Loaded Veggie Chili

This recipe is vegan and delicious. You can use pre-cooked beans instead of dry beans. This makes a pretty large batch, excellent for freezing or sharing. Do a half batch if you don’t want so many leftovers. (Like most chilis, soups, stews, this recipe is most delicious as leftovers eaten the next day.)

• 4 TBSP olive oil

• 1 cup dry red lentils

• 1 cup dry black beans, or any combination of beans you prefer (this makes about 3 cups of cooked beans if you are not using dry beans)

• 1-2 onions, chopped

• 3-4 garlic cloves crushed

• 3 cups veggies cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch cubes (I use an assortment of veggies for this: watermelon radishes, daikon radishes, carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, anything!

• 6 cups crushed tomatoes (You can use the frozen heirloom tomato bags: it would be a around 2 packages)

• 1 tsp salt (or as needed)

• 1 TBSP smoked paprika (add more if you enjoy that flavor)

• 1 TBSP cumin (add more if you enjoy that flavor)

• 1 TBSP chili powder

• crushed red pepper (optional)

• 1 TBSP maple syrup (in our non-vegan house, we use honey here instead)

• 2 TBSP lime

• 1 small leek, finely chopped

  Soak beans the day before you want to do this recipe, and then cook beans until they are done. Cook the red lentils until they are done. Meanwhile, sauté the garlic, onions, and cubed veggies in a large pot with the olive oil and salt on low, with a cover until the onions have started to slightly caramelized. Stir as needed. Then add the crushed tomatoes, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, maple syrup, lime, cooked lentils, and cooked beans. (I ladle the beans in, grabbing some of the bean water as well, but not all of it. Keep the bean water aside, and add more if you want the chili to be more liquidy.) Let simmer on low for awhile. Stir to keep the bottom from sticking. Add more smoked paprika, cumin, salt, or lime as needed to your preference. Serve with fresh, finely chopped leeks.