Cooking this vegan chilli is like mindfulness meditation to me. Usually.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I have been cooking more than ever before, as we were not able to eat out often. Do not get me wrong, I love being in the kitchen and cooking, it is the constant washing up that I mind! So, necessity forced me to look into batch cooking, to save my time and sanity (and the time spent washing up).
I cook this chilli once a week and it doesn’t get boring. I sometimes serve it with roasted sweet potatoes, guacamole, and sprinkled with coriander and pickled red onions.
This recipe serves 2-3 people for two main meals. Double up the ingredients and you can freeze it to save the time even further!
The addition of cumin gives this vegan chilli a lovely depth, not to mention how good cumin is for your digestion. Balsamic vinegar gives it a lovely tangy kick and it contains some probiotic bacteria. What is not to love!
Cooking is about creating a great tasting and a good looking dish. This vegan chilli has both. The taste, the colours and the versatility. You can tweak it to suit the contents of your fridge/freezer. I often use ready frozen grilled peppers and courgettes (yes, I cut corners!). I often also add aubergine and swap the kidney beans for a tin of black beans.
You will need:
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Garlic 2 cloves, crushed
Onions 1, chopped
1 bell pepper, 1 medium courgette, all cut into small chunks
Mild chilli powder 1 tbsp (optional)
Ground cumin 2 tbsp
Balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp
Sugar 1 tsp
Chopped tomatoes 2 x 400g tins
Vegetable stock 250ml
Kidney beans 400g, 1 tin, drained and rinsed
Spring onions 2, chopped (to serve)
Cooked rice (to serve)
Method:
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the garlic and onions for 10 minutes or until softened.
- Add the pepper, courgette and cook for 5-10 minutes, then stir in the chilli powder and cumin.
- Cook for a few minutes, then add the balsamic, sugar, tomatoes, stock and some seasoning. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the rinsed beans and cook for 10 minutes.
- Serve with the cooked rice and sprinkle with the chopped spring onions.
So quick and healthy! Get cooking and enjoy!