There Might Be A Lynching In Texas Tonight

There's a coupla words a Texican shouldn't ought to be puttin together lessin he wants to hear his compadres shout "Get a rope!".  Salsa and New York City comes to mind, and so does Football and Oklahoma.  But I'm about to commit what some consider to be a hanging offense in these parts.  Yep, I'm going to put those. two. words. together.  Just remember, I'm doing this for all y'all---even you Yankees---as my part in making your passeo down the rastro a tollabel good time.

Here goes:

Vegetarian Chili

I know, I know.  You can hear Sam Houston spinning in his grave and Willie Nelson is in his pick up truck on his way to get Chuck Norris and bofum gonna come over here and kick my culo across the Sabine River.

I was over at Sprouts tonight (dang, I just dig that hole deeper and deeper, don't I?) and passed by a display of ready to eat meals.  I spotted some "gluten free" stuff (does gluten free have anything to do with your butt, and should I be scared?  I know I got kinda of a big glutenous maximus, but I still want to be able to sit down) that comes in a single serving package.  I don't like Mountain House or any of the other commerical freeze dried or dehydrated stuff because the packages are always two or more servings, and there's a lot of sodium in them so they aren't really all that healthy, but this stuff was for sale in a danged old organic food store isn't it?  That's gotta count for somethin' don't it?  Well, don't it?  I thought so.

There were three or four flavors, but all of them had names that made me feel I would have to buy a hemp poncho and a pair of Birkenstocks in order to eat them, but there was this one that I thought would be ok if I ate it in my underwear, which was how I was planning to dress for dinner tonight:

In the interest of science, but mainly cuz of the fact that I live out in the country where nobody can look through the windows to see what I'm doing, I prepared the evening meal using my Cheapo Chinese Pocket Rocket and Olicamp XLS pot (I need to write that review, don't I?).  Boiling water was poured into the bag till it was just over the top, same as you would for any other dehydrated meal, and set in a reflectix cozy for 10 minutes.

The stuff ain't bad, even though it looks like that stuff the cat left behind the couch.  Spicy enough to be accused of being chili, but would never be convicted of it.  One package filled me fairly well.  I'd eaten about half of it by the time I took that pic. I ate it with some saltines, but I think it would be great in tortillas with a squirt of salsa that is NOT from New York City, and maybe a bit of cheese or a chunk of SPAM  (oooooo---I just invented Texas Trail SPAM Chili---I may have just saved my neck from a noose).  Cost was $3.79, which is cheaper than most Mountain House meals, and weight is about 3 oz.  It does have 450mg of sodium, though, which might be a tad on the high side, but I think its better than Mountain House and other stuff.

Ingredients are pinto beans, soy flour, tomato powder, corn meal, chili powder, freeze dried sweet corn, red & green bell pepper, chopped onions, sliced mushrooms, garlic, cumin, oregano, and basil.  No preservatives, comes with a oxygen absorber packet that don't taste good at all (but might with some salsa).  270 calories, 47g of carbs, 13 grams of fiber.

So now I've got to go out and buy a hemp poncho and a pair of Birkenstocks and try those other flavors.