vegan chili for lunch, pizza for dinner

i seem to have gotten a bit creative with my food over the past few days, which means i have a few recipes to share! first, i made a vegan chili, which completely matched the texture of its meat-filled counterpart.  then, i made homemade pizza, which was to die for! anyways, here it goes:

ashley's vegan chili
one can of corn, drained
1/2 cup kale
1/2 cup uncooked spinach
2-3 stalks of celery
1/4 medium onion
1 cup zucchini, grated
1/2 cup mushrooms
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp vinegar
1/3 cup salsa
5-6 fresh tomatoes
1-2 cloves garlic
cayenne pepper
salt & pepper
1 can mixed beans

chop onions, mushrooms and celery (don't have to be perfect), and saute in olive oil on low. let the onions start to caramelize, then add cayenne, salt and pepper.  depending on how spicy you like your chili, add 1/2-1 tsp of cayenne.  if you do not like your chili spicy at all, leave the cayenne out! 

mince and add garlic.  quarter the tomatoes and add.  squish tomatoes a bit, and cover. let simmer until tomatoes are cooked - there should be plenty of "broth." then, add vinegar
 to taste (you want some acidity, depending upon the ripeness of tomatoes used, you may need more or less. please taste, or you will end up with a sour chili).  add salsa and stir.  loosely chop kale and spinach, and add to broth.  cover, and let simmer until greens are cooked.  uncover and remove from heat - allow it to cool.

place entire cooled mixture into the blender, and blend until a "meaty" consistency is reached - it shouldn't take long.  i added my zucchini and blended a bit.  return to pot, and stir in corn and beans.  allow to heat back up.  at this point, mine was still a little bit thin, so i thickened it up with a cornstarch mixture - about 2 tsp cornstarch and water to form a thin paste.

once it is reheated, it's complete! you could finish it off with some cashew "sour cream" or daiya shredded cheese - i just baked some rolls, and topped them with vegan margarine.  very good. 

remember: i do not directly measure anything i cook - adjust this recipe to your liking, as i just add what i feel.  it would be awesome to try chickpeas in the blended mixture, or adding different spices - i'm definitely going to change this up a bit next time.

ashley's vegan pizza
3 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp quick rise yeast
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
2 tbsp olive oil

place first three ingredients in stand mixer.  with dough hook attached, stir in water and oil.  mix until a ball forms. cover, and allow to rest for approximately 10 minutes in a warm place. roll out, and cook at 400 F for approximately 10 minutes (until slightly browned). to add extra flavour, brush with garlic and olive oil mixture - i even added oregano. 

take out of oven, and add toppings. i chose: tomato sauce, sliced zucchini, daiya mozzarella cheese mixed with cayenne pepper, olives and spinach.  yve's sliced sandwich meat would also be delicious on this pizza!

hopefully i'll keep up the creativity level, and fill your readings with many more recipes!

xx take care, animal-friendly followers

ashley