Crock-Pot Monday came right on time this week, and with a quick turnaround time between work and my evening tai chi class, I was surely glad to have planned ahead! Dinner was piping-hot and ready to eat by the time I came wheeling in, and the house smelled just heavenly. Who doesn’t love a good Cajun flavor at the end of a day’s work?
This recipe came from – you guessed it – Robin Robertson’s One-Dish Vegan, which is quickly become a mainstay at our house. With Mardi Gras right around the corner, I knew we had to dig right in to a dish straight from the bayou! And this chili fit the bill.
It couldn’t be easier to make: Add a plethora of ingredients, such as bell pepper, onion, ground “beef” (Robertson’s recipe calls for TVP flakes, but vegan beef’s what I had on hand, so beef’s what I used), diced tomatoes, gumbo file, chili powder, garlic, and more. The hardest part was just cutting up all the veggies; after that, it was simply a matter of adding everything to the slow cooker, flipping the heat to Low, and going to work!
By the time I got home, everything was fully cooked and ready to eat. So we dug straight in, adding some Daiya mozzarella and Tabasco on top for extra kick. And as with the rest of the meals we’ve had out of One-Dish Vegan, we went back for seconds (and LeeLee even went back for thirds!). Even after all of that gluttony, we still have plenty left for lunch tomorrow – for both of us!
So another Crock-Pot Monday is successfully in the books. Rounded out with a leftover vegan Rice Krispie treat, it was a balanced meal indeed!
:)