Delicious Chilli for the chilly days

This recipe is using soya mince however, you could switch for Quorn, beans or beef mince. This recipe is great for preparing in advance to heat up later and for batch cooking and freezing. In fact, I would argue it is better the second day as all the flavours have had a chance to develop. It is also a great store cupboard recipe and super for using up vegetables.

We have soya mince (and soya chunks) in our Refillery, these soya products are made using UK grown soya and is excellent value for money. Soya mince is only 42p/100g and for this recipe, 1 mug was 150g and that cost 63p. It can be used in a whole host of recipes as a meat substitute for a meat-free meal.

To use the dried soya products they need to be rehydrated. So for 1 cup of soya, mix with 1 cup of hot stock of your choice and set aside for a couple of hours (or overnight). When cooking the soya will also absorb more liquid and flavours.

Spice mix for the Chilli: this mix was given to us by one of our customers and it is delicious.

2 heaped tsp Oregano 2 tsp Coriander, ground

2 tsp Paprika, smoked 1 tsp Cumin, ground

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper ½ tsp Onion Powder

½ tsp Garlic Granules ½ tsp Ginger, ground

½ tsp Cinnamon, ground ½ tsp Black Pepper, ground

1 tsp Salt

Keep in mind that the size of mug will vary the strength of the spices in the final dish. Once you have tried the recipe you can vary the spices to your families taste.

Chilli and rice

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, grated

1 courgette, grated

2 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 mug of dried soya mince

1 mug of stock

spice mix as above

2 tbsp of veg oil

Rice to serve

Method:

1. In advance re-hydrate the soya using the mug of stock.

2. Add oil to the pan and heat, add onions and cook until soft.

3. Add the other veg and cook for a further 3 mins

4. Add the spice mix and cook for a further 2 mins.

5. Add the re-hydrated mince, tomatoes and tomato puree and bring to a simmer.

6. Simmer on a low heat for 10 min, add more liquid if necessary

7. Serve with rice

Adding your own twist

Above is the basic recipe but it is always great to make a recipe your own and tweek it suit your families tastes.

• Have veg in your fridge you need to use up? chop and add for example peppers and mushrooms etc....

• Feeding more than 4: add a tin of beans to make the recipe stretch, baked beans or kidney beans both work well

• Instead of serving with rice; serve with a baked potato or serve with salad and tortillas to make fajitas.

Many thanks for reading this blog. If you went on to try this recipe there are a few things that it would be great to know.

1. How did the recipe work for you? Pictures would be super.

2. Did you add your own twist? If so, what?