You never know what you're going to get!

The finished product: Vegetarian chili (made with Tofurky)
*looks pretty close to the real-deal, eh?

Welcome to this edition of YATS Cooks!  These days, I have to say, have been rather hectic, and I haven’t been cooking as much as I used to. However, as we’re preparing to go away on vacation, I need to “clean out” the refrigerator, so let's roll up those sleeves and get to it!  

The last time we were at the supermarket, I decided I would try something new, and picked up some “Tofurky”.  A friend had recommended it some time ago when I shared that I had been experimenting with Tempeh (she’s also suggested Seitan, but I’ve not given it a go ‘round yet).  There are lots of versions of Tofurky out there, and I decided to try the one that claimed it was “just like ground beef!”.  Well, my carnivore husband will be the judge of that!

The picture on the box shows a delicious lasagna prepared with these little bits of Tofurky.  Making Lasagna involves a lot cheese, a lot of time, and turning on the oven.  Ahem.  Not going there with these 90 degree days!  I decided on Vegetarian chili, and the results were great!  When I make vegetarian meals for my family, I have a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.  What they don’t know won’t hurt them, and around here, when I’m in charge of dinner, you never know what you’re going to get (might be Quorn, might be Tempeh, now might be some Tofurky…).  As long as it tastes good, I’ll keep experimenting.  I haven’t had too many complaints yet…

Here’s how I did it:

The main ingredients for flavor include one 12oz package of Tofurky and a sachet of Vegetarian Chili seasoning.  I’m sure you could use any sort of chili seasoning for flavor, but sometimes they add beef bouillon to it, so if you’re a strict vegetarian, stick with the vegetarian seasoning.

The supporting cast are your beans and tomatoes.  I just used canned because they’re cheap, quick, AND easy (I'll spare you the prostitute jokes here.  cheap...quick...  oh nevermind)!  My preference is for Cannellini and Red kidney beans, but you could easily use black beans or pinto beans, or whatever you like in your chili!  The tomatoes are always diced and almost always “fire roasted”.  Sometimes I’ll use a can with jalapeno seasoning included, but this is the can I had in the pantry, so it’s what I used.

Add all of the canned ingredients to a fairly large pot with the Tofurky.  I needed to mix the sachet with a 1/4cup of water before stirring into the beans and tomatoes.  I warmed through on medium-high heat until bubbling, and then I turned the flame down to let it simmer a bit, allowing the flavors to meld.  That’s it.  The finished product cost somewhere around $8.50 (each can was 89cents, give or take a dime), the seasoning was a buck twenty, and I think the Tofurky was $4.50.  It might seem like a lot for something that's not meat, but a pound of ground beef, last time I checked, was at least $7, and by the time you cook the fat out of it, you probably only end up with just a little more than 12 oz anyway!  

We added some shredded Colby jack cheese (oops!  Lost my "Vegan" status with that one.  I was so close), and everyone chowed down.  There’s even a sizeable serving left over.  Normally I’d be happy about that because it means I have lunch for tomorrow, but we are leaving on vacation, and I’m trying to cut down on the dang leftovers!

Bon Appetit! <--- a not-so-subtle nod to our vacation destination ;)