b'Warm up with Mushroom andTempeh White ChiliAn easy way to exploreplant-based cookingBY ILENE MORENOin sight. Potatoes, white beans and tempeh make it extra hearty and filling. The end result is an ultra creamy, veggie and protein-packed meal that tastes so delicious youll forget its loaded with good-for-you ingredients.This recipe is always a hit with friends and family members who are skeptical of anything labeled vegan. I love recommending this to folks who are interested in exploring plant-based cooking but dont know where to start. Its also a simple and extremely delicious in-troduction to cooking with tempeh and different varieties of mush-rooms. I like to combine a few types of mushrooms in this chili, such as oyster, chanterelle and enoki, for a more interesting texture, but you B y this time of the year, my family and I have usually eatento justalso cant go wrong with grocery store staples like cremini or portobello.Before you head to the market to grab what you need to whip up your own batch of chili for tonights dinner, heres a rundown of a few ingredients you may not be familiar with:ourcombinedweightinchili.IlovekeepingchiliinourTamari is gluten-free soy sauce, and you can use it to add a rich, savory flavor weekly dinner rotation because its an easy-to-make, one-potabout anything. Feel free to substitute regular soy sauce, Bragg Liquid meal that can be thrown together with just a couple of cans ofAminos, or coconut aminos in any recipes that call for tamari. crushed tomatoes, beans and whatever vegetables we happenNutritional yeast is a dairy-free secret weapon that easily adds a cheesy flavor to have around. Its simple to make a double or triple batchto any dish, plus its full of vitamin B12. I like to use it in sauces or sprinkle it on and freeze the extra for no-food-in-the-fridge nights. Its basi- top of salads and pasta as a Parmesan cheese substitute. cally a busy parents secret weapon.Tempeh is similar to tofu, but it has a heartier texture and is often used as a There can be too much of a good thing though, and inevitably by a certainmeat substitute. It has a slightly nutty flavor and makes for an easy protein addi-point each winter, my family starts to say, Chiliagain? when we sit downtion to any meal. for dinner.Ilene Moreno is the owner of Colorful Dinner Delivery, a plant-based dinner delivery Enter: Plant-Based Mushroom and Tempeh White Chili. service based in Maplewood, and the author of the Colorful Kitchen cookbooks and Unlike traditional chili, the base is made with coconut milk, without a tomatoblog. Connect with Ilene at colorfuldinnerdelivery.com.30/ matters magazine / winter 2021'