Chili with Tempeh

It seems as though everybody, and their Mama, made a blog post about Mother's Day; everyone but me. To tell you the truth, I was considering making myself Banana Mango Pancakes to celebrate the Mother within me, but opted for Porridge instead.
This Mother's Day I felt extremely crappy because I missed my Mom and Nana so much, and I didn't want to do anything fun :(
Though, I'm glad to say that by late Sunday afternoon, I had emerged from my funk.

Mother's Day and my Nana's birthday are always around the same time. Her birthday is May 17, she's a Taurus! For Mother's Day I bought her, my mother, and my aunt tickets to see the play "Jitney" next weekend.  For Nana's birthday, however, I wanted to do something a little more personal.

She doesn't have a computer, and doesn't know a thing about using the internet, so she's never seen my blog.
So I decided to make Nana a Sweet Potato Soul Cookbook.  She's going to love it, and I love that I've got my own cookbook now, and it's going to belong to the person who has been my inspiration and supporter of my every aspiration since I learned how to dream.

Here are some photos of the Sweet Potato Soul Cookbook, followed by a recipe that is very special to me.

at my graduation last year!

Growing up my mother did not cook.  When I was age 4-7 we lived with my Nana, so from 7-16 (when Nana moved in with us) we ate out A LOT, or went to Nana's house for dinner.  I ate a lot of Pop Tarts, Frozen Pizzas, Wheat Thins, Fig Newtons, Baked Beans, and Turkey Hot Dogs (I've never had red meat, despite all the other crap I ate)... Wow! 

But when I was in high school my mom discovered an incredible recipe for Turkey Chili, and that was pretty much the only, and best, dish she made. And it is GOOD. She still makes it nowadays, though her repertoire has grown since I've left home. 

I was craving her Turkey Chili, and because I don't eat meat it felt pointless to even attempt it without the juicy ground Turkey. 

But still I wanted Chili, and I have a lot of assorted Rancho Gordo Beans. So I decided to take the leap, use Tempeh for the ground turkey feel, and create my own heart warming Chili.

My Chili is "the bomb", as my mom would say! It's sweet, spicy, hearty, and healthy.  Served over Bulgar wheat it gets even "chili-er"! For my side dish I delighted in a bowl of mashed Sweet Potato seasoned just like I did my potatoes in the last post. I think my Mommy would be proud.  

Chili with Tempeh 

(and lots of Motherly Love)

1 1/2 Cups of Various Dry Beans. Black, Kidney, Chickpea, Cannelini, Black Eyed Pea, etc. 

           (*I had the pleasure of using Rancho Gordo's Heirloom Beans, Christmas Lima, Yellow Indian

           Woman, Sangre de Toro, etc... Lucky Me!)

1 Medium Sized Yellow Onion Diced

2 Cloves of Garlic Minced

1 Large Carrot Chopped  

1 crushed Dried Chili Pepper

1/2 Can of Diced Tomato 

1/2  Vegetable Bouillon Cube 

1 Chipotle Pepper, from can + 1 Tbsp of Sauce from can

2-3 Tbsp Chili Powder

2 Tbsp Cumin 

1-2 Tbsp Coriander

1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon 

1 Tbsp Maple Syrup (Grade B)

Handful of Fresh Mint, chopped

Black Pepper 

Cayenne Pepper

Marinated Tempeh:

Half a pack of plain Soy Tempeh Cut into thin pieces.

2 Tbsp of Chipotle Sauce from can 

1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tsp Soy Sauce

Start by cooking your 1 1/2 cups of the soaked beans in 3x their amount in water, about 4 1/2 cups.  Beans will take about 30-40 minutes to cook (depending on freshness). Meanwhile you can marinate the Tempeh. Place the pieces of Tempeh into a plastic sandwich bag. Mix Chipotle Sauce, Balsamic and Soy in a bowl, then pour into bag with tempeh. Make sure there is enough sauce to soak into all the tempeh, and place in the refrigerator to marinate.

When beans are finished drain them, but save all of the bean water for the Chili. In the same pot, heat 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil on medium heat, then add Onion, Garlic, Chili Pepper, and Carrot.  Cook until Onion is translucent.
Add Bouillon Cube, Chipotle Pepper and Sauce, Chili Powder, Cumin, and Coriander, and stir to release the fragrance of the spice.

Add 1/2 Can of Diced Tomatoes, stir. Then add Bean Water.  I used all but about 1 cup of the water, but you may need to use all of it depending on how thick you want your Chili to be.  Bring Chili to a boil, stir, then turn heat down to simmer.  

At this point you may add the Marinated Tempeh.  Break tempeh into small pieces that resemble turkey grounds. Also add Maple Syrup and Cinnamon.  Chili should be thick and bubbling. If it's too thick add a little water.  Too dry, scoop some of the broth out, and save it for later. 

Taste and add a bit of Cayenne Pepper if more spice is needed. Allow Chili to simmer and for the flavors to marry for about 15 minutes. 

Serve over Bulgar, or Rice, or even Greens.  Add a little fresh Black Pepper, and garnish with Fresh chopped mint.  I highly recommend the mint in this dish instead of Cilantro, it takes the Chili to another level.