Today for Meatless Monday, I’m passing on one of my favorite recipes for a cold winter day.  February is an excellent time to make this dish!  Many vegetarians use meat substitute or faux meat products when making these types of dishes.  MorningStar Farms offers a product called meal starter crumbles.   This is basically a soy product and you generally add it late in the meal to give the dish, a meat like texture. 

As I've mentioned before I believe that the use of highly processed foods is just as bad for you as eating meat.  Some people are vegetarians simply because they feel as though it’s wrong to consume something that has a spirit or soul.  Some others are vegetarian for health reasons; generally speaking meat is not great for your body.  The rise of all sorts of diseases including obesity is directly related to the over-consumption of meat and meat byproducts. 

Studies related to eating processed foods are just as damning.  One of the main reasons I do not eat faux meat products is directly related to the fact that 99% of all soy products on the market today contain GMO soy.  In my opinion, not enough testing has been done to insure that the initial claims of GMO being not only unhealthy but directly related to the rise in autism, diabetes and various other diseases.  Until we can be assured of this the best way to be safe is to avoid consumption of these products.  Whenever possible I buy organics to avoid this.  Until companies like MorningStar Farms start using organic soy to create their meat substitutes I probably will never buy them. 

With that… let’s get on with the recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups dry pinto beans

2 cups dry black beans

2 cups dry red kidney beans

1 medium onion

2 20 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes (I use Organic with Basil added)

3 14.5 oz cans of vegetarian vegetable broth

3 tbsp. of butter

2 tps. of Chili powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sour Cream/Raw Onion/Cheese – optional toppings

*** 2 hours before you get ready to cook add all the dry beans in a large bowl and cover with water.

Process

Roughly chop the onion

Melt the butter in a large pot

Add the onion to the pot and cook until clear

Drain the water from the beans and add them to the pot

Add the broth to the pot

Add the crushed tomatoes to the pot

Add seasonings to taste

Serve

I love this recipe.  It’s great to have on a cold day.  Just be careful with the chili powder.  I like using the crushed tomatoes because it thickens the chili up and gives it a meat like consistency without the need to add any faux products.  The beans can be switched out for any other dry beans you’d like, however I would stay in the kidney bean size and type.  Lentils or Chickpeas probably wouldn't be a great substitute.

Would love to hear your take on GMOs, Processed Foods or how your Meatless Mondays are going.  Leave me a comment!

Namaste & Blessed Be

Sosanna

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