Chili with fresh mozzarella

Ingredients

1 can black beans

1 can chili beans

1 can corn

1/2 onion-sliced thin

1 pkg of ground beef seitan-crumbled

2 cloves of garlic-minced

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp molasses

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 bottle of good beer

1/2 cup cilantro-chopped

Fresh small mozzarella balls-about 15 balls

Directions

1. Caramelize onions by cooking them on low heat slowly until they gradually brown up

2. Add garlic, seitan, chili powder, cumin, lime juice, and red pepper flakes

3. Add beer, beans, corn, and molasses-simmer 5 minutes

4. Place mozzarella balls around pan in chili and allow to slowly melt-2 minutes

5. Top with cilantro and serve

I wanted a quick dinner, so I thought chili would be a good option. We just happened to have the mozzarella balls on hand, so I added them last minute because they sounded good. The fresh mozzarella is what made the chili! It was always such a treat when you would bite into the mozzarella. I also think that the molasses made a big impact because of the subtle richness it gave to the chili. I have been playing around adding molasses to different dishes because it is high in iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. The ground beef seitan that I used has very similar texture to regular ground beef. I was not always a fan of seitan, but I was lucky to find a good brand that makes several different varieties. It is called Upton's Naturals and I found it at Whole Foods.