Zesty Wheat Berry-Black Bean Chili and Cornbread

C and I are preparing to move and I’ve been trying to clean out the cupboards by using up the odds and ends in our pantry. I can’t remember what recipe I had originally intended to use the bag of wheat berries for but I’m assuming that perhaps the other ingredients got used up in something else or sadly, went bad in the fridge before I had a chance to make use of them and my particular intended recipe was lost in the fog that is my brain. Luckily, there is google and a search for “wheat berry+vegan” serendipitously lead me to this awesome chili. I know, wheat berry chili sounds a little, well, fruity. Chili has such a tough guy, pile on the meat and spices, reputation and vegetarian chili always seems lacking overflowing with beans and red peppers yet still more soup than chili. This, is different. The wheat berries cook up chewy yet tender and the adobo pepper adds just the right amount of heat and oomph that honestly, you don’t miss the meat. It has such a great, rounded flavor you really should try it.

In keeping with the vegan theme I made vegan cornbread from the Post Punk Kitchen’s website. Cornbread is one of those things that I like the idea of better than the actuality. That being said, the recipe produced cornbread. Somewhat dry (but isn’t all and at least this recipe isn’t sweet), but with good corny flavor. As I was nibbling a square with my chili I was already thinking of turning the cornbread into toasted, tasty cornbread croutons.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/wheat_berry_chili.html

http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=39