My FAVORITE Chili Recipe...(shhh, it's vegan)!

PUT THE TEX IN YOUR MEX CHILI

This is a superquick and simple chili that will put the Tex in your Mex. Visit your local ethnic market or ethnic food aisle in the supermarket to experiment with the many vari­eties of dried chiles available. To enhance the flavor, if you have time, cook at lower temperatures for longer periods of time.

SERVES 6 TO 8

4 cups water or vegetable stock

1 tablespoon chili powder (I use Chipotle Chili Powder for a “kick”)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 cup yellow onion, chopped small

1 cup sliced celery

4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

1 (8-ounce) package pan fried or baked tempeh (optional)

1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes, or 1 (14.5-ounce) can of fire-roasted tomatoes

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 jalapeno or other hot pepper, seeded and diced

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained (1% cups cooked beans)

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained (1% cups cooked beans)

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 cup fresh or frozen corn (optional)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

1 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Place the water, chili powder, and cumin in a large pot and place over medium-high heat. Begin prepping the onions, celery, garlic, tempeh, tomatoes, pepper and jalapeno, and place them in the pot as you go.

Lower heat to medium-low; add the beans, tomato paste, and corn, if using; and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are ten­der, stirring occasionally. Add the soy sauce, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Give it a good stir, and enjoy!

Yummy lunch!!

Ezekiel corn tortillas, pinto beans, orange bell pepper, onion, mushroom, avacado & cherry tomatoes. I'll think I'll call it ....the Bonita Fajita :-)

Homemade Hummus!

You can buy hummus from the store or make it at home. It's SOOooo good! It's quick and easy to make - and very filling. I sometimes eat it as my lunch with sprouted grain ezekiel toritillas. Here is the recipe:

Traditional Hummus

1 15oz can garbanzo beans (or 1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans)

2 tablespoons tahini (available at Basic Foods - possibly HEB)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon water

2 garlic cloves minced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons soy sauce

Put all ingredients in food processor until well combined. You may wish to add more water for a thinner consistency. Start with 2 tablespoons at a time.

Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 4-6 days.

Try the Wild Rice...

For those of you who haven't tried this hearty rice, now is a good time! Follow cooking instructions below. Sautee some onion, mushroom and garlic in a separate saucepan with olive oil. When rice is finished mix in together! Yum yum. Serve with a baked potato - you WILL be stuffed.

Cooking Wild Rice Using the Stovetop Method

Wash 1 cup uncooked wild rice thoroughly. Add to 3 cups boiling water, salted to taste, in a heavy saucepan. Return water to boil and stir. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 50-60 minutes or just until kernals puff open. Uncover and fluff with table fork. Simmer five additional minutes. Drain any excess liquid. For chewier texture cook less time. Yield: 3-4 cups of cooked wild rice.

Daniel Fast Recipe - Vegan Bean Burgers

I made these last night... Vegan Bean Burger. They came out really good! They were hearty, tasty and I served them with diced potatoes sauteed in olive oil.

I made some adjustments to the recipes spices. If you want to see the original recipe, click on the link above.

I also sauteed mushrooms, put them over the top and dipped in organic stone ground mustard. This is for all you "meat-n-potatoes" guys! This should tide you over.

Vegan Bean Burgers

[Makes 6 Burgers]

• 2 cans black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1/2 cup dry rolled oats
• 1/4 sunflower seeds (can be omitted)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• pepper, if desired

To Prepare: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Next, add the oats and sunflower seeds to your food processor and grind until coarsely chopped (they will still be a little chunky). Let it run for roughly 10 seconds. Grate the carrots, and then add to your mixture in the food processor. Add 75% of the beans, all spices, and the olive oil. Once all of this is in the food processor, give it a whir and mix it all together.

Spoon mixture into a mixing bowl and then fold in the rest of the whole, reserved beans. Wet your hands and then form into 6 medium sized patties. Place patties on a non-stick baking sheet or into a baking pan, and bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes, turning once in the middle.

(I baked them for 30 minutes and then fried for 1-2 minutes on each side in a lightly oiled fry pan).

Daniel Fast Recipe - Mexican Tortilla Soup

This recipe is one of my favorites and can be enjoyed on the Daniel Fast and beyond. It's so good, my kids ate it!

I recommend making a double batch for a larger family. For 1-2 people, make recipe as follows and freeze what's left over (or just eat for lunch the following day :-). Enjoy...

Mexican Tortilla Soup

[Serves 4-6]

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup yellow onion diced

1 jalapeno pepper diced small and seeds removed

4 garlic cloves minced

1 15oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes

1 can black beans (or 1 1/2 cups cooked beans) rinsed

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

2 cups water or vegetable stock (I use water)

2 tbsp soy sauce (can be omitted)

1/2 medium avacado

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

1-2 Ezekiel sprouted corn tortilla (Basic foods freezer...don't forget!)

