Chili Mix

I love making mixes to have on hand for quick meals (See my blog from 10-29-06 for a veggie burger mix recipe). I found this recipe for Chili Mix in The Convenient Vegetarian, Quick and Easy Meatless Cooking, by Virginia Messina and Kate Schumann, published by Macmillan, page 135. The unsweetened chocolate adds a nice flavor.

I made double the recipe, because 3/4 cup would only make a few batches of chilli. Also, the recipe calls for white flour which I never have around, so I used whole wheat pastry flour. It seemed to work O.K. I dried the onions and garlic myself in my food dehydrator, but dried onions and garlic are available most places that sell spices and herbs.

I wonder how this would taste mixed with the veggie burger mix?

Chili Mix
makes 3/4 cup

1/4 cup white flour

½ cup dried minced onion

2 tablespoons chili powder or 1 tablespoon chili powder plus 1 tablespoon Mexican seasoning

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons dried minced garlic

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder


Mix all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake well. Shake well again before using.


The book has recipes for three chili recipes using this mix. I like to keep things simple, so I just mixed 1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 ½ cups of beans) with ½ (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes, and 1 cup water, and 3 tablespoons of the Chili Mix. I simmered the chili for about 10 minutes.

The recipes in the book are a little more involved, but I’m sure they taste even better.
Here is one of the chili recipes which is included in The Convenient Vegetarian, Quick and Easy Meatless Cooking.

Three-Bean Chili
makes 6 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup Chili Mix (see above)

two (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes

one (15-ounce) can chili beans with sauce

one (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained

one(15-ounce) can black beans, drained

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon Mexican seasoning, to taste (optional)

1 avocado, sliced for garnish (optional)

½ cup fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

1/3 cup chopped scallions (green onions), including green portion for garnish (optional)

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat, and saute the onion until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Chili mix. Add the tomatoes, beans, and Mexican seasoning if using. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat, 10 minutes.


The Convenient Vegetarian, Quick and Easy Meatless Cooking, also has recipes for other quick mixes, including Onion-Flavored Rice Mix, Vegetable Rice Mix, Cream of Potato Sour Mix, and Tabouli Mix.