5 Ingredient Vegan Crockpot Chili

5* Ingredient Vegan Crockpot Chili
*more or less

Here is my very basic vegan crockpot chili that uses canned/packaged ingredients and mixes up very fast and cooks all by itself. It is a nice, thick chili, unlike a lot of vegan chili recipes I have encountered that are sadly soups and not chili. Is it a Southern thing that we like thick, hearty chili? I don't know. But if you can see through it, it's soup, people. You can't see through all soups, but if you can see through chili, it's a soup. Just... you know... setting that straight from the beginning.

Now. There are fancier chilis out there- vegan, too- with fresher ingredients and no preservatives, so  are way better for you. I don't always have the time to cook a bunch of things before cooking the thing those things all go into. You probably don't, either. I also have no problem eating something borderline junkie once in a while. I hope you, do, too. If you don't,  please don't tell me about it. Sanctimonious vegans are unbearable. Vegans sanctimonious to other vegans is unforgivable. We are all trying to save the world here, after all.

Besides being quick, there is the added bonus that this can be made quite kid-friendly by keeping the spice down and the tomatoes less obvious. Then the grownups can add in some spice to their own bowl in the form of Tabasco or jalapenos or something - or just dress it up a little for the heck of it. I like some spicy mustard (which I have been questioned for) or some vegan cheese. My daughter likes vegan sour cream on top (which she has also been questioned for). Do you like anything on your chili? Someone once told me they like peanut butter in their chili. I don't remember who that was. That was probably the day I stopped being friends with them. Too weird even for me.

Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillar

The Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillar is the larva form of… wait for it… the Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly! He likes to eat Spicebush (surprise!). When he’s little, he’s all brown and white splotchy and looks like bird droppings. After he molts a couple of times he looks like this. It is a form of protection called Mimicry. He will hide his body under leaves with only his front end and False Eyes showing. If a predator gets too close he will stick out his Osmeterium that looks like a snake’s tongue and can emit a very foul smell.

Swallowtail Caterpillars will spend the winter in their chrysalis in leaf litter, ready to emerge as a butterfly in the spring. Help to preserve their numbers and save their lives by opting to compost your fall leaves rather than burning them. Swallowtail butterflies are large and beautiful and easily recognizable, though, in my opinion, not nearly as interesting as their caterpillar form. 

STATS:

Difficulty Rating: 

Crochet Terms: American

Language: English

Finished Size: 30 inches long, 23 inches around at widest point

In-line color changes: none
Skill Level: novice

Shaping: yes

Sewing: extensive

No. of Pages: 12

No. of Images: 24

Also includes: Alternative color suggestions, hidden osmeterium pocket

Golden Retriever Blankie Buddy

The 34nd Dog Breed Blankie Buddy is the beautiful and intelligent Gold Retriever. Originally bred as a companion gun dog, this dog quickly became the number one family and best friend dog of all time! 

STATS:

Difficulty Rating:

Crochet Terms: American

Language: English

Finished Size: 26 inches tall

In-line color changes: none
Skill Level: easy

Shaping: minimal

Sewing: average

No. of Pages: 9

No. of Images: 20

Also includes: links to less-basic stitches used.

Oven-Fried Green Tomatoes

Man on man I love Fried Green Tomatoes! In my opinion, Summer exists solely for the abundance of warmth, watermelon, lightning bugs, and green tomatoes. Tart and fresh and oh so yummy, I have loved these little things my entire life.

What I do not love is fried food. Or rather it does not like me. I would suffer through once or twice just to have the green tomato experience, but if there was a good way to make these without drowning them in oil, then I could eat as many as I wanted! Yay! So this year I decided to find a good way to avoid the frying and still end up with a delicious tomato.

Tofu Recipes (favorites and originals)

Here is a collection of tried and true simple tofu marinades and coatings. Some of these are my own discoveries (and probably not all that original) and some are recipes I have found worked well. I like simple. I like short ingredient lists and ingredients that I (and probably a lot of) vegans always have on hand. This list is here for anyone who would love a new tofu idea. I will continue to add to this page and index these variations on the vegan recipe page.

Please note: 

None of these links are affiliate links. That is not my thing. I link to Amazon a lot because I shop Amazon a lot. If I can't find it at Aldi, Walmart, or Publix, I buy it from Amazon. Yay Prime.