1. In medium pot, saute' the olive oil, onion, garlic and jalapeno for approximately 3-4 minutes, or until onions are translucent.

2. Add the water, tomatoes, beans chili powder, cumin and soy sauce. cover and simmer for 10 minutes whil you prepare the spoon out pieces of avacado and dice cilantro.

3. Ladel soup into bowl and top with avacado, cilantro and eat with sprouted corn tortillas (that you toasted on top of your toaster). Enjoy

(Taken from the "30 Minute Vegan" - page 163)

My 3 Day Experience

I arrived in Dallas the evening before the Komen 3 day walk. I was excited, nervous and emotional as I anticipated the 3 day journey before me. I woke early Friday morning and Mike and the kids drove me to the drop-off point in Plano. I kissed my family goodbye and walked across the parking lot to join the “sea” of people near the opening ceremony site. 2,800 walkers were there!

People were clamoring with excitement and getting pumped up for the day ahead. Almost immediately I was asked to take a picture for a team of six ladies. When they learned that my team of three had dissolved and I was walking alone, they immediately adopted me!

We hit the road at 8:00 a.m. and began our walk. We weaved through neighborhoods, schools and the University of Texas. Eleven different cheering stations greeted us and gave us fresh bursts of energy. The weather was pristine - a sunny, clear, slightly breezy 64 degree day, made it absolutely PERFECT! My new-found team inspired me with their stories of how cancer had touched their lives. (One woman on their team, had been diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year. She went for her annual mammogram and it came back clear. Three weeks later - she found a lump in her breast. She had it biopsied and it was malignant. Thank GOD she did a self breast exam!! It saved her life.) We made several stops throughout our route at pre-designated “Pit-Stops”, which are designed to keep everyone rested, stretched and hydrated. Lunch was served at the 10 mile mark at a beautiful park. We all rested in the sun and got recharged. We arrived at camp that evening around 5pm and I immediately headed for a hot shower and good meal. I was tired and achy, so I went and crawled into my tent before “lights out”.

The temperatures plummeted that night to 38 degrees!! My sleeping bag zipper broke, so I had to use a mylar emergency blanket to make it through until sunrise. It made a very long, and not-so-restful night! I rose early Saturday morning cold and tired. I immediately noticed my knee was really achy and so I went to the medical staff and had them wrap it. That helped!

I, again, met up with my “adopted” team of ladies on the road. The Saturday route was much more scenic - winding through parks and over bridges. A beautiful course with 21 cheering stations along the way. At milepost 31, I stopped at the Pit Stop for water and to have a blister taped up. Toward the end of the day, I noticed my energy was completely zapped. The ladies walking with me offered to let me stay with them at their hotel in a nice, warm bed. I couldn’t pass it up! So when we pulled into camp that evening, I packed up my stuff and we headed over to their hotel, just down the road. I ate an excellent meal, took a hot bath and slept like a baby!

On Sunday, we drove in to camp and loaded up on busses to take us to the 3rd day starting location. We started walking around 8am. I immediately noticed that between my knee and blisters my pace had slowed considerably. I told my friends to go ahead and I would meet up with them at closing ceremony. I became very discouraged. My pain was becoming increasingly unbearable and I was seriously considering giving up. However, as I hit the first morning Pit stop area, I noticed a young woman who had 10 times as much tape as I did! It was evident she was in as much pain as me, so I asked her if she’d like to walk with me. I told her I was determined to finish all 60 miles and she expressed her passion and drive to finish, as well. So my new friend, Sarah, and I walked the last 14+ miles together. She was a God send! We talked, shared, laughed and encouraged each other to press on.

We weaved through downtown and finally crossed the into the pre-finish area of the Cotton Bowl arena. She and I waited there a short time for all the walkers to arrive so we could walk the “Victory Walk” to the finish line together. As we waited, she went and collected mail addressed to her at the event post office. She had several letters from her mother. She invited me to read her letters which contained personal sentiments and encouragement. As we read them together, we both laughed and balled hysterically. In a magical sort of way, it was like I was receiving letters from my own mother. They spoke of how proud she was of her daughter, how her life was better - just for having her in it. It touched me so deeply.

Moments later we lined up for the final march. As we walked together toward the finish line, arm-in-arm...with thousands of other men and women - I felt such a deep sense of personal accomplishment. I thanked God for all the provisions and amazing things he He had done before, during and after this event...more than I could have ever imagined or hoped for. I felt like I had finally completed my "Journey" -and had reached the end of my road of grief for loved ones I'd lost to cancer. I felt like as though I'd finally found personal health and spiritual wisdom along this path.

What I soon came to realize, is that undoubtedly, one journey had ended, but another had just begun....

Never Stop "Moving Forward" ~ Jen

(If you haven't seen it yet, please watch my 3 Day Compilation Video, posted below.)