Kickin’ Vegan Chili
Call it coincidence, but as much as I love fresh vegetables and crisp fruits, when the weather turns cold my body craves hearty soups and rich dishes.
And nothing is much more hearty or rich than an awesome chili.
When I went mostly vegetarian I was determined to find ways to still enjoy all of the dishes I loved. They say most recipes and inventions are borne out of necessity. This chili was kind of like that. One night in the barn we needed something warm and hearty. We had beans. We had canned tomatoes (from my sweet Granny). And we had peppers (also from my Granny). So I threw it all into a pot with some chili powder and cumin and hoped for the best.
I’ve made this a few times since then, and I received rave reviews from meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. I’ve taken it from it’s original slightly watery version, to a thick bowl of deliciousness. The great thing about this recipe, well chili in general, is that anything goes. It’s beyond easy to tailor this recipe to accommodate any diet or preference.
So throw a pot on the stove and relish in the awesomeness of Fall with my…
Kickin’ Vegan Chili
Serves 8+
Ingredients
1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Red or Orange Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Large Onion, chopped
2-3 cloves Garlic
1 24 oz. can Diced Tomatoes, not drained
1 6 oz. can Tomato Paste
1 can Black Beans
1 can Kidney Beans
1 can Cannelini Beans
32 oz. Vegetable Broth
1 pkg Faux Meat Crumbles – optional
Chili Powder
Cumin
Cayenne Pepper – optional
Sweet Smoked Paprika – can use regular paprika
Onion Powder
Garlic Salt
Salt
Pepper
*I totally eyeball these spices. Probably 1-2 T of the chili powder and cumin and around a couple tsp of the others. Just to taste.
Directions
1. Saute peppers, onions, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until crisp tender.
2. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, meat crumbles, and spices and warm through.
3. Add beans and broth, salt & pepper to taste.
4. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Serve 🙂
We obviously de-veganized ours with some shredded sharp cheddar and greek yogurt.
As an added bonus, when I calculated the nutrition facts, turns out you can have your chili quilt-free as it’s less than 300 calories and packs in almost 16 grams of protein per serving!
I actually think we got more than 8 servings out of this, and that was eating around 2 cups per serving. Also, another note about the facts above, I used Spark Recipes to calculate and had to use ingredients as close to what I actually use as I could. We use all organic, low sodium beans and broth, and home canned tomatoes, so our sodium amount would be a lot less than indicated above.
*This post is linked to Party Wave Wednesday at HolisticSquid.com!
