BEAN CHORIZO CRUMBLES

Most people can buy soy chorizo in the store, but people who need to eat soy-free or like to make everything from scratch need an alternative. This recipe is a bean-and grain-based solution that’s just as tasty with no added fat. You can vary the bean and grains to suit what’s in your pantry.

SOY-FREE GLUTEN-FREE OIL-FREE

TOTAL PREP TIME: 15 minutes

TOTAL COOKING TIME: 15 minutes

YIELD: 6 cups (660 g)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons (15 g) ancho chili powder
• 1 tablespoon (7.5 g) pastilla chili powder
• 1 tablespoon (3 g) oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 cups (270 g) cooked white beans or 1 can (15 ounces, or 425 g), rinsed and drained
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 4 cups (about 740 g) cooked grains (I like to use a combination of quinoa and millet)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the spices, salt, and pepper. Stir constantly until the spices are lightly toasted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes more.
2. Pour the toasted spices into a large mixing bowl and add the beans. Mash the beans and spices together until there are no whole beans left.
3. Add the vinegar and cooked grains to the bean mixture. Mix while mashing any whole beans that may have remained.
4. Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. The mixture should have a texture similar to Lightlife’s Gimme Lean or an extremely wet dough.
5. Make a thin layer of the chorizo mixture in the pan. Chop with a spatula and sauté until it looks “crumbled.”
6. Turn out the cooked mixture onto a plate or cookie sheet to cool.
7. Repeat step 5 and 6, adding more of the chorizo mixture to the pan and cooking it in batches until all of it is cooked and crumbled.
8. Use the homemade vegan chorizo in recipes as you would use store-bought vegan chorizo. This recipe makes enough chorizo for three or four meals and can be frozen for later use.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

PER 1/2-CUP (110 G) SERVING:

• 85.7 calories; 0.8 g total fat; 0 g saturated fat; 3.6 g protein; 17.1 g carbohydrate; 2.3 g dietary fiber; 0 mg cholesterol.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS & VARIATIONS:

• Substitute any chili powders you have on hand if you don’t have the ones called for here.