A Cozy Mardi Gras

 Mardi Gras happens on this Tuesday  which means it happens on a work day. You can still celebrate but in a lesser,more cozy style.There's plenty of different and even easy on a work night to make.

Keep in mind that the day is also Shrove Tuesday , a day to celebrate with pancakes.This was a time to get rid of all the dairy and fat in the house. Pancakes fit that bill. These can be made for breakfast and even dinner and if you're home lunch.If you don't have the time, then make the batter Monday night and keep in the fridge overnight. This will give you a crepe like pancake, thin and crispy. You can serve with butter and maple syrup or just butter, granulated sugar and butter, like the New York Times Food section recommended. You can also fold them and stuff sauted cinnmon apples or add some ham and cheese for a savory kind of bite. Another sweet treat is the beignet. It is a yeast dough, reminiscent of a doughnut. Again  you can make this on Monday if you're off for Presidents Day. The dogh does have to be kneaded and rolled out along with proofed for anywhere from an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes in a buttered bowl. Once cut and air fried for six minutes, you have delicious bites  dusted in powdered sugar or ready to be dipped in chocolate or caramel sauce.

You can also celebrate with classic Mardi Gras dishes cooked in a crockpot. Jambalaya is an easy cook in one. Make it on th e morning and let it simmer all day. This is a great way of letting the different spcies blend together for a tasty , delicious bowl. Of course it has the holy trinity of red bell pepper, celery and onion  The recipe can be amended with taking out the raw shrimp and adding crab or adding more chicken and Andouille sausage or less. If you want to make it vegetarian, then add Fieldcrest plant based sausage and more veggies like green bell peppers,  Serve with easy minute rice to absorb all that luscious gravy. Gumbo is another easy Mardi Gras dish that you can make in a snap. It does start with a roux but this is an easy base of butter and flour cooked together. This only takes five to six minutes and then added to the crock pot with the holy trinity again along with chicken , shrimp and Andouille sausage. What makes this different than the jambalaya is the addition of okra. This is a thickener which makes the gumbo potage like.  You can get the filet powder which is ground sassafras tree leaf at your local grocery or at Wal-Mart. 

You cna have a cozy Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday with simple but fun dishes. Both sweet and savory can be enjoyed during this party time. Go wild on a smaller scale.

A Vegan White Chili

 White chili has been a thing now for several years,It's a different alternative to the traditional red chili. Is it as good as people say? It is different , yet the same in some ways.

I 've been wanting to make this for a while.To be honest it's hard to find a good vegan crockpot recipe for it. I cobbled together one from several different recipes.White chili starts with veggies and beans. I used the fajita mix from my local Stop & Shop. You can add corn.I didn't because it'sa bit too strong for me.

I wanted to give it some color and was pleased that there were red and green peppers along with sliced white onions. As for the beans I used only white as was recommended.Cannelini is the best because they add a creaminess. the chickpeas had texture and more flavor.

These were first cooked with olive oil in the crockpot

You could add any oil but I like the flavor that olive oil gives..

There are also spices involved. I used generous amounts  of powdered garlic, cumin and chili powder, adding a good dash when I thought the chili was bland tasting(I recommend tasting throughout the whole cooking)

 I also used garlic powder but you can saute a minced clove too.It was then time to add the beans and liquids I used two cups of vegetable broth which I realized was a mistake.It made the chili too soupy.

                                               

                                                   Along with 3/4 of a cup of almond milk.

Let it cook it up on high for a couple of hours. White chili requires a creamy base such as cream cheese .I used Violife's and added it half an hour before serving.

I used the entire container and stirred it in with a fork. This is how it looked fully cooked.

It was actually better rehreated the day after for lunch.I added rice to absorb all that broth.

Again it will take more tinkering to make this as good as red chili. I plan on cutting down on the veggie broth, and adding two containers of cream cheese.it will definitely be served with rice or polenta too.

White chili is a nice alternative to the red variety. It's a different flavor , creamy and spicy.It's perfect for the still chilly days ahead.