Eye for a Recipe

If one of your resolutions for 2023 is to eat more veggies, try this vegetarian chili from Evergreen Kitchen. The ingredient list is a bit long, but using your food processor to mince the vegetables reduces the prep time. Once everything is in the pot, the chili will be ready in about 35 minutes. Cook’s note: Instead of canned beans and lentils, I used 1 cup (250 ml) of dried kidney beans and 1 cup (250 ml) of dried lentils. I soaked the dried kidney beans overnight, drained them, covered them with cold water and then simmered them until tender. Lentils don’t require soaking; just cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer for about 25 minutes. I topped the chili with sour cream, parsley, red onion, shredded cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I used No Name tomato paste, Blue Menu diced tomatoes, Unico roasted red peppers, Imagine Organic stock and La Costena chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Check the dried spices for colour and anti-caking agents. If you are using canned beans and lentils, Blue Menu and Unico brands are usually additive-free.

Ingredients:

1 sweet onion, quartered (10 oz/283 g)

2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

2 celery ribs, roughly chopped

2 tbsp (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced (2 cups/500 ml)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp (30 ml) tomato paste

1 tbsp (15 ml) ground cumin

2 tsp (10 ml) ground coriander

¾ tsp (7.5 ml) smoked sweet paprika

2 cans (28 fl oz/796 ml each) diced fire-roasted tomatoes

1 can (19 fl oz/540 ml) lentils, drained and rinsed

1 can (14 fl oz/398 ml) kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2/3 cup (165 ml) roasted red peppers from a jar, diced

1 cup (250 ml) vegetable stock

3 tbsp (45 ml) tamari

1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo, minced + 1 tbsp (15 ml) adobo sauce

Toppings (optional)

Pitted, peeled and chopped avocado

Diced red onion

Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preparation:

In a food processor, pulse the onion until finely minced. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the carrots and celery to the food processor and pulse until finely minced; keep them in the food processor for now.

In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat 1 tbsp (15 ml) of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the carrots, celery and sweet potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the remaining 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil, farlic, tomate paste, cuin, corander and smoked paprika. Cook, stirring constantly, until frangrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, lentils, kidney beans, roasted red peppers, vegetable stock, tamari and chipotle pepper and adobo sauce. Stir to mix. Cover with a lid and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the sweet potato is fork-tender, about 25 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer to thicken slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.

Ladle the chili into bowls. Garnish with toppings of your choice. Serves 6-8.

From Evergreen Kitchen