As I’m sure y’all know, I enjoy featuring recipes that can be used to celebrate both “national days” (National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, for example) and “national months” (July’s National Hot Dog Month). Well… This month is no different. According to my trusted source, October happens to be, among other things:
- National Chili Month;
- Spinach Lovers Month; and
- Pear and Pineapple Month.
In addition, October is also “Vegetarian Month”! So… I thought I would explore vegetarian cooking in this month’s “Tasty Tuesdays” recipes. Through the years, I’ve known a few people who consider themselves to be be vegetarians, and because of this, I’ve purchased (or was given) a couple of books about vegetarian cooking, including one titled, “Laurel’s Kitchen” which gives readers an overview of vegetarian cooking, and another one titled “Laurel’s Kitchen Recipes”. It is this last book that will be the inspiration — and source — for all of this month’s featured “Tasty Tuesdays” recipes.
By the way, I hope you didn’t just freak out when I mentioned that all of this month’s featured recipes will be vegetarian. To be honest, I probably would’ve had I not read “Laurel’s Kitchen Recipes” myself. I say this because my very first experience with vegetarian cooking was way back during my early college days when a deaf friend of mine introduced me to TOFU, a typical ingredient in vegetarian cooking. Back then, I was REALLY turned off by the taste of tofu, and to this day, I absolutely REFUSE to eat TOFU — even though I’ve heard that it can be quite tasty if prepared properly. So… You will NOT find any recipes that list TOFU as an ingredient NOR will you find any recipes that include plant-based protein — like “fake bacon”. In addition, you can rest assured that this month’s featured recipes won’t have any “exotic” ingredients that you may not be able to find in your local grocery store.
With that confession out of the way, the first recipe that I’ll be featuring for “Vegetarian Month” will be one that can also be used to celebrate “National Chili Month”, and it is…
Chili con Elote
Basic and classic. The corn adds a lot, but when it isn’t in season we make the dish without and it’s just great.
The chili powder here is just enough for flavor without fierceness. If chili without tears isn’t chili to you, use more, or add cayenne.
Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
2 Tablespoons oil
1 green pepper, diced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 cup chopped tomato, or 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup fresh corn
4 cups cooked kidney, black, or pinto beans
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
Directions
Saute onion and garlic clove in oil until onion is soft. Crush garlic clove. Add green pepper and spices. Saute another 2 or 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and corn if you have it. Mash 2 cups of the beans and add to pot along with whole beans and salt and oregano. Simmer 30 minutes.
Serves 6
So, there you have it: “Chili con Elote”, the first featured recipe of “Vegetarian Month” as well as “National Chili Month”. And did you notice that there was NO TOFU in it? Just wholesome foods like onions, garlic, green peppers, tomatoes, corn, beans, and spices. Nothing “exotic”! This is one of the things I look for in recipes for vegetarian cooking! If a recipe has TOFU or anything else that wouldn’t be in my pantry, then I’ll usually pass on that recipe.
This month, it is my hope that you’ll give vegetarian cooking a try. (“Meatless Mondays”, anyone?) If you do join me in celebrating “Vegetarian Month”, I’d love to hear about your experience. Looking forward to reading your comments!