Vegetarian Tofu Chili

POINTS® Value:    7
Servings:  6
Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Ingredients
 3 Tbsp olive oil   
  1 pound(s) extra firm tofu, crumbled   
  1 cup(s) onion(s), finely diced   
  1 item(s) bell pepper(s), diced   
 1 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced   
  1 cup(s) mushroom(s), Diced   
 3 Tbsp chili powder   
 1 tsp table salt, to taste   
 1 tsp black pepper, to taste   
 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper   
 1/4 tsp McCormick Ground cumin   
  14 oz canned tomato sauce   
  28 oz Contadina Diced Tomatoes, 1 can with liquid   
  28 oz Goya Pinto beans, drained   
 3 Tbsp sugar   

Instructions
In a large pot, sautee the tofu in the vegetable oil over medium high heat for about 3 minutes. Add the onions, green pepper, garlic, mushroms, chili powder, salt and pepper, cayenne and cumin. Cook until veggies are just barely tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, whole or diced tomatoes, beans and sugar. Bring to a slow simmer. Cover and allow to cook for at least 45 minutes. Enjoy!

flexitarian??? HU?

Ok So I call myself a Flexitarian, What is it?  Well I guess we should delve into what all the other “Veg-somethings” are first, then we can look at me.. 

Let me add at this point, that I am using a description of the following social /political / life styles; they may not be perfect, but are my attempt if to be fair and close to an acceptable description.

Veganism:

Let start off with the Vegans, as I tend to see them as the most, umm …Militant?, dedicated?, committed?, to a life of sustenance without the use of any animal products. 

According to Wikipedia®……..

·         “Vegans endeavor not to use or consume animal products of any kind, the most common reasons for becoming a vegan are human health, ethical commitment or moral conviction concerning animal rights or welfare, the environment, and spiritual or religious concerns. ^.Of particular concern to many vegans are the practices involved in factory farming and animal testing, and the intensive use of land and other resources for animal farming.”

I would look at vegans as people, who have made not just a healthy choice, but a whole life style,that includes environmental, ethical, moral, and health commitments.

I am not sure all Vegans are Peta members, but I would certainly bet all Peta Members are Vegans.  Btw, what do you call Peta Members? Peta-Phyles? Petapeeps? Peta-ers?   Help me here!

Vegans must get all there high quality proteins from sources other than animal. So I would guess they are the most motivated in creating some really tasty, nutritional dishes. And man, are there!

Then the there are the Vegetarians, this is a diverse group.. They have many “flavors”..

Vegetarianism:

Again, I refer to Wikipedia® for a description, there are a few. 

There are Ovo-lacto vegetarianism,  Ovo vegetarianism, Lacto vegetarianism , and Sattvic diet, the first three are somewhat self explanatory.

1.       An ovo-lacto vegetarian (or lacto-ovo vegetarian) is a vegetarian who does not eat animal flesh of any kind, but is willing to consume dairy and egg products.

2.       Ovo vegetarianism is a type of vegetarianism which allows for the consumption of eggs; unlike lacto-ovo vegetarianism, no dairy products are permitted. Those who practice ovo vegetarianism are called ovo-vegetarians or "eggetarians." "Ovo" (pronounced) comes from the Latin word for egg.

3.       A lacto vegetarian (sometimes referred to as a lactarian) diet is a vegetarian diet which includes dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, cream, and kefir, but excludes eggs. The origin of "lacto" is the Latin word for milk [lac, lactis]. Cheeses which include animal rennet and yogurts which contain gelatin are also avoided.

And then there is the Sattvic Vegetarian.  I never heard of it, and Wikipedia is asking for citations, so take this with a grain of salt or a slice of bologna.

·         A sattvic diet also referred to as a yoga diet or sentient diet is a diet based on foods which, according to Jainism, Ayurveda and Yoga, are strong in the sattva guna, and lead to clarity and equanimity of mind while also being beneficial to the body.

Such foods include water, fruit, cereal, bread, most vegetables, beans, nuts, grains, milk and milk derivatives (cheese, butter, ghee, cream, yogurt), and honey.

So then there is me…     Technically I guess I am an Omnivore, (Cats and T-Rex’s are Carnivores as they eat little if any vegetative matter in the wild and T-Rex probably ate people according to the Creationist crew) as I don’t remove meats , dairies and eggs from my diet, although I seriously limit them when I am trying hard to change my eating habits.

Again I will refer to Wikipedia, who calls my ilk, Semi-Vegetarians, and defines a Flexitarian as “Semi-vegetarianism, a term used to describe diets that are not vegetarian, but include less meat than typical diets. The term has no precise or widely accepted definition, but is generally defined as the avoidance of red meat or generally following a vegetarian diet, but eating meat occasionally. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with "flexitarianism””

Semi-vegetarian and flexitarian have been dubbed "problematic" and "diametrically opposed to vegetarianism by critics. Of which there are many I am sure.  This is an emotional issue with many people and can become almost a religious like matter.

