LAB NOTES: Vegan Chili Non-Carne KitBash

Hello everyone.
Wayne AKA The Mad Food Scientist
It’s November, so that means it’s time to open up Chili and Soup season.
I’ll try to write down what I did because I kitbashed this vegan Chili Non-Carne recipe.
I did borrow some ideas from the Lentil Ragout that I made for the vegan lasagna. I got a very nice vegan lasagna recipe from Kathryn at the Tasty, Thrifty, Timely Blog and YouTube channel.

03 November, 2024: Vegan Chili Non-Carne
INGREDIENTS:
114g/1/2 cup  Great Northern Beans ( Dried )
114g/1/2 cup  Navy Beans ( Dried )
114g/1/2 cup  Kidney Beans ( Dried )
114g/1/2 cup  Black Beans ( Dried )
228g/1 cup  Pinto Beans ( Dried )
228g/1 cup  Chickpeas ( Dried ) 
454g/16oz Lentils ( Dried )
4 411g/14.5oz cans of petite diced tomatoes
4 411g/14.5oz cans of water
1 454g/16oz bag of Tuscan blend frozen vegetables.
1 340g/12oz bag Riced cauliflower
1 340g/12oz bag Petite peas
1 340g/12oz bag Winter Blend
1 170g/6oz Tomato paste 
3l water ( for soaking )
1 TBSP Better Than Bullion Roasted Vegetable Soup Base
1 TBSP Cochujang Korean Chili Paste.
2 TSPB Soy Sauce
2 TBSP Homemade Vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 TBSP Sriracha
1 TBSP Tobasco sauce
8 TBSP Nutritional yeast
2 Palmfuls: Oregano
2 Palmfuls: Basil 
2 TBSP Ground Cumin
2 TBSP Ground Mustard
1 TBSP Mushroom powder
1 TBSP Red Pepper Flakes.
1 TBSP Chili Powder
1 TBSP Ground Ginger
1 TBSP Granulated onion
1 TBSP Granulated garlic ( Homemade! )
5 tsp baking powder ( For soaking )
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste.
3 medium onions ( Diced )
1 hand of Celery ( Diced )
Split Pea and Sunflower seed solids left after making split pea milk.

Method: 
Flash Soaking ( Because I didn’t set things up the day before.
First split the 454g of dried lentils into two 1 quart Mason jars.
Then weigh out the other beans, mix them, divide them into 4 1 quart mason jars.
Add a tsp of baking powder in all the Mason jars.
Pour water just off the boil into the jars, lid them tightly, using a towel, or oven mitts, shake the jars to mix the beans, water and baking powder.
Let soak for an hour or two.

BEANS:
Drain and rinse the beans: 
For the beans ( other than the lentils ), put them in the stockpot and cover them with water by two to three inches. Bring to a boil, then drop to a simmer. Lid and let simmer until the beans are cooked. Stir occasionally, monitor the water level.
Once the beans are cooked, remove from the heat. 
Let cool, and leave the beans sitting in the Aquafaba overnight if possible.
Harvest the aquafaba from the beans. Reserve. More on that later.

LENTIL RAGOUT:
Drain and rinse the lentils, put them into another pot.
Add the can of tomato paste.
Add the 4 cans of diced tomatoes.
Use the four cans of water to rinse the residue from all the cans.
I usually fill the tomato paste can and use it to fill the bigger cans.
Add the four cans of water to the pot.
Add in all the seasonings and flavourings.Adjust the flavour profile to suit yourself.
Bring to a boil, then drop to a simmer.
Lid, and simmer until the lentils are cooked. 
Take off the heat and let sit. Overnight if possible. 

ASSEMBLY:
Wash the stockpot and dry it after harvesting the aquafaba
Dice the onions and celery ( Diced carrots could be added too )
Put some avocado oil in the pot and bring up to heat.
Add the onions, celery ( and carrots if you choose ) to the pot and 
saute until the celery is cooked.
Add in the lentil ragout.
Add in the beans. 
Add in the frozen vegetables. 
Add in the split pea solids strained out when making split pea milk.
Stir
Add water if needed to thin the chili to your desired consistency.
Bring to a simmer, lid and let the chili simmer for at least an hour with the lid on, 
stirring occasionally
Turn off the heat.

LAB NOTES: 03 November, 2024
I flash soaked and cooked the beans and the Lentil ragout yesterday ( 02 November, 2024 ).
I borrowed the lentil ragout idea from Kathryn’s Vegan Lasagna recipe at Tasty, Thrifty, Timely. I took her idea and modified it. Rather than cooking the lentils in broth, or stock, I cooked them in tomatoes and water with BTB. This cuts out a step in the lasagna recipe and for this one too. As you can see this recipe is very legume heavy. 
This is a very hearty chili.
I’m going to put it over rice and crumble cornbread over it. A friend of mine shared her Grandmother’s southern cornbread recipe ( SPOILER ALERT )

OBSERVATIONS: 03 November, 2024:
I will be making this dish again.
It’s very flavourful, and very hearty. It’s a meal on it’s own, but with rice it becomes a complete protein. The cornbread takes it over the top.
In the Domestic Culinary Lab I’m not afraid to Fool Around And Find Out.