I admit it, a steak flashed thru my mind too after the first bite. VERY BLAND. BUT, I just adjusted the seasonings to my taste, let it cook longer, and found it was a great meal. I did follow the recipe exactly, except I only cooked it 2 hours before adding the flour/water mixture instead of 3.
I think it is a great "base" for a chili recipe. I never have luck with my crockpot and all I had to do was add chipotle, liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, cumin, paprika and brown sugar. If you are adding brown sugar I would cut back on the molasses, it was too syrupy. Also, I would like to add a lot more beans to this...I would definitely use this as a start to developing my own personalized veggie chili recipe.
If you are making this recipe for a vegan please note that not all "vegetarian ground beef crumbles" are suitable for vegans. Many of them contain egg or milk derivatives--vegans do not consume these items. Having said that--I likedthis recipe quite a bit. It had a nice chili flavor and the molasses added something different. I added an extra boullion cube as well.
This chili was fantastic. My meat-loving husband even had a bowl. I will say though that unlike most chili this one is better fresh than left over. I can't wait to make it again.
Have made this twice. Have had to double the receipe to meet demands. A couple of quick changes used a mixture of beans pinto black canneli and kidney beans; added 1/2 TBS dried Basil; added 4 meatless sausage flavored patties chopped up; did not use the flour or extra water just let it simmer in crock pot. Much better on day two.
i am not a vegan but this recipe is GGGREAT! i made it for my church event and people thought i was lying when i said it was vegetarian chili. this is a " " meal!
This is a good chili but not great. After making this I realize that I'm not a fan of celery in my chili. Also I missed the crushed tomatoes of my usual chili recipe. I added cumin a must have seasoning in any chili recipe for me. Next time I would switch up the beans... just not use kidney beans exclusively. I made it un-vegan by using real sharp cheddar.
My family loves this recipe. It is the only chili that my kids will eat. I usually use all pinto beans but have used any type of canned 'dry' bean I have on hand (ie: black beans great northern white kidney beans etc) We make this recipe about once a week during the winter.
I use veggie sausage crumbles and brown them first for a more meat like texture. Yummie! Even pleases MEAT EATERS such as myself.
A little bland. Added tons of cheese as a topping to add flavor. Overall delicious!
