Chile Caribe with Seitan

My husband's family is from New Mexico and they always serve this chili on holidays. It is a childhood favorite of his, and so I set out to veganize it for him. He has been missing it since he became vegan three years ago. Now, we both love this plant based version. The level of spice will vary based on the chilis. I like mine fairly mild and served over mashed potatoes like a gravy. Yum!

Looking at this beautiful red sauce has me wondering why chili peppers aren't more widely recognized as a superfood. Their deep red color is beautiful as well as indicative of the health benefits inherent in these bright red peppers.

Chili Caribe with Seitan

Ingredients:

1.5 oz New Mexico Chili Pods (6-7 chili pods)
2 1/2 cups of water

1 tbsp olive oil
8 oz seitan, diced into small cubes (1/2 inch)
1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp olive oil
1 rounded tbsp flour

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2  - 1 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Put the chili pods on a cookie sheet and heat in the oven for 1 minute.  This softens them a bit and blooms their flavor. Then take the chilis and remove the stems and the seeds. Put the water in a blender and start blending on medium. Drop the chilis in one at a time and then increase the speed to high and blend for 2 minutes more. You want it to be nice and smooth.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add the seitan and saute until the seitan is heated through and starting to crisp up, then add the smoked paprika and stir to coat the seitan with it. Remove the seitan from the pan and set aside. Heat the second tbsp of olive oil in the same pan and add the flour. Stir to combine and brown the flour - this is an important step in adding flavor to the dish. Once the flour has started to brown, add the blended chili slowly while stirring to incorporate. You want to go slow here to avoid creating clumps of flour. When you add the chili sauce slowly and continue to stir /whisk it creates a paste that gets thinner as you add more. Once you have added all the chili stir in the garlic and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and taste before adding more. Then adjust the seasoning to you liking.

Serve with mashed potatoes or over baked potatoes and enjoy!