Chili Sin Carne - Delicious Vegan Pantry Recipe

Cooking chili!

Comfort Food In Times of Social Distancing

I am testing a pantry recipe from Two Spoons today. The dish is incredibly easy to make and rather inexpensive. 

I made a few changes:

• I used purple onion instead of the suggested yellow one; 
• I used lime juice instead of lemon; 
• I used avocado oil instead of suggested coconut oil; 
• I added raw cocoa, ground cloves and cinnamon - all three ingredients are used in Mexican cuisine. 
• I added dried Mexican oregano
  

Ingredients:

• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can white beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 large purple onion, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 1 cup water
  
• 1 cup of dry red wine
• 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano
  
• 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 1 Tbsp raw cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  
• 1/2 tsp crushed chili pepper
• freshly pressed juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
• 1 avocado cut into wedges, for garnish
  

Method:

• Warm up avocado oil in a large pot. Add onions and cook until onions turn translucent. 
• Add chopped carrots and cook them for about 5 minutes. Add chopped bell peppers and cook the mixture for another 5 minutes.
• Open canned beans. Strain and rinse them thoroughly. Add beans, diced tomatoes, water, wine, salt, cocoa, oregano and spices. Stir well and cook until carrots are soft. Add chopped garlic and stir well. Remove from stove, add lime juice and stir again.
  
• Serve in large bowls with freshly baked bread, tortilla chips, or with steamed rice. Garnish with chopped cilantro and avocado wedges, and enjoy in good company!

Tips:

• If you are using a slow cooker, cook onions in the suggested way and add all the other ingredients to slow cooker. Cover the pot and allow the chili to simmer for a few hours. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes. I love to add a little dry red wine.
  
• If you have a Chili Mix, add one packet of it to this recipe and skip the suggested spices. Don't forget cacao powder. 
  
• Those of you who prefer chili con carne can use this recipe as a starting point to a more elaborate dish containing beef or chicken. 

This chili turned out wonderfully. It is delicious. Give it a try. You can cook a bit more and freeze it for a later use.

If you've been to any grocery store lately, you might have noticed that food is quickly disappearing from shelves. In times like these, people tend to buy a bit more than they really need. On the other hand, understandably, people need to store some food since they might not only be forced to distance themselves socially from others, they might have to self-quarantine as well.

Those of you who are still looking for some storable food, get some beans - canned or dried. Beans are fantastic. They are good source of protein and are quite versatile, and most importantly, they are easy to store.

Dear readers,

I hope you are well. Stay informed and protect yourself from the coronavirus. Take the suggestions of health authorities seriously, but don't panic. Stress and fear can negatively affect your immune system!

Dominique Teng

 
For more information about the virus visit the websites of the Center For Disease Control or the World Health Organisation