They’re also very vegetarian-friendly, and there’s a whole menu with just vegan food. I forget what they call it on the menu—they have this dish kind of similar to elotes, creamy Mexican street corn. It’s fantastic. You can’t go wrong with just sweet corn, spices, butter, and mayonnaise. The food here is definitely what you want to eat after a night of drinking. They have a great selection of coffees, juices, and kombucha, too.

Everything they do at Paladar 511 is so simple and so good, and when you take a bite of their food, all the flavors come together wonderfully. The restaurant’s right down the street from my house, in the Marigny Faubourg neighborhood, and I end up going there quite a lot. The space is beautiful, but still sort of industrial, with weathered, painted brick walls, high ceilings, and large windows that let in good light.

But my wife and I always go for a savory option, and share a classic fines herbes omelette with Gruyère cheese. Beyond that, the savory sides are all perfectly made, too: The Lyonnaise potatoes and the ratatouille are really spot-on, and they make their own bread in-house. The food’s all very tasty.

Hello! Let’s talk about something that is charmingly old school and also VERY DANGEROUSLY DELICIOUS:

This is important to say right off the bat: there’s no crunchy cookie and no dry frosting here. We’re just borrowing the concept of all Oreo layering but swapping the dry stuff for a soft, buttery, moist, perfectly dense little chocolate cookie stuffed with cream cheese frosting. Oh my word they’re so good. They’re an easy holiday baking win, giftable, party-able, and a total gift to humanity.

It feels wrong and unholy to say these are better than real Oreos but honestly, these are better than real Oreos.

Give me a soft, moist, cakey-meets-fudgy-meets-cream-cheese-frosting situation over a dry cookie any day. Or every day.
SAY HELLO TO BOXED CAKE MIX (YES)
Okay. Now. Please accept that this is a recipe which uses a boxed cake mix. If you need something more homemade than that, you’ll need to find another version on the internet.

This is old school, and old school means we use the box cake mix like the low-to-moderately ambitious home bakers that we are.

Found it as in SWEET POTATO NOODLE SALAD found it. Ohhh my spicy stars, this is so yummy.

HOW TO MAKE OUR SWEET POTATO NOODLE SALAD (50 SEC):
Sometimes you just need to get out of your routine and change things up in order to sort of kick-start the system back into Thrive Mode, right? I’m not the only one?

You know in your heart of hearts that you really want and love food and cooking and/or whatever it might be for the rest of you people in the world who don’t love food and cooking (I mean, I can’t even think of any examples because what do people love if not food?) and then the crazy-busy-stress-go-go-go of life happens and you find yourself sort of dreading making meals and dragging your heels when you feel the pull of the kitchen at 6pm. Or maybe you don’t feel the pull of the kitchen at all. Which is alarming for someone who has always identified as loving food and cooking, but also okay. A temporary break-up is okay.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Yield: 5–6
Diet: Vegetarian
Vegetarian Chili that’s “meaty” and satisfying – without the meat! A hearty mixture of walnuts, mushrooms, and carrots as your base, with big flavors of onion, garlic, green chiles and spices.
INGREDIENTS
The “Meat:”

1 cup walnuts
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, washed, stems removed
4 medium carrots, cut into chunks
The Chili:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 6-ounce can diced green chiles (or fresh minced jalapeños)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2–3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1–2 teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)
2 14-ounce cans diced or crushed tomatoes (with juices)
1 14-ounce can beans of choice (optional, see notes)
1 cup water
Make the “meat” – pulse all ingredients in a food processor until broken down into a chunky paste-like texture. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Sauté for 5-10 minutes until very soft.
Add green chiles, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and soy sauce. HELLO FLAVOR.
Add your “meat” to the pan – once it mixes in and starts cooking, it should start to resemble chili meat. Let the “meat” cook for 10 minutes or so to soften the vegetables. Season with salt.

Found it as in SWEET POTATO NOODLE SALAD found it. Ohhh my spicy stars, this is so yummy.

HOW TO MAKE OUR SWEET POTATO NOODLE SALAD (50 SEC):
Sometimes you just need to get out of your routine and change things up in order to sort of kick-start the system back into Thrive Mode, right? I’m not the only one?

You know in your heart of hearts that you really want and love food and cooking and/or whatever it might be for the rest of you people in the world who don’t love food and cooking (I mean, I can’t even think of any examples because what do people love if not food?) and then the crazy-busy-stress-go-go-go of life happens and you find yourself sort of dreading making meals and dragging your heels when you feel the pull of the kitchen at 6pm. Or maybe you don’t feel the pull of the kitchen at all. Which is alarming for someone who has always identified as loving food and cooking, but also okay. A temporary break-up is okay.

