As the name suggests, this vegetarian chili recipe makes use of lots of pantry staples you may already have lying around. The formula is entirely flexible, yielding great results no matter what your stash of canned goods may look like. Feel free to sub in any veggies you may have on hand, whether frozen or fresh. Sub out the green bell pepper for a poblano if you can find it, or leave it out altogether. It’s all up to you and what you’ve got to work with. Just remember to add more water and simmer a bit longer if you’ve added more veggies that need to get cooked. Cook it down until its thick, rich and surprisingly delicious… which it will be, as long as you don’t skip the “secret” ingredients. They’re far from obscure, so don’t fret, unless you’ve already polished off the peanut butter and used up the cocoa powder in last night’s brownie baking session!? Hopefully you have some variation of cheddar shreds on hand... so go ahead and melt ‘em on top of your steaming bowl. You’ll be glad you did. Add a spoonful of sour cream, some coconut yogurt and/or a few slices of ripe avocado on top and you’ll be in heaven.
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INGREDIENTS
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ cups Longève Original Plant-based Crumbles
- 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 small carrot, peeled and diced (about ½ cup)
- 1 small rib of celery, diced (about ¼ cup)
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
- 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 Tbsp. peanut butter
- 1 small can crushed tomatoes (about 1 ¾ cups)
- 2 ½ cups water, or as needed
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and add the dry Longève crumbles. Cook and stir with a wooden spoon until they begin to toast and turn golden brown.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, along with the diced onion, carrot, celery, and peppers (or any combination of vegetables you are using), and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until veggies begin to blister and soften.
- Add the minced garlic, salt, spices, cocoa powder and bouillon powder, and cook for another minute to soften garlic and bloom the spices.
- Add the rinsed and drained beans, ketchup, peanut butter, crushed tomatoes and water. Add additional water if needed to barely cover the contents of the pot. Bring everything to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 25 – 30 minutes, or until the chili has thickened and tastes rich and delicious. Add more salt if you feel it needs it. Or a dash of hot sauce.
- Serve piping hot, topped with whatever you like or have on hand. Chopped scallions or cilantro are a nice touch.
