Colts Chili and Saintly Cheese

My mom sent me this tasty recipe she found for vegan chili and cheese nachos. Since today is Super Bowl Sunday, I thought I would try it as a healthy alternative to the usual cheese smothered chips. I'm glad I did.

First, I would just like to say, it's always a good idea to get all your ingredients out before you start. Had I followed my own advice,
I would have realized I had very few tortilla chips left. Now I know
I don't usually stick to recipes, however, tortilla chips are sort of vital to making nachos. Thank you to my husband for making a trip to the grocery.

I was missing a few other ingredients, but decided to use what I had.
I didn't have any canned beans, but I did have some dry White beans.
I had never attempted to use them before now. The bag said to soak them overnight, but I didn't have time for that. So I put 2 cups of the dry beans and 6 cups of water in a large pan and turned the burner to low. Then forgot it for 4 hours...Oops. They were a bit mushy. 2 hours would probably have worked. I would recommend using maybe 8 cups of water because those things soaked it up like crazy. It made about 4 cups cooked. I'll have to use the other 2 cups in a future recipe.

Total time: 30 minutes (not counting the beans)

Servings: 6-8 (depending on how hungry you are)

Original recipe:

Ellen's Vegan Nachos, Roberto Martin

My variation:

Chili
1/2 large Red Onion   (husband isn't a fan of onions, so I went light)
1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Coriander
1 teaspoon Dry Oregano
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
4 minced Garlic Cloves   (I love garlic, so I added a little extra)
1 (15oz) Tomato Sauce
1 (4oz) canned Green Chilies
1/4 cup Smart Ground   (vegetable protein fake meat)
1/2 cup TVP   (textured vegetable protein)
1 cup vegetable stock   (I added extra because the TVP soaks up liquid)
2 cups White beans
Salt and Pepper

Sauté onions until light brown. Add garlic and all seasonings and sauté.
Add remaining ingredients and stir until hot and the right consistency.

Cheese
1/2 block Silken Tofu
1/3 cup Vegan Mayo
1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast   (it adds a nutty, cheesy flavor)
1 Tablespoon Essence of Emeril Seasoning
1 Tablespoon Paprika

Mix it all together and it's ready.

Would I make it again:  Absolutely

Husbands comments:  It's good, but it would be even better with some salsa and olives. And maybe some cheese....

Lessons learned:  Always check the pantry for important ingredients vital to the recipe; Don't leave things on the stove without checking on them occasionally