Friends, I hate to be predictable, but I’d like take this moment to say that THIS SAUCE RIGHT HERE is my favorite thing.

Even if it means telling the truth about all my favorites, I have to talk-type honestly about The Food Feelings.
To anyone who was concerned about my too many favorite things, your concerns are valid. I can almost promise you that I will probably have another **FAVORITE** thing starting in, like, two seconds when I do my next recipe post, but that’s kind of my job, right? To find all the food favorites and share them, like this one, which currently tops the list for the Recipes I Actually Make More Than Twice category.

I’ve already made this sauce an inappropriate number of times since it first came to life last week and I am not even going to tell you how many full mason jars I have of this in my fridge right now from a Magic Green Sauce Snapchat session frenzy with an excited Sage yesterday (okay fine 3).
Which reminds me, how surprisingly fun is SnapChat?! I was once a hater, so if you’re grumbling under your breath right now, I get it. I do get it.

Sometimes your ways just hypnotize me and even when you’re made without meat?!

Yes, that’s right. I’d like to introduce to you a really good, really “meaty” and satisfying vegetarian chili that, in fact, does not have meat in it at all.

LET’S TALK VEGETARIAN CHILI “MEAT”
This vegetarian chili features a hearty mixture of walnuts, mushrooms, and carrots that can beautifully stand in place of your ground beef and absorbs the big flavors of sautéed onion and garlic, diced green chiles, and all those spices. When scooped and topped with some avocado or cheese, sour cream or tortilla chips, it’s just warming and so satisfying in that chili-specific way. And, bonus, it’s totally meatless.

I have some requirements for my vegetarian chili and the first is that I want it to be really on-point texturally. I want it to scoop like a real chili. I don’t want soup, okay? I want a thick and meaty-like chili texture. The “meat” mixture in this recipe is going to ensure that texture.

My second requirement for my veg chili is equally as important: LOW-TO-NO BEANS. I love beans as much as the next person, but sometimes I feel like they are overused in vegetarian lookalike recipes (like vegetarian chili, for example) where we could easily use vegetables more creatively instead of defaulting to 27 types of beans as the base of the recipe.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Yield: 5–6
Diet: Vegetarian
Vegetarian Chili that’s “meaty” and satisfying – without the meat! A hearty mixture of walnuts, mushrooms, and carrots as your base, with big flavors of onion, garlic, green chiles and spices.
INGREDIENTS
The “Meat:”

1 cup walnuts
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, washed, stems removed
4 medium carrots, cut into chunks
The Chili:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 6-ounce can diced green chiles (or fresh minced jalapeños)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2–3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1–2 teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)
2 14-ounce cans diced or crushed tomatoes (with juices)
1 14-ounce can beans of choice (optional, see notes)
1 cup water
Make the “meat” – pulse all ingredients in a food processor until broken down into a chunky paste-like texture. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Sauté for 5-10 minutes until very soft.
Add green chiles, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and soy sauce. HELLO FLAVOR.
Add your “meat” to the pan – once it mixes in and starts cooking, it should start to resemble chili meat. Let the “meat” cook for 10 minutes or so to soften the vegetables. Season with salt.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 6-ounce can diced green chiles (or fresh minced jalapeños)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2–3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1–2 teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)
2 14-ounce cans diced or crushed tomatoes (with juices)
1 14-ounce can beans of choice (optional, see notes)
1 cup water

Add tomatoes, beans if you want, and water to get the consistency right. Let it simmer for about 45 minutes to soften the vegetables, thicken it up, and let the flavors come together.
Serve with your favorite chili toppings, and there it is! VEGETARIAN CHILI! You did it. The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love!

Beans: A lot of vegetarian chili recipes are based around beans, and I wanted this recipe to be bean-optional for people who don’t like or can’t have beans. So if you want to skip the beans altogether, no problem! That being said, I like black beans in this vegetarian chili, but kidney beans, white beans, or pinto beans would all be great.

Toppings: For vegetarian chili – sour cream and cheddar or queso fresco. For vegan chili – cilantro, avocado, pickled onion or jalapeno, radishes, tortilla chips.

