As a child I hated kidney beans with a passion. I would sit, hovering over my mother’s Chilli Con Carne, picking out every dark red, hated bean before even deigning to eat the dinner she had lovingly cooked. These days, I acknowledge that beans and lentils are part of a balanced vegan’s diet but it took hard work for me to get past my own legume phobia. That and cooking my beans from dried. I don’t know what it is about tinned beans but the texture just isn’t nearly as good as when you’ve cooked them yourself. It’s cheaper and, even better, with a pressure cooker you don’t need to have planned ahead and have beans soaking overnight (it’s better, but you don’t have too).
Here in the UK we’ve had 3 storms in the last week alone. We’ve been lucky enough to have not suffered any damage but it’s been a cold winter with some horrible wind. So after coming in from a stupidly cold winters day, not able to feel my feet or hands, I decided I was just not going out again. Dinner had to be made from what we had in the house. With the cupboards getting a little bare, beans would have to be involved, add a glut of tinned tomatoes and some sweet potatoes that really need eating and we’re off with a delicious Veggie Chili that’s just perfect for a cold day!
Toppings
You can enjoy chilli by itself but for me, the toppings are what really makes it. Our favourite options that work well include;
- Tortilla Chips
- Lime and Coriander Rice
- Guacamole
- Cashew sour cream
- Pickled red onions
- Sliced chillies (for those who just can’t get enough heat)
I tend to reach for the guacamole and pickled onions as I love that extra acidy tang to bring out all the flavours of the vegetables and spices. Kenny will reach for the extra sliced chillies as he loves it extra hot, and sour cream is great for those who don’t have much of a head for chilli.
Leftovers?
Chilli is one of those dishes that can be even better after a day or two in the fridge so box up your leftovers in an airtight container. It should be excellent to eat for up to 5 days. Alternatively, it will happily sit in your freezer till your next cold day. It you want something different the next day but want to use up your leftover Chilli then it makes a great base for a new take on vegan burritos.
- Makes: Serves 4
Ingredients
For the Chilli:
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 2 Onions
- 2 Sticks of Celery
- 2 Carrots
- 2 Peppers, I like a mix of red and green here
- 2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 2 TIns of Chopped Tomatoes (400g each)
- 250g cooked Kidney Beans*
- 250g cooked Black Beans*
- 1/3 cup mixed Quinoa
- 250ml Vegetable Stock
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp Chilli Powder
- 1 dried Ancho Chilli
- 1 tsp oregano
- Lime juice, to taste
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Suggested Toppings:
- Tortilla chips
- Lime & Coriander Rice
- Guacamole
- Pickled Red Onions
- Cashew Sour Cream
- Sliced chillies
Directions
Start by roughly chopping your veg, Chilli is not a dainty dish so we’re looking for small enough to fit in your mouth but not certainly not small. Heat the oil in large pan on a medium heat. Throw in the onion, carrot and celery and saute until the onion softens. Add in the rest of the fresh vegetables and cook until the garlic is aromatic and the onion begins to brown, but don’t let the garlic burn.
Now add your tinned tomatoes, beans, quinoa, stock and spices. Stir well and don’t forget to season. Bring up to a boil, cover, and leave to simmer for the next 45-60 mins, or until or the veg is soft and the quinoa is cooked and tender (cooking time may vary depending on how chunky you’ve made your vegetables). Check on it occasionally and give it a gentle stir.
Before serving, add a squeeze of lime juice, taste and check seasoning levels – not just for salt and pepper this time but also to make sure you don’t want to add any additional heat or another squeeze of lime (that little hit of acid can really bring out the spices). This works really well served family style with all the toppings on the table so everyone can make it their own.
Notes
* I cook my beans from dried in the pressure cooker as this is both cheaper and, in my opinion, much taster. If you want to use tinned, 250g is aprox the same as one tin of drained and rinsed beans.
Allergy Notes: This is naturally vegan, gluten free, soy free and nut free.
If you have any allergies to the ingredients in this dish or have questions on substitutions, leave me a comment below.
