Sexy Orange Chili on Top of Vegan Corn Bread and Pesto Muffins with the Valery Trails, the Caretakers and Cruiser
J-Fur’s cousin and her husband spent a few months living in two places. They had a unique mountain home in Colorado and a nice river front place in Sarasota. Eventually bills caught up to them and they had to decide which one to live in permanently. They chose Sarasota. They packed up the house in Colorado, bought a trailer, and headed straight for the land of oranges. Upon arrival they realized they had a small dilemma. They owned two of everything. Before hauling half of their possessions off to a good will, they decided to offer free things to anyone willing to come by. We wasted no time in accepting their offer.
This Saturday we made the hour long drive from Tampa to Sarasota. Here we gathered kitchen gadgets galore. From knives to casserole dishes to weird shaped cups to the beast mother of toasters. But the best score, in my opinion, was a blender. Now I could make homemade rice milk and quit shelling out so much in order to enjoy desert (aka sugar cereal).
The blender succeeded where the food processor failed and I was able to make a large pitcher of rice milk. My first challenge with the homemade rice milk was to veganize some corn bread muffins and serve them underneath some sexy orange chili.
Vegan Corn Bread Muffins with Pesto
(printable version)
-1 1/2 cups corn meal
-2 tsp. baking powder
-1 Tbs. sugar
-1 flax egg
-3/4 cup rice milk (or other vegan milk)
-3 Tbs. vegetable oil
-3 Tbs. Pesto (or to taste)
1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet. Halfway fill muffin cups with the batter.
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
Orange Chili
(printable version)
-3 cups black beans
-1 cup black eyed peas
-1/2 cup brown rice, cooked
-1 onion, diced
-4 cloves of garlic, pressed
-14 ounces of diced tomatoes
-juice and zest of 1 orange
-4 tsp. chili powder
-4 tsp. cumin
-salt and pepper (to taste)
1. In a large stockpot: saute the onion and garlic in olive oil. Add the tomatoes, beans, rice, spices, and orange and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for twenty minutes.
3. Serve over pesto cornbread.
Some other things that taste real good smothered in chili are the new tracks from The Valery Trails, The Caretakers and Cruiser. When last we saw the Valery Trails they had just put out an album and were busy brewing beer, making salsa and cooking up their own vegan chili. Fast forward a few months and they are prepping for the release of an EP while chilling like a “man crouching naked at the bottom of the world.” The four song EP, entitled Feline, will be released on October 1st. Take a moment to check out the moody “Too Soon Forgotten”:
The Caretakers are a two piece band that “wears their political motivations on their sleeves.” Basically they make music for the 99 percent. “Killing Me, Killing You” is a track from their second album Love, War + Propaganda. It was originally called “Make Love Not War” and was written as a response to the wars and conflict in the Middle East over the past decades. The song references two of the world’s most notable biblical prophets, Jesus and Muhammad, as well as peace advocate Mahatma Gandhi. The song seeks a society where people live together without the threat of judgement, condemnation or killing. Listen to the entire EP at the band’s bandcamp page.
Cruiser is the solo project of Philadelphia native Andy States. It came into existence buried in a walk-in closet of a crowded inner city loft. The walk-in closet demos eventually landed in the hands of Jeremy Park, producer of Youth Lagoon’s The Year of Hibernation. Park offered to produce Cruiser’s EP after hearing the songs. Cruiser crafts beachy songs with infections melodies and a carefree attitude that suggest summer may be slipping away, but you can hold on to it for just a few more minutes. Check out the entire EP at Cruiser’s bandcamp page.
Mary says:
This sounds delicious. I love both your recipes. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings…Mary