Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

This is incredibly tasty and simple to make. The garnishes are a MUST. They really make the dish so earthy and tasty. Recipe Link

Mixed greens with smoked gouda (allrecipes)

Tweaked from allrecipes.com, this salad turned out nicely.

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce (I only used 1 tablespoon thinking 1/4 cup would make the dressing too salty/watery)
2 cloves garlic (I only used one and it was enough)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (did not have any)
8 ounces smoked gouda cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I used about 2 of soy gouda)
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 10-oz package mixed salad greens (I used 1/2 head of fresh green chard cut into 1/2 inch strips)
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, stir together the balsaic vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic and basil. Add cheese and tomatoes, tossing to coat. Cover and chill for 30 minutes to marinate.

Place salad on serving plates. Top with the cheese and tomato mixture. Season with black pepper.

***In my quest to cut down on my vegetarian fallback of cheese sandwiches and other fat-heavy dairy products, I found this soy cheese. This was my first time trying soy gouda -- I found it at Todaro Brothers on Second Avenue. I tried putting it on top of a potato-and-onion omelet this morning and broiling it in the oven, but the soy cheese did not melt and bubble like regular cheese, so it might be best used cubed in green salads or in a cold pasta salad. The texture was good and I thought it tasted like gouda. There was also a soy mozzarella so I plan to play with that and will report back soon.