Cash and Carried in the City

Okay, so I have all these bits and pieces of recipes and really no sort of organization to refer back to them. I use www.allrecipes.com quite a bit for most of my 'new' creations, but have also found some good cookbooks and figured out that BBC also has a good catalogue of things. Tricky part has been not having a scale as most UK recipes use that and a combination of ml for liquids. I did splurge though and found me a thin sleek and cheap one at Debenhams and have found it quite easy to use. It reminds me of my biology years...haha!

Since we've been eating alot of vegetarian meals and having the odd bit of chorizo (not the same as home, more like pepperoni), tuna, shrimp, etc. I've been on the search for some good recipes with simple ingredients. The basics are usually the same but can result in some completely different dishes. I've become a spice hoarder as well so it makes cooking from scratch taste so much better with only a little more effort.

So, as documented recipe No. 1, I'd like to share what we had tonight

Tempeh Chili con Frijoles

Ingredients:
1 package of tempeh
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 T olive oil + 2 tsps
3 tsps soy sauce
3 T chili powder (medium)
2 tsps cumin
2 tsp fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1 1/2 tsp salt
black pepper
1 can kidney/pinto beans, drained
1 c Guinness (hubby can get the rest)
1 can diced tomatoes
3 T tomato paste
1 1/2 c water or veggie broth
2 tsp pure maple syrup
1/2 lemon, juiced
handful of fresh cilantro

Process:
- In frying pan, saute onions and bell peppers with olive oil until golden brown.
- In additional pan, put tempeh in and cover with water, add soy sauce. Allow to cook until water is almost gone. Take fork and break up tempeh into pieces.
- Add garlic to onions and bell peppers. Let cook for 1 minute.
- Add all spices and seasonings (except cilantro) to onions and bell peppers. Cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add dark beer and deglaze pan.
- Add tomatoes, paste, and water to pan. Stir in drained tempeh into mixture. Let boil, turn down heat, and cook for 20 minutes with stirring as required.
- Remove lid and continue to cook for 30 minutes. (I didn't let it cook that long as we couldn't wait!)
- Add maple syrup and lemon juice, and stir.
- Add cilantro and serve. (I added a couple of slices of avocado + sour cream + oven baked potatoes)

Cost (Approximately): $13 / 8.00 GBP for Serving of about 4