HERE’S WHAT’S TO LOVE
This vegetarian chili is all the good things that I’m looking for:

thick and hearty and “meaty”, like a standard chili texture
beans optional – add if you like them, leave out if you don’t
big, big, big happy flavor
packed with a variety of veggies
easy to make
makes awesome leftovers
meatless!
If you’re vegan, don’t you worry – this is also a VEGAN chili if you just watch your toppings. Avocado, pickled red onion, radishes, tortilla chips… we got you, vegans. Also: see our Instant Pot Pumpkin Walnut Chili recipe – it’s real good.
I am not a vegetarian or vegan but I hope it’s obvious that I think creative plant-based cooking is so fun and I love the positive impact it has on our bodies and the earth. ♡ You can be all kinds of everything (vegan, vegetarian, or none, IMHO) and 100% enjoy this.

Goals for the rest of the month: more vegetables, and more chili nights!

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 6-ounce can diced green chiles (or fresh minced jalapeños)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2–3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1–2 teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)
2 14-ounce cans diced or crushed tomatoes (with juices)
1 14-ounce can beans of choice (optional, see notes)
1 cup water

Add tomatoes, beans if you want, and water to get the consistency right. Let it simmer for about 45 minutes to soften the vegetables, thicken it up, and let the flavors come together.
Serve with your favorite chili toppings, and there it is! VEGETARIAN CHILI! You did it. The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love!

Beans: A lot of vegetarian chili recipes are based around beans, and I wanted this recipe to be bean-optional for people who don’t like or can’t have beans. So if you want to skip the beans altogether, no problem! That being said, I like black beans in this vegetarian chili, but kidney beans, white beans, or pinto beans would all be great.

Toppings: For vegetarian chili – sour cream and cheddar or queso fresco. For vegan chili – cilantro, avocado, pickled onion or jalapeno, radishes, tortilla chips.

HERE’S WHAT’S TO LOVE
This vegetarian chili is all the good things that I’m looking for:

thick and hearty and “meaty”, like a standard chili texture
beans optional – add if you like them, leave out if you don’t
big, big, big happy flavor
packed with a variety of veggies
easy to make
makes awesome leftovers
meatless!
If you’re vegan, don’t you worry – this is also a VEGAN chili if you just watch your toppings. Avocado, pickled red onion, radishes, tortilla chips… we got you, vegans. Also: see our Instant Pot Pumpkin Walnut Chili recipe – it’s real good.
I am not a vegetarian or vegan but I hope it’s obvious that I think creative plant-based cooking is so fun and I love the positive impact it has on our bodies and the earth. ♡ You can be all kinds of everything (vegan, vegetarian, or none, IMHO) and 100% enjoy this.

Goals for the rest of the month: more vegetables, and more chili nights!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Yield: 5–6
Diet: Vegetarian
Vegetarian Chili that’s “meaty” and satisfying – without the meat! A hearty mixture of walnuts, mushrooms, and carrots as your base, with big flavors of onion, garlic, green chiles and spices.
INGREDIENTS
The “Meat:”

1 cup walnuts
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, washed, stems removed
4 medium carrots, cut into chunks
The Chili:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 6-ounce can diced green chiles (or fresh minced jalapeños)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2–3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1–2 teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)
2 14-ounce cans diced or crushed tomatoes (with juices)
1 14-ounce can beans of choice (optional, see notes)
1 cup water
Make the “meat” – pulse all ingredients in a food processor until broken down into a chunky paste-like texture. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Sauté for 5-10 minutes until very soft.
Add green chiles, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and soy sauce. HELLO FLAVOR.
Add your “meat” to the pan – once it mixes in and starts cooking, it should start to resemble chili meat. Let the “meat” cook for 10 minutes or so to soften the vegetables. Season with salt.

Sometimes your ways just hypnotize me and even when you’re made without meat?!

Yes, that’s right. I’d like to introduce to you a really good, really “meaty” and satisfying vegetarian chili that, in fact, does not have meat in it at all.

LET’S TALK VEGETARIAN CHILI “MEAT”
This vegetarian chili features a hearty mixture of walnuts, mushrooms, and carrots that can beautifully stand in place of your ground beef and absorbs the big flavors of sautéed onion and garlic, diced green chiles, and all those spices. When scooped and topped with some avocado or cheese, sour cream or tortilla chips, it’s just warming and so satisfying in that chili-specific way. And, bonus, it’s totally meatless.

I have some requirements for my vegetarian chili and the first is that I want it to be really on-point texturally. I want it to scoop like a real chili. I don’t want soup, okay? I want a thick and meaty-like chili texture. The “meat” mixture in this recipe is going to ensure that texture.

My second requirement for my veg chili is equally as important: LOW-TO-NO BEANS. I love beans as much as the next person, but sometimes I feel like they are overused in vegetarian lookalike recipes (like vegetarian chili, for example) where we could easily use vegetables more creatively instead of defaulting to 27 types of beans as the base of the recipe.