OK, so this one was easy math. You can’t really mess up chili; I mean it’s a bunch of stuff thrown in a pot a heated slowly to let the flavors combine. Bingo, bango you’ve got chili. Served it up with a Summit Red Ale, summer style.

Ingredients:
• Chili beans
• Kidney beans
• One small, minced white onion
• Organic chili powder
• Minced garlic
• Chopped, roasted tomatoes
• Oregano
• Vegetable stock
• Organic, garden tempeh as a meat substitute. I pan-fried the tempeh in some olive oil before adding it to the chili
• Topped w/ shredded, smoked cheddar on serving

Full disclosure, I used canned organic beans. Next time, when I’m feeling more ambitious, I’ll cook the dried beans myself. As it stands, the whole deal only took about 30 minutes from beginning to end. I used two cans of beans though and a little less than two cups of stock, so I made too much.

Another delicious success…that I’ll be eating for a few days.

So, homemade veggie burgers with a side salad of mixed greens, blue cheese crumbles, strawberries and red wine vinegarette dressing. I went basic on what I put in them though, next time I might get a little more creative.

Ingredients:
• black beans
• half a white onion
• scallions
• garlic
• chili powder
• 1 egg
• organic rolled oats

Mixed everything together in a food processor. The mix was a little mushier than I thought it would be, but perhaps I needed to either add something or not process them as much. It was hard to make into patties, but it still worked.

If/when I make these again, I need to find that fine balance of thickness and cooking time so that the center gets cooked, but without burning the outside. I did under cook them a bit, but the good thing is there is no danger of salmonella. It’s just beans and veggies!

I was also going to add some tomato slices, but the tomato I bought must have been bad because I eviscerated the damn thing instead of slicing it.

Things learned:
• Slicing tomatoes is a bitch
• Mix needs to be thicker, perhaps more oats
• Need to cook longer, but without burning
• Should have toasted the buns a little, and/or used onion rolls
• The salad really set it off–BAM!
• EDIT: Refrigerating the mix thickens it up. If I plan a day ahead, this is one solution to the muddy mix issue.

Verdict: A delicious success. Put it in the “win” column.

Stir fried the tofu with garlic, scallions and vegetable stock. Turned out pretty good, though I undercooked the rice a bit.

What it cook have used:
• Something to give the tofu a little more flavor. Another seasoning or sauce.
• An appropriate side dish. Perhaps light soup (miso the obvious choice).

What I learned:
• Don’t throw a part of a vegetable away until you are sure you don’t need it. Didn’t realized I’d be using the top parts of the scallions too, but was able to salvage because no one was looking. *wink*
• Better to slightly overcook rice rather than under-cooking it. (I think)
• Any oil left + veggie stock = POP POP POP! I need to buy measuring spoons, something I forgot in my initial shopping trip.

All in all, another success. Nom!

Red bell peppers, white onions and mushrooms, pan fried and on an onion roll with vegan mayo and fresh roasted garlic.

What it could have used:
• Some sort of cheese to hold it all together.
• Some chips or other crunchy thing on the side. Perhaps a salad for some green.

What I learned:
• I need to slice the onions in strips like you’re supposed to.
• Mushrooms cook fast.
• Always keep some sort of cheese around, vegan or otherwise.

As you can tell, I’m starting out simple. As I continue to understand more about the produce I am cooking I’ll kick things up a notch. Bam! As they say.

Still, it was delicious and I put this in the “success” column along with the potatoes.

Made some yellow potatoes, pan-fried with onions and garlic, for lunch. May have used a little too much oil and crowded the potatoes a bit. Also, I added the onions a little too early so they were too brown at serving time. Overall it was still delicious.

So I’ve decided to learn to cook, and I mean really learn. Sure I can do up some pasta and other basics like most bachelors, but I really want to have more control over what is going into my food. One-too-many food documentaries and articles has me heading down the road to all local, all organic food stuffs.

The first step was the cookbooks. I went with Mark Bittman’s because they seemed like rather comprehensive tomes. These will probably get me started and I’m sure I’ll pick up more along the way. Suggestions welcomed.

Next step, the cookware, knives, etc. That will be next weekend, or possibly some Amazon.com browsing during the week. Again, suggestions for brands, types of cookware, etc. are extremely welcomed.

Once I have all of the essentials covered, my plan is to plan and cook one to two meals a week using the book (doesn’t include my normal rounds of pasta and salads) and keep track of the successes and failures.

Let it begin!