When the weather starts to turn cool, I always turn to my slow cooker.
My Cuisinart Cook Central Mulit-Function Cooker has truly revolutionized how I make dinner.
No longer do I have to separately sauté in another pan that needs to be washed. Now I do everything in this wonderful slow cooker. I can sauté the onions, garlic, and peppers that are the foundation for this dish right in the slow cooker that will bring the rest of the meal home. It is so simple to add the beans, salsa, and tomatoes to simmer while I’m gone – and then add the corn and the Beyond Meat Beefy Crumbles in the last 15-20 minutes before dinner.
This recipe originally appeared in Fool a Carnivore – but like a lot of things in my life, it has evolved a lot since then.
I originally recommended Lightlife Smart Ground – which is still good, but not quite as good as some newer products I’ve tried.
For awhile I was enamored with Quorn Grounds -great taste and texture – but not quite as “believable” as the Beyond Meat Crumbles if you are trying to Fool a Carnivore with this Chili!
My hubby and I now think that the good folks at Beyond Meat have nailed it and produce the best non-meat crumbles for chili.
In other words, we think that they have put the “Carne” back in Meatless Chili – which is why I have changed the name of my recipe to Chili non Carne!
The Beyond Meat product comes in both a “Beefy” and a “Feisty” version, depending on your tolerance for heat. I personally like the Beefy version, so that I have a baseline I can spice up to please by family’s palette, but my hubby likes the Feisty version. We both like this product because it is both vegan and gluten free – which makes it acceptable to a lot more people.
My picture shows both guacamole and sour cream on our chili. That’s the way we like it – but it would still taste great without either one as a topper.
Although I’ve given you a slightly different version of this recipe before, I find that it is one of my most requested recipes and one that is most likely to Fool a Carnivore. I’ve modified the recipe with steps for creating it in the Cuisinart Cook Central Mulit-Function Cooker – just in case you’re lucky enough to get one for Christmas or Hanukkah.
Who knows – if you don’t ask for it, there’s a 100% chance you won’t get it!
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (optional)
- 1 large red or green pepper, chopped into small ½-inch squares (1 cup of chopped peppers)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 16-ounce can organic black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 16-ounce can organic dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
- 16-ounce jar salsa, mild or medium
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup V8 juice or tomato juice, low sodium (up to 2 cups if you like a less dense chili)
- 2 cups frozen organic yellow corn kernels
- 11-ounce package Beyond Meat Beef-Free Crumbles
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Guacamole and low fat sour cream (optional)
- Turn on the Cuisinart Cook Central to sauté at 300 degrees and add the olive oil. Sauté onion for 5–6 minutes. Add the bell pepper pieces and sauté for another 3–4 minutes. If you’re using garlic, add it in the last minute, and turn the heat to 275 degrees so that it doesn’t burn.
- Add the cumin, cayenne, rinsed black beans, the jar of salsa, tomatoes, and the V8 or tomato juice to the sautéed onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook on low for 3–5 hours, adding more salsa or V8 if needed. (I used 4 hours below because the recipe app won't allow me to put in a range!!)
- About 10-15 minutes before you are eating, add the frozen corn kernels, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the Beyond Meat Beef-Free Crumbles and cook for 10 minutes if they are frozen or 5 minutes if they are partially thawed. Honestly – that’s all the time it takes to cook the crumbles! Taste and adjust seasoning, and sprinkle with cilantro.
- Serve with with optional sour cream and guacamole.
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