I am simply having fun and really don’t care if it is opposed to somebody’s dietary dogma.

So that is a Flexitarian,  still one of the dirty, morally corrupt animal flesh/organ eaters, but not as bad as some of my friends that think I am weird for eating tofu, Seitan and other such meat analogs.(Some of them call themselves carnivores, wonder what T-Rex thinks of that!)      

Why would you need an alternative to beef!

My Daughter’s Facebook postings contained a discussion about a vegetarian dish and one of her friends asked, “Why would you need an alternative to beef!? LOL”   and you know what? That is a great question, why?  Because something like a gazillion people are omnivores and the other 3 dozen people are non meat eaters..   

We don’t know why, because there are not enough people telling us why in a NONE “my way is better than yours” sort of way.  Just bring up Vegetarianism in a discussion and you will get some really well defined resistance.  WHAT, no way, I am a meat eater, a Carnivore! You can’t ask me to walk around eating grass and sticks!    We are resistant to change and look at things we are not used to with suspicion. (Wasn’t that Gandhi guy a vegetarian?  Worshiped cows or something? , freaky veggie heads!!!!!, gimme my beer dam it! )   

But why do we want to substitute our fleshy indulgences?   

Apparently my daughter is trying to cook healthier because her mother has some mega incredible Cholesterol level and needs to correct this situation, just like we all would if diagnoses with such a medical condition.  Medicine alone will not correct this issue, so we need to curb our intake of foods that contribute to high cholesterol.  Reducing your intake is particularly important if you are a person who genetically produces more cholesterol than you take in, reducing your intake is a must to get your levels under control.

Veggie dishes are good, but how many times are you going to eat beans and rice?  You’ll get bored, meat analogs (fake meat) help you get your high quality protein, will help satisfy you and allows you to make most of the dished you already love with no cholesterol and less fat. And any fat that is there will likely be the good kind!  Think Olive oil and the rest!  (What! there’s good fat!!!!! OMG!!!)   See my Chili recipe on my Fouth post.

Usage is important.  You would not use squishy Tofu when trying to make a Shish kabob,   would you?  Or Seitan, (wheat meat) in a dish that calls for ground chicken, nope. It would be gross..   Properly prepared meat analogs should be used to fit the appropriate dish. It’s not unlike cooking conventionally; you use the appropriate ingredients for the appropriate dishes.

In reducing your Beef intake, you increase you health benefits, by using meat analogs in other dishes, you expand your tastes and rely on the meats less for satisfaction and gain peace of mind knowing you ate a little healthier.   Eat like this and you may not have to deal with high cholesterol and then you will never have to worry about being told “You can’t eat that Steak or Hamburger”   when you do have real meat.  The alternative is dealing with the high levels and never eating meat without the worry of contributing to your own heart attack.  

FACEBOOK Ramblings

·          So I made curried rice with mixed vegetables and mushrooms stuffed in some roasted green peppers -- definitely a delicious alternative to beef!

·          We must be the best chef's in Marlton

·          Rite? Iron Chef Marlton go

·          Why would you need an alternative to beef!? LOL

·          I'm a Flexitarian :p

·          So I see. I am a devout meat eater, but I have dabbled in and enjoy on occasion a few (very few) vegetarian (but never vegan, eew) dishes... namely falafel and morning star burritos... so what does that make me?

·          I think just a regular carnivore. I think vegetarian dishes are super good though.

Hello World

I am Keith, a father of four kids, 2 girls and 2 boys, and with a few years behind me, I picked up a few souvenir pounds along the way . I am an adventure eater,  I get absolute pleasure from eating good food, and it shows.  But I have learned that Good food does not have to be bad for you. 

I choose the term Flexitarian when a Co-worker used it to describe a life style I started to form (right Jessica? J ) ,  I became about 90% vegetarian, out of health concerns, but could not commit to a Vegetarian life style , as great as some of the Seitan / tofo / fake meat dishes I have made were, none compare to a good (Real) steak, burger, sausage, chicken, buffalo, rabbit, duck,  etc…  and I will enjoy them from time to time.  That is not to say Vegetarianism is wrong, or Veganism in not honorable,  it is just not for me, I agree on a lot of the healthy aspects of these life styles and hope to continue to learn from them.    

I will publish recipes I find and alter, and link to others, I will blog about  how I get my family and friends to try them.  And hopefully get a few more people eating a little more healthy in the long run.   Hopefully others will discover their Flexitarian tendencies and  share in this blog!

I will accept comments, but please don’t try to convert me. Respect my choice, as I respect yours.  I love meat, and don’t have moral issues eating it.  If you have a moral dilemma, it’s yours , not mine.   Call me Middle of the Road, call me an Omnivore, just don’t call me late for dinner!! 

Thank you for taking the time to read this an I hope you enjoy !

PS, V e g a n D a d inspired me, and I love his blog!   Here is to Healthy living!