Vegan Chili Mac.

And it was only $10.98! Score!

About a week and a half ago, I was in Sam's Club and decided to look thru the book section like I do every time, crossing my fingers that they would have something that applied to me! I was so incredibly excited when I came across this Vegan Slow Cooker Cookbook. This is my absolute favorite time of the year to use my slow cooker and have been really bummed that I haven't had any great vegan/vegetarian recipes to use. Now, I have no excuse! Like I said though, this has been a week and a half ago and still I hadn't cracked it open. So I decided to skim thru it to make a grocery list for the upcoming week/end and low and behold, they had a great recipe for a Vegan Chili Mac that only took 2 hours and I had everything that it called for. So I whipped out my slow cooker and made it. Here it is:

1/2 cup TVP granules -- I used Thrive Beef TVP

1 (24 oz) jar of tomato salsa of your choice -- I used diced tomatoes and chilis

3 cups cooked pinto or red kidney beans OR 2 (15 oz) cans of beans, drained/rinsed

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

3 tablespoons of chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

8 ounces of uncooked elbow macaroni**

1-3/4 cups hot water

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1-1/2 cups vegan cheese (optional for mixing in or topping it)

**The author mentioned using a regular hard durum semolina pasta (aka Barilla brand) because whole wheat or rice pasta might get too soft by the end of it all -- but she also suggests that if you want to use that form of pasta, cook it on the side and add it in towards the end of the whole process. 

Directions: Lightly oil the inside of the cooker -- combine the TVP with all the ingredients minus the cheese, she suggests stirring in only half the cheese and sprinkling the rest as a garnish when it's done. I personally left the cheese out till the very end and it was still great. Cook on high for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Check the pasta and make sure it's tender enough and adjust the water as you go if it becomes too dry -- I wanted mine to be a little thicker, so I added water several times. Adjust seasonings as needed as well. 

I didn't have to cook it anymore after the initial time, pasta was soft and it was the right thickness for us -- so we grated some cheese and called it a night. I'd also suggest using some hot sauce and vegan sour cream to top it off and make it just right -- oh and some crackers :)

What are some of your favorite slow cooker recipes?