Are you a fan of long, drawn-out recipes? You know, ones that call for a 1/4th cup of this, an 1/8th of a teaspoon of that, or heaven forbid there’s a measurement you need a conversion chart for. (A gill? please.)

Not me. I cook by taste, and a laundry list of precise measurements aggravates my aversion to anything that’s just too organized. I’ve tried a few, and the dish has come out great but I always end up doctoring it (my Dad’s term) up to suit my tastes anyway soooooo …..

Enter my meatless, dairy-free, flour-free and oil-free chili dish that I threw together one hot summer afternoon when I was craving something filling that wouldn’t weigh me down.

WHAT WEIGHS ME DOWN? FLOUR

I’ve completely nixed white- or wheat flour dishes from my plant-based nutrition lifestyle ’cause any foods made with those flours just seem to enter my digestive system armed with luggage to hang around awhile.

Chili dishes that I’ve tried that use flour to thicken the chili tasted delicious but the flour and my body weren’t seeing eye to eye, so I had to let my fetish for flour-based dishes go and substitute veggie ingredients like sweet potatoes or zucchini.

Sounds weird huh? Veggies in a chili recipe?

But to me, that’s the absolute EXTRAORDINARY characteristic about chili! It’s so easily adapted to suit anyone’s particular tastes. Veggies are a major ingredient in my plant-based lifestyle and I make sure that I include them in every meal to get the vitamins and nutrients they offer.

Alright, let’s cut to the chase.

MEATLESS CHILI INGREDIENTS

• 1 package red kidney beans
• celery, washed, raw
• carrots, washed, raw
• zucchini, washed, unpeeled, raw
• minced garlic
• red onions, bell peppers
• textured vegetable protein
• garlic, low-sodium soy sauce, garlic powder, chili powder
• ketchup, tomatoes or tomato puree
• couscous (instead of rice)

That’s it!

And I cook by taste remember? So not one measuring cup, or spoon did I pick up. Add according to YOUR tastes and I guarantee you love how it comes out. I let the kidney beans slow-cook in the crock pot overnight, sliced the celery, carrots, onions, peppers and zucchini in my Veggie Bullet; threw them in the crock pot with the beans and let them simmer.

COUSCOUS INSTEAD of RICE

I chose to add cous-cous to my chili instead of spooning it over rice. Couscous is a pasta that’s made from semolina and looks like tiny pieces of rice. But unlike rice, couscous is packed with protein. And along with the protein in the kidney beans, there’s one more protein in this dish …

Textured Vegetable Protein Have you ever had it?

I love it! I live a meatless lifestyle yes, but I still love a chewy texture in my chili once in awhile. Click textured vegetable protein for an in-depth Google description. But basically they’re these little protein-rich, dehydrated flakes that you re-hydrate, then saute with pan spray (or oil if you prefer) and then add to your dish.

And there you have it. 🙂

Scroll down a little more for a video of the finished chili dish that’ll make your mouth water. 🙂

Yum-meeee!