Veggie Chilli Treat
INTRODUCTION
Hello, I’m Rach Ford the Wellbeing Marketing Officer for Inspiring healthy lifestyles. This Chilli is my go-to mid-week meal as it is so versatile and comforting – you can add in different beans, lentils or veg, sometimes I use Quorn mince, sometimes I chuck in a handful of red lentils to bulk it out. If I’m really hungry I have it over a baked sweet potato, or if I want a quick carb fix I serve with half a packet of microwave rice. It really is one of those dishes you can make the base of with a few key spices and add make with whatever you have in (within reason!)
I don’t eat meat and I avoid dairy, so this recipe is vegan, so perfect for anyone who is looking to cut down their meat intake or is lactose free. However you can easily substitute the fake meat for whatever lean mince you fancy (cooked it to its own instructions). I have also put in brackets little tips or ingredient swaