduki beans, not drained

1 29-oz. can white cannellini beans, drained

4 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon agave nectar (any other syrupy sweetener would also do)

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Directions:

1. To a large soup pot or Dutch Oven, add onion, pepper, garlic, mushrooms, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Toss to coat with oil. Cook over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, or until juices release and onions become translucent.

2. Add remaining ingredients, beginning with the diced tomatoes, strained tomatoes and water and finishing with the agave, olive oil and cider vinegar, plus the additional teaspoon of salt, or enough salt to taste. Make sure not to strain the aduki or black beans, as the juices add flavor to the dish. But do drain the Cannellini beans. Partially cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer on medium-high for about 15-20 minutes to let flavors develop. Serve warm with gluten-free noodles, corn chips or cornbread. Enjoy!

* If you can’t find salt-free strained tomatoes, instead of adding the second teaspoon of salt simply add enough to taste.

I will say that since moving back to Michigan, I’ve rediscovered why Detroit’s Eastern Market is one of my favorite iconic Detroit destinations. I went there as a kid with my parents, and I attribute many of my good food habits today to the fact that my parents instilled in me from a young age that the best meals are often created from fresh, local farmers market foods.

A recent development at the market has been the rise of Detroit Urban farming. One might not think of Detroit and immediate think “right, vegetable gardens…” but that’s exactly what’s going on in more than a few vacant lots in this city. The salad below is made almost entirely from greens, sprouts and herbs that were grown in the city of Detroit. Pretty amazing, huh?

This chowder represents a broader portrait of Michigan produce. Still, nearly all of the vegetables were fresh from the Farmer’s Market. Michigan-grown corn, potatoes, bell peppers and poblanos provided the base for this creation. The corn, especially, benefits from being so fresh in this dish. I’m convinced this dish would not be the same with frozen or canned corn (though that’s not to say it’s not worth a try when corn is no longer in season).

This dish is also notable for the absence of heavy, fattening ingredients (with the exception of a teaspoon of Earth Balance). It’s amazing how creamy the broth can get without any cream.

Summer Corn and Potato Chowder:

2 poblano peppers, seeded and diced

1 red, green or yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 medium-sized red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Earth Balance buttery spread

4 cups red or yellow-skinned potatoes, diced (about 4 medium potatoes)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup water

1 tablespoon brown rice flour*

3 cups packed fresh corn kernels (equal to about 5-6 ears of corn)

2 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

1. To a large soup pot or Dutch Oven, add peppers, onion, garlic, potato, Earth Balance and salt. Turn heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, until Earth Balance is melted and vegetables release their juices and begin to soften slightly, about 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk or stir together brown rice flour and water until it is dissolved into the water. Then add to vegetables (it will not cover all of the vegetables; this is o.k.). Bring water to a boil.

2. Once water is boiling, add the remaining ingredients. Stir together. Partially cover and bring soup to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer on low, partially covered, for approximately 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are soft and desired thickness is reached. You may add a bit more salt to taste, if desired (fore reference purposes: I have never had to add more).

* If you’re not gluten-free/gluten-intolerant, any type of regular all-purpose flour will do.

Enter this homemade broth. Inspired by my recipe for vegetarian pho (an excpetion to the vegetable-stock-is-no-good rule), I decided to infuse my own broth with ginger and garlic, then add soy sauce for a salty, Asian flavor. A hint of sesame oil adds a bit of nuttiness and added flavor.

If you commit this recipe to memory, my guess is you’ll be rewarded when cold and flu season hits. In my experience, an easy, light and subtle hot broth is as much a required remedy as zinc, vitamin C and rest. You can omit the noodles if you choose, swap out certain veggies (though the baby bok choy seems to me to be a must here), and add some red chile flakes for spiciness if you’d like.

Serves: about 4

Soy-Ginger Broth:

6 cups water

1 large bulb ginger, washed and chopped into 4-5 pieces

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed but left intact

2 tablespoons wheat-free tamari sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

salt to taste

Additions:

3 bunches baby bok choy, washed and chopped

1/2 block extra firm tofu, diced

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

rice noodles (cooked according to package directions)

chopped scallions (optional)

Directions:

1. Add water, garlic, ginger and soy sauce to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. Remove garlic and ginger from broth using a strainer. Add vegetables and simmer until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add tofu and heat through.

2. Remove soup from heat and stir in sesame oil. If necessary, add a little salt to taste. Ladle broth and vegetables over prepared rice noodles and serve immediately.

In my mind, I was on course to becoming the most productive unemployed person that ever lived. But as you may have suspected, reality has robbed me of such lofty ambitions. The job search has yielded less-than-stellar prospects (is it possible to spend 4 hours a day searching every job site imaginable only to find maybe one entry-level attorney position?). The recipe-testing came with seemingly incessant kitchen cleaning and food shopping, which, of course, cut into my workout time. The thank-you notes are still not done. The bedroom? Hah, please…The bathroom was only just tackled last weekend. And there’s Woodley. He needs two long walks a day. Then there’s the weekly allergy shots (which I have been getting for 4 years now and somehow manage to continue on a weekly schedule. grrrrr), the daily errands and chores, the new health insurance, the joining of the bank accounts…all the little things I had somehow overlooked a few months back.

And no, I haven’t started volunteering anywhere, either. So when I found myself looking forward to a much needed vacation down to Miami to visit a friend this weekend, I couldn’t help but feel a bit ashamed. Do I really need a vacation from my “vacation”? And with that, I was also a bit distraught to realize that almost a week had passed since I made anything worth posting here. It’s been more like passable efforts, at best.

This all led me to my photo archives, where I found this carrot-tahini soup, and remembered how much I had enjoyed it months ago. So why was it never shared? Well, maybe it’s just me, but I sort of felt like I would be a fraud if I posted it — a recipe I copied almost exactly from one in the New York Times. Not that I wouldn’t, of course, give credit. And not that I don’t usually find inspiration from another recipe. And it’s not like sites I love — like Smitten Kitchen, for example — remake other people’s recipes all the time. But with this one, I didnt’ even try to change much of anything. And I had no step-by-step pictures like Smitten Kitchen, no compelling story for what this dish meant to me. Nothing new, really. Just a soup that I enjoyed. A lot.  

But isn’t there a place for this kind of sharing? A place for an endorsement of a great, naturally vegan and gluten-free meal? A place for a little “I substituted this and took out that and it was still very good”? Well, for this soup at least, I’ll make this place a place for all that. And by next week, hopefully I’ll have some good, original recipes perfected. Who knows, maybe I’ll even finish my thank-you notes. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves…

Carrot-Tahini Soup:

I made everything from the original recipe in the New York Times the same except: 1) I used a small, yellow onion instead of leeks, 2) I used cumin in place of the turmeric, and 3) I used raw tahini. I topped the soup with cilantro and some scallions and served it alongside some toasted, homemade focaccia, which I used in place of the pita chips.

Just recently, I discovered a wonderful neighborhood joint called Lan Cafe. It’s one of those places I’ve walked by several times, but never stopped long enough to pick up a menu or consider ordering from there. Then last week I found myself deep in the thrust of a bad cold. I didn’t want to cook, I barely even wanted to eat, but the one thing I wanted badly was a good, spicy soup. Turned out, my hundreds of trips walking past Lan Cafe paid off, because I remembered that it was a vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant, which meant vegetarian pho. Theirs was delicious — a sweet and spicy blend of deep flavors and bright notes of cilantro and mint. I told myself that when I recovered, I would try to recreate their pho and post it here.

One reason I wanted to make a homemade pho was that, while Lan’s was certainly delcious, I suspected there was some hidden sugar in theirs — both in the broth and in the hoisin sauce, which is a must for an optimal pho experience. I decided to experiment with making a homemade hoisin sauce. It turned out super good! The best part is, it can easily be used for a number of dishes, and you won’t have to worry about the processed sugar that is in just about all store bought hoisins I’ve seen. So below, I’ve included a recipe for the hoisin I made along with the pho recipe. It’s somewhat of a labor-intensive process to prepapre everything, but well worth the effort, and you’ll have a big pot to last you all week. For my recipe, I used Chinese Five Spice powder instead of steeping the broth with cinnnamon, clove and star anise. My Aunt Sue bought me a nice blend of Chinese Five Spice for Christmas and I’ve been dying to use it in something.

Vegetarian Pho:

1 quart vegetable stock

5 cups water

1 long ginger root, cut into quarters

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice powder

3 tablespoons reduced-sodium wheat-free tamari

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons agave nectar

1 bunch baby bok choy, chopped

1 cup bean sprouts

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

3 scallions, chopped

1 block extra-firm tofu, cubed

1 package rice noodles

salt to taste

homemade hoisin sauce (recipe below)

chile garlic sauce/paste (to taste)

fresh mint leaves (for serving)

fresh cilantro (for serving)

lime wedges

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, bring vegetable stock, water, ginger root, garlic, five spice powder, soy sauce and pepper to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain broth into a new, clean pot. Discard solids. Add agave nectar and salt to taste. Bring stock back to a boil and add vegetables and tofu. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables have softened.

2. Meanwhile, prepare rice noodles separately, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

3. To serve, individually add rice noodles to bowl. Pour in soup. Top with a generous dollop of homemade hoisin, chile garlic paste, and top with mint and cilantro leaves. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

Homemade hoisin:

1/4 cup black bean paste (found in Asian food aisle)

1/4 cup agave nectar

1 plum tomato, roughly chopped

5 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon arrowroot

2 teaspoons chile garlic paste/sauce

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

2. Transfer to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until bubbly and thickened, about 5 minutes.

For those concerned about BPA in the lining of canned goods, Eden Foods uses all BPA-free cans. I also heard a rumor that Trader Joe’s canned beans (though not all of their canned goods) are BPA-free as well.

You can top this yummy soup with a number of toppings. I’ve had a recent obsession with vegan sour cream, so I used some of that, along with tortilla chips and some avocado. Other possible toppings might include a pico de gallo, diced onions, or even fried plantains (as I’ve done in the past). This soup reheats nicely as well, making it an inexpensive, healthy dinner to last you through the week.

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

2 jalapenos, minced

2 medium red bell peppers, chopped

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon agave nectar or yacon syrup

1/4 cup  tomato paste

3 cans black beans, drained (not rinsed), plus 3 tablespoons liquid from can

2 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons red wine

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Salt to taste

Toppings:

tortilla chips

vegan sour cream

sliced avocado

Directions:

1. To a large pot or Dutch Oven, add onions, peppers and oil. Saute on medium-high for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic, agave or yacon syrup, cumin and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Add beans and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 5.

2. Using an immersion blender (or transfering soup in small increments to a blender jar), blend until smooth. Stir in red wine and cider vinegar. Add salt to taste (I used just a small pinch — but you may need more depending on the saltiness of your tomato paste and vegetable broth). Serve immediately with desired toppings.