Vegetarian chili is almost always the favourite of everyone in the household, it is not only full of vegetable fibre from all those beans but it has plenty of protein.

There are all kinds of vegetarian chili recipes varying in ingredients and seasoning but some of the common ingredients are onions, beans and garlic.It’s common to add additional ingredients, which could include celery, carrots, and tomatoes, but it is the seasoning that makes the difference.

Vegetarian Chili Recipe

3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of chopped onion
8 garlic cloves
2 19 oz cans of red kidney beans
2 19 oz cans of dark red kidney beans
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ spoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
3 cups vegetable broth
1 6 oz can of tomato paste.

Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan add the garlic and onions once the oil is hot. Sauté the garlic and onions until the onion turns translucent, once at this point add beans, basil, taco seasoning, thyme and oregano. Stir together for a few minutes, add the tomato sauce and vegetable broth. Simmer until you get the thick consistency you want. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Finally season to taste with salt and pepper. For the best taste, it is always a good thing to server hot and fresh, but that is not always possible you can cool in the fridge and reheat over low heat next time you need to serve.

Heat oil then add
Stir occasionally, simmer and bring to a boil.

Here is another version of vegetarian chili recipe

400 gr diced tomatoes
2 vegetarian bouillon cubes
3 tbs flour mixed with 400 ml of cold water
cacao 85% 20 gr
cooking oil

Heat the oil Add

3 minced garlic cloves
5 crushed dried Chipotle peppers
1 crushed dried Pasillo pepper
1 crushed dried Ancho peppers
3 medium diced onions
500 gr ground vegetarian
touch of cumin and coriander
300 ml beer

The essence of all vegetarian chili recipes comes from blending all the ingredients together. Most people will use the ingredients as a starting point and change them to suite their tastes and preferences. As people are calorie conscious you can use less oil or fat free refried beans in your low fat vegetarian chili recipe.

But I’m not writing to persuade anyone to convert to a vegetarian diet. There’s plenty of convincing writing about that out there already. I’m interested in helping you get started once you’ve made the decision – or once you’ve ‘made the right move’, if I may be allowed a little evangelism.

There are two important steps to take once you’ve decided to become a vegetarian:

1. Stick to it for a month. Psychologists agree that it takes most people a month to form a non-addictive habit. So, adopt a vegetarian diet for a month and you’re home and dry.

2. Get support. This is trickier. Without wishing to point fingers, the chances are that support from your immediate family and friends is a bit thin. But you need to learn what to eat. And how to cook it.

In short, you need a vegetarian cooking school.

Even if you’re not a vegetarian, signing yourself up for a short and sweet vegetarian cooking course will inspire your cooking and expand your repetoire. You’ll learn how to prepare a wide variety of healthy, appetizing dishes. Without meat. And if you are vegetarian, you’ll find out how to make sure your diet is rich in all the protein, vitamins and minerals you need to live a long and healthy life. Without meat.

There are vegetarian cooking schools all over the country. And there are more vegetarian cooking traditions than you might realise – traditions that support healthy, long-living people. And learning about them and how to cook their food is easy and a lot of fun.

One of the first things you’ll want to do when you’re switching to a vegetarian diet is to wean yourself off meat gradually. If not, you’re likely to become frustrated when it comes to cooking, since you’ll be used to cooking with meat and won’t be familiar with too many meat alternatives. You may want to stop eating red meat first by gradually cutting down your beef, pork or lamb intake to once a week. If you have lots of recipes in your repertoire that contain these ingredients, you can substitute them with white meat when possible, or you can use a wheat or soy meat alternative. So, make your best recipes vegetarian recipes and keep experimenting until you come up with flavor combinations that work for you.

There are some recipes you can prepare that taste great naturally without meat and these will help you to make the necessary changes in your diet as well. Dishes like stir-fry (a mix of vegetables, nuts and rice) or a breakfast with no meat (i.e. vegetable omelets with fresh fruit and toast) will help you to come up with more vegetarian recipes of your own, once you see how tasty and nutritious these food choices can be. You can also try things like spaghetti with meatless sauce, or you can use a meat substitute (meatless crumbles, a ground beef alternative, can be found at most local grocery stores). These meatless products can also be used in dishes like lasagna, enchiladas or a meat(less)loaf.

Getting all the information you can about a vegetarian diet is also helpful when it comes to finding the right recipes. Your tastes are not going to change once you become vegetarian, so if you liked spicy or salty foods before, you are still going to want them despite the diet change. There are meat substitutes that can be seasoned to your liking and there are also pure vegetarian items that you can use in your baking to improve your health, such as using date paste or bananas in recipes that call for a large amount of sugar.

For great tips and vegetarian recipes that you’ll love, take a look at magazines like Vegetarian Times or Cooking Light. You’ll find lots of healthy alternatives to some of your favorite meals, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to prepare new dishes. Starting out with one new recipe a week is a great way to perfect your skills and you’ll have lots of recipes under your belt in no time. You can also take cooking classes in your community to learn more vegetarian recipes, or visit a nutritionist for a detailed diet plan that will be easy for you to follow. Good luck!

Enchilada Bake

12 oz. vegetarian burger crumbles
1 packet taco seasoning
2 15.5-oz. cans enchilada sauce
18 corn tortillas
2 15.5-oz. cans pinto beans, drained
2 green onions, chopped
2 cups vegan cheddar cheese, shredded
1 4.5-oz. can diced green chilies
2 cups Fritos corn chips, finely crushed

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• In a small bowl, combine the burger crumbles and taco seasoning and set aside.
• Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch pan with oil.
• In layers, spread a generous amount of enchilada sauce, 6 corn tortillas, 2 cans of pinto beans, a handful of green onion, a third of the shredded “cheese,” half the can of green chilies, lots more enchilada sauce, 6 more tortillas, all the seasoned burger crumbles, another third of the “cheese,” the remaining green chilies, more enchilada sauce, then the final 6 tortillas, more enchilada sauce, and the rest of the “cheese.” Cover in foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil, top the entire casserole with the Fritos, and bake for another 15 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

Shepherd’s Pie

4 medium potatoes, diced
2 Tbsp. margarine
1/4 cup soy milk or liquid nondairy creamer
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
12 oz. faux ground beef-style crumbles
1 10.5-oz. can Campbells mushroom gravy (or 1 1/4 cups prepared vegetarian gravy of your choice)
1 6-oz. can mixed peas and carrots, drained
Salt, garlic powder, pepper, and cayenne, to taste
• Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and mash with the margarine and soy milk or nondairy creamer. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a medium pan, sauté the onion in the oil until translucent.
• In a medium bowl, mix the cooked onions, faux beef crumbles, mushroom gravy, peas and carrots, and spices. Pour into a pie pan. Top the crumble mixture with the potatoes, spreading to the edges.
• Bake in a 350°F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are browned and the crumble mixture bubbles out the edges.

Soba Noodles with Ginger Sauce

1/2 cup fat-free cholesterol-free egg product
1 package (8 oz) soba (buckwheat) noodles or uncooked vermicelli
1 cup Green Giant® frozen sweet peas (from 1-lb bag)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons finely chopped gingerroot
1/8 teaspoon red pepper sauce
1 clove garlic
1 cup shredded spinach leaves

1. Spray 10-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of the egg product into skillet; rotate skillet to cover bottom. Cook about 1 minute or until egg product is set. Roll up cooked egg; remove from skillet and cool. Repeat with remaining egg product.
2. Cook noodles as directed on package, adding peas for last 3 minutes of cooking; drain.
3. In large bowl, mix soy sauce, lemon juice, oil, gingerroot, pepper sauce and garlic clove until well blended. Finely shred egg rolls. Add shredded egg rolls, noodles, peas and spinach to mixture in bowl; stir gently until evenly coated.

Sweet and Sour Stir Fry

1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice, drained and juice reserved
3/4 pound firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 medium carrots, sliced (1 cup)
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (1 cup)
4 cups hot cooked rice
Sunflower nuts, if desired

1. Mix 1/4 cup water, the vinegar, honey, soy sauce, ginger and pineapple juice. Place tofu in small glass or plastic bowl. Pour juice mixture over tofu; toss gently. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
2. Remove tofu from marinade; reserve marinade. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water.
3. Heat sesame oil in wok or 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrots; stir-fry about 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add pineapple, tofu and bell pepper; gently stir-fry 2 minutes.
4. Stir cornstarch mixture into reserved marinade; pour into wok. Cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; cover and cook 2 minutes. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with nuts.