Meatless Monday: When It’s Chilly Outside, Make 3-Bean Vegan Chili Inside

Baby it’s cold outside in my neck of the woods!

How’s the weather in your town?

When it’s chilly outside and there’s snow on the ground, one of the first things I want to do when

I come home is get warm!

And what better way to warm our insides than with a hot, spicy bowl of vegan chili.

This hearty, fiber and protein-rich chili combines black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, mushrooms,

tomatoes, corn, onions, carrots, celery, red and green bell peppers , parsley, cilantro and spices.

If you are brave, add a little fresh, chopped, hot pepper.

I usually cook my soups and stews with dried beans and fresh ingredients.

I often pre-cook and refrigerate a few beans and grains to streamline daily meal preparation.

If you have cooked beans in your refrigerator you can use them, but if you are in a hurry and

don’t have previously-cooked beans, then you can use canned, organic beans.

Just make sure to check the labels for “organic beans in BPA-free cans”.

Now let’s heat things up a bit with this quick and easy recipe that will make enough chili to last

you a few days or feed a family!

Hearty, Spicy, 3- Bean Vegan Chili

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon organic cold-pressed olive oil or coconut oil
2 cups chopped onions
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
A little chopped, hot red pepper, to suit your taste

1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
3 cups chopped fresh organic mushrooms
8 fresh, organic tomatoes – chopped

2 cups fresh corn kernels or frozen, organic, whole kernel corn
1 (15 1/2-ounce) BPA-free can organic garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 1/2-ounce) BPA-free can organic red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 1/2-ounce) BPA-free can organic black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (16-ounce) container organic vegetable broth
1 32 ounce bottle of organic spicy tomato-vegetable juice

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:

Heat olive oil or coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Add onions, carrots, and garlic.

Saute them until tender.

Add green pepper, red  peppers, celery, chili powder and dried pepper flakes

and stir.

Saute the vegetables until they are tender, about 6 minutes.

Next, stir in mushrooms and cook for about 4 minutes.

Then, stir in tomatoes, garbanzo beans, black beans, kidney beans and corn.

Season this mixture with parsley, cumin, oregano, cilantro and basil.

Add vegetable broth and spicy tomato-vegetable juice.

Bring the ingredients to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium for 5 minutes.

Cover the pot and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Allow the mixture to thicken and cook down a bit.

Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Turn off when done and allow the chili to sit for about an hour.

When you are ready to eat, serve it up in bowls.

I like to garnish my chili with chopped avocado or chopped scallions.

Sometimes I make a simple cashew cream and add a dollop on top.

For an even heartier meal, I add serve chili over brown rice or quinoa and

serve it with a garden salad.

Eat up and enjoy the warm, spicy goodness!

Have you ever made or eaten vegan chili?

What makes your favorite vegan chili taste great?

Share your thoughts and comments with us.

“Shared on Pin Worthy Wednesday”

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“Shared at Hump Day Happenings”