Vegasaurus Rex: PPK's Tempeh Chili con Frijoles

Served in homemade whole wheat pretzel bread bowl.

Today's recipe is another favorite from my Vegan Chef Idol, Isa Chandra Moskowitz of the Post Punk Kitchen. This tempeh chili con frijoles (Spanish for Chili with Beans... really putting my Spanish major to work on that one...) is rich, meaty, and flavorful and sure to win over even the most dedicated carnivore. The tempeh, when prepared properly, makes a great substitution for the ground meat typical of this Southwestern favorite. Stay tuned: in my next recipe, I'll teach you how to make those awesome looking pretzel bread bowls! ¡Buen Provecho!

Ingredients:
-1 227g package tempeh, diced
-1 lg onion, diced

Just look at those spices...

-1 green bell pepper, diced
-1 lg carrot, diced small
-3 cloves garlic
-1 Tbs + 2 tsp olive oil
-2 tsp soy sauce
-3 Tbs chili powder
-2 tsp cumin
-½ tsp oregano
-1½ tsp salt
-several dashes black pepper
-1 425g can beans (pinto, kidney, black, garbanzo...)
-1 C dark beer
-1 425g can diced tomatoes
-3 Tbs tomato paste
-1½ C + ½ C veggie broth
-2 tsp agave syrup
1½ Tbs lemon juice

1. In a large pot, cook onions, green bell pepper, and carrots over Med heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and brown (15-20 minutes).

2. Once that's started, put tempeh in a large frying pan and cover w/ ½ C veggie broth. It should be almost covered, add water if necessary. Add soy sauce. Simmer on High for 15 minutes, or until liquid absorbed. Mash into crumby chunks with the flat side/ edge of your wooden spoon. Add 2 tsp olive oil, drop heat to Medium/ Medium Lo, and saute 15 minutes.

3. Add garlic to veggies, saute 1 minute. Add salt and spices, saute 1 minute more. Add beer and stir hard to deglaze the pot. Cook 2 more minutes, add tomatoes and tomato paste, beans, veggie stock, and tempeh. Cover for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook 30 min more. Add agave, and lemon juice, stir again, and set aside to cool. Serve, ideally in the delicious pretzel bread bowls I will post on here shortly!