In the culture and cuisine of the Southwest, chili is serious business. But contrary to what many believe, good chili doesn't require "carne" or meat. The key to great chili is knowing how to harness the fiery flavor of a wide range of available chile peppers to make the dish exciting yet edible. ("Chili" commonly refers to the dish made with "chile" peppers.) My favorites are the red New Mexican chile peppers traditionally tied in strings called ristras or available as ground powder, and chipotles which are ripe (red) jalapeños that have been dried and smoked. Experiment with different amounts until you find a level of intensity you're comfortable with. Be aware, however, that capsaicin, the active component in chile peppers that gives them their heat, is concentrated in the white tissue attached to the seeds. If you're using whole chiles, you may want to remove that white tissue if you don't want your chili too hot.
Ingredients:
7 1/2 cups cooked beans, like pintos, anasazi, adzuki, or kidney (roughly four 15-oz cans or 1 pound dried beans, cooked)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, diced
1 dried or canned chipotle pepper
1 tablespoon mild red New Mexican chile powder, or to taste
1 tablespoon dried whole oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 large can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes, undrained
5 cloves garlic, mashed
Salt and pepper, to taste
Garnishes:
Chopped raw onion
Chopped tomato
Shredded lettuce
Tortillas
Instructions:
1. Drain beans in a colander.
2. Heat oil in a large dutch oven or saucepan. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat until onions are soft and golden.
3. Crush the chipotle pepper if using dried, or mince if using canned.
4. Add the chipotle pepper, red chile powder, oregano, cumin and allspice to the onions. Cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes and beans. Simmer for 45 minutes, adding liquid if the mixture gets too dry.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste, and more chili if you want a hotter dish.
7. Serve in bowls with warm tortillas. Garnish with chopped raw onion, chopped tomato, and shredded lettuce.
Nutritional Information:
Per serving:
351 calories
6 g total fat (1 g sat)
0 mg cholesterol
62 g carbohydrate
17 g protein
21 g fiber
450 mg sodium
Miami Beach – City Debate – March 29, 2009 – There are not many vegan newspaper columns or columnists to whom I can turn on a daily or weekly basis. I have found two. Occasionally, newspapers showcase a “healthy lifestyle” cover feature by displaying facts to help us get in shape and stay healthy; statistical analyses; recipes. However, there is not a dedicated vegan daily or weekly column sharing information and delicious foods.
A sprinkling of vegetarian magazines do exist, among them, Vegetarian Times – which has been publishing for 25 years. (The magazine has recently decided to include a monthly vegan column.) As for the internet, yes, there are websites devoted to vegetarian/ vegan recipes. Most include a brief definition of each ism, recipes and comments by bloggers.
Today, people’s personal mantras and our advertising slogans are about ‘living simpler lives, about going green, about decreasing our carbon footprint ‘. Remember FLOWER POWER? – The same back to nature (translation: living simpler lives), organic foods and natural products useage (translation: going green), recycling (translation: decreasing our carbon footprint) mantra was chanted everywhere. The easiest means I know to accomplish these goals is to Read the rest of this entry »
As with most dietary questions, vegans are split
on the issue of dairy products–not so much on the question
of whether or not they are acceptable, but instead for what
reasons they should not be consumed.
All vegans (or at least true vegans) abstain from consuming
dairy products. Some do so for nutritional reasons;
others abstain for ethical reasons.
Those who do it for nutritional reasons cite a range of
health problems related to the consumption of dairy
products, including high cholesterol. Many also have a
problem digesting lactose or have a blood-iron or diabetic
problem related to milk protein, casein. In addition to
this, milk and cheese often contain small portions of
undesirable hormones that are added to dairy cow feeds
to increase production.
Those who abstain from consuming dairy products for
ethical reasons also have a range of reasons for doing so.
Some cite the poor treatment of dairy cows as a main
reason for not consuming milk and cheese. They note that
dairy cows are forced to Read the rest of this entry »
Chicken or beef? Most students make this choice daily for their source of protein, but some opt not to go this route. These students are vegans and vegetarians, and make their choices a bit differently.
SPARC, a student group at the University, stands for Students Promoting Animal Rights Collectively and currently has 14 members, according to the group’s Facebook page. As of spring 2008, there were 38 active members, and 187 others on the listserve who attend events. Most of the members are vegetarians or vegans.
Irena Rindos, a 2008 alumna in natural resources policy and administration, is a former member of SPARC. Rindos said the member base has fluctuated from year to year, but there has always been a core group of dedicated members.
SPARC was started in 2002 by Jared Milrad, a 2006 graduate in wildlife management, along with some of his vegan and vegetarian friends. Their main goal was to Read the rest of this entry »
One major part of the college experience is finding a group one identifies with and feels akin to, but this can be a challenge for vegan and vegetarian students.
Going to the cafeteria for dinner is a common activity for students, but for those with such diet restrictions can cause them to feel out of place or awkward. Vegan and vegetarian students are sometimes ridiculed for their choices and might feel others do not understand them.
The Veg’N Life Society is an organization on campus trying to give vegetarian and vegan students a place to feel at home and Read the rest of this entry »
Most of the time when you hear of someone changing to a vegan diet you typically think of adults. Have you ever stopped to consider how many children change to vegan each year as well? Most people tend to easily forget about the children who make the transition and this is perfectly normal. The adults are typically who receive the most attention but there are some unique issues that kids tend to have which can be assisted. Getting your child to successfully convert to a vegan diet is possible, but with a few tips in hand, it will be much easier than you imagined.
The actual age of your child will have a huge impact on how simple the process is. Of course, if you are starting with a very young baby they are not going to Read the rest of this entry »
Activist Josh Hooten plans to ride his bike 600 miles to raise awareness about animals — and money for Farm Sanctuary.
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When I first heard that activist and graphic designer Josh Hooten was going to ride his bike 600 miles to raise awareness for animals, I was heartened and impressed. Six hundred miles on a bike is no easy task. That’s roughly the distance from San Francisco to San Diego; I don’t even like driving that far. But Josh is doing it for a great cause: he’s both celebrating 10 years of being vegan and he’s benefiting Farm Sanctuary, which he acknowledges had a major influence on him a decade ago.
“I don’t remember exactly how I found out about Farm Sanctuary, but I was living in Boston back then and involved inRead the rest of this entry »
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