Brown Rice Tex Mex Chili

I'm craving this chili. I actually crave it, like heroin. Except this is better than heroin. It's pretty warm here in southern California so you'd think I wouldn't want to eat a hot bowl of chili, but you'd be wrong. Not only is this chili delicious, it's also a one pot meal so it's super easy to clean up and since this recipe yields 4 servings and it's just lonely old me, I can eat this chili for days and save money to buy actual heroin. See, this is really working out.

This chili is a recipe from Rachel Ray's magazine that I got about a year ago- and I'm always looking for chili recipes because I love them. Side note; Rachel Ray is amazing. She is single handedly responsible for introducing me to the joy that is cooking. I love her. So anyways, I found this and instead of using ground turkey or ground beef, I use Yves meatless ground.

I generally don't like fake meat because I think it tastes fake meat. Weird, I know. I also try and limit my soy intake, but once in awhile, fake meat can be great,

and in this recipe, it's soooo good. The texture is awesome and it's really tasty. So give this chili a try, and I'm pretty sure you'd fool a meat eater into thinking this chili has meat in it. Serve it to them and tell them it is and see if they know. Then hide behind a wall while you watch them eat it and twist your curly mustache as you smile sinisterly. And if you want to add veggies, saute some up with some cumin and go for it. I always encourage more vegetables.

2 tbls EVOO

1 onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (or leave the seeds in if you're not a wuss)

2 tbls chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil

1 12 oz bottle of light mexican beer (corona light is my fave)

3/4 cup brown rice

In a large pot, add the evoo, jalapeno, and onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook another minute. (it smells so amazing) Then stir in the tomatoes and their juices, the bottle of beer, and 2 cups of water. Stir in the rice along with a tsp of salt bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for 35 minutes. Then, stir in the package of meatless ground, cover, and cook another 20-25 minutes.

Serve in a bowl with delicious toppings such as my favorite: cheese, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, hot sauce, cilantro and avocado. Then eat. Then repeat.

Enjoy!