Lani Muelrath Shares Convenient, Delicious Recipes for Chili and Corn Bread
Lani’s recipes from The Plant-Based Journey are shared here with permission from BenBella Books, Inc. publisher. Here are the recipes with Lani’s thoughts and commentary. You can learn more about Lani’s simple, friendly transition plan to whole foods, plant-based eating in this post The Journey to Plant-Based Health Just Got Easier.
Game Changer Chili
The bulgur here creates a meaty texture that pleases everyone from plantophiles to sworn omnivores. I like to serve Game-Changer Chili in large, wide bowls with golden chunks of Country Comfort Corn Bread perched on top. Be prepared for everyone to ask for seconds.
Ingredients:
2 sweet onions
1 red or yellow bell pepper
1½ cups bulgur
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes (about 2 cups)
3 dates, soaked overnight and mashed into a paste
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon smoked or regular paprika
1 tablespoon oregano
4 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped, or 2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
6 cups water
2 (14.5-ounce) cans kidney or red beans (about 4 cups), rinsed and drained
2–3 cups raw spinach, torn
1 cup cooked corn (optional)
Salt to taste
Instructions:
1. Chop the onions and bell pepper in a food processor, or dice with a knife.
2. Place the chopped onions and bell pepper, bulgur, tomatoes, dates, chili powder,
Lani’s recipes use corn and other healthy whole grains to fill you up while getting to your ideal weight
paprika, oregano, garlic, chipotle powder, adobo seasoning, red pepper flakes, and water in a pressure cooker and cook under pressure for 7 minutes. Alternatively, you can also cook on the stove top for about 30 minutes, or until the bulgur is cooked through.
3. Stir in the beans, spinach, and corn, and let sit for about 5 minutes. Salt to taste. Serve in bowls.
Yield: 4–6 servings
Note: If you don’t have all of the seasonings, such as the chipotle and adobo, you can simply add more chili powder to taste. You can add them next time!
Author Lani Muelrath puts together simple recipes for busy, hungry people
Country Comfort Corn Bread
I recently made some changes to this favorite recipe that takes the delicious factor up a notch. Evidently, the tweaks took, because even though the recipe serves up nine average-size pieces of corn bread, my husband Greg and I nearly polished off the entire first batch between the two of us in one sitting. I served it atop big bowls of Game-Changer Chili, a perfect companion. Take note—and make enough accordingly.
Serves: 9 pieces
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup soured plant milk, plus 2–3 tablespoons:( to sour the plant milk, simply take 1 cup of plant milk and add 2 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar. In five minutes your plant-based buttermilk will be ready)
1 chia seed “egg”: stir 1 tablespoon ground golden flaxseeds (or whole chia seeds) in 3 tablespoons of water; stir and let sit for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture starts to gel, at which point it’s ready to use
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup cooked corn
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
3. In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients, then slowly add to the dry mixture, stirring just enough to mix. If it appears too dry and the flour isn’t completely moistened, add more plant milk 1 tablespoon at a time accordingly.
4. Fold the corn into the batter, and pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
5. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the surface is slightly browned and bounces back when you press it with your fingertips.
6. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
