Chili recipes are in abundance...in cookbooks and on the net. What remains constant, however, are the zippy spices that flavor chili - cumin, coriander, chili and oregano. This recipe has been adapted from a favorite 'carnivore' recipe I found years ago in Cooking Light magazine. Chili is so versatile. You can add your own favorite beans and spices to suit your taste.

• 1 pack (8 oz.) tempeh
• 3 T dry red wine
• 2 tsps chili powder (can add more for flavoring)
• 1 tsp dried cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 T sherry vinegar
• salt & pepper to taste
• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
• 2 cps chopped onions
• 3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 T ground cumin
• 2 tsps dried oregano
• 4 cans black beans, rinsed well and drained OR 2 can black beans and 2 cans red kidney beans
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 small green or red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cps low sodium vegetable broth, either store bought or homemade
• 2 cps water
• 1/4 cp lime juice
• about 1/3 cp chopped cilantro
• sliced green onions, vegan sour cream, chopped black olives, grated soy cheddar cheese (optional) for garnish.

Crumble tempeh and steam for 20 minutes. Drain. Put tempeh in large bowl and mash with fork till larger pieces are crumbled. Then add the ingredients from red wine through salt and pepper. Mix well, cover and chill. It's fine to keep in frig overnight.

When ready to make chili.....saute onions in a little white wine or Braggs liquid aminos. Add the chilled tempeh and brown. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano and chiles. Cook about 5-6 minutes until onions are tender. Put these ingredients in a large pot.

Take 1 1/2 cps of beans and put in food processor with 1 cp of vegetable broth. Process till smooth. Add these beans, the rest of the other beans, the remaining broth and water, pepper and tomatoes into large pot with tempeh ingredients. Bring all to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Partially cover pot and cook for 45 minutes. Chili should be slightly thick. Taste for extra seasoning. When done, add the lime juice and cilantro. When serving can garnish with either sliced green onions, vegan sour cream, olives or grated soy cheddar cheese.