The (Almost) No Fat Cookbook Publisher: The Book Publishing Company © 1995 by Bryanna Clark Grogan ISBN: 0913990124

Reprinted with permission from the author, Bryanna Clark Grogan.

Chile Sin Carne (p. 130)
(Serves 6 generously)

This meatless chile is rich, dark, and spicy - it won first prize in a chile cook-off against several entries with meat!

Ingredients

Soak in enough water to cover for at least 8 hours:

• 2 cups dried pinto beans

Drain and rinse. In a large, heavy pot, mix the beans with:

• 4 cups water
• 3/4 cup dry textured vegetable protein granules soaked in 3/4 cup boiling water, or
  1/2-1 lb. frozen, reduced-fat firm regular tofu, thawed, squeezed, and crumbled
• 1 cup onions, minced
• 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1-2 Tbsp. chile powder (half ancho chile, if desired)
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 dried red chile pepper, crumbled
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. sweetener of your choice

Directions

Bring this mixture to a boil, and simmer for 3 minutes. Then lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the beans are tender and the flavors are mixed (at least 2 hours or up to 4 hours, depending on how intense you like the flavor). To pressure cook, cook at 15 lbs. pressure for 20-25 minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the mixture is too thin, thicken it by adding:

• 2-3 Tbsp. cornmeal

Let this simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Serve with crusty bread, corn bread, tortillas, or rice. It freezes well and leftovers are great in tacos.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: Calories: 277; Protein: 17 gm., Carbohydrates: 48 gm., Fat: 0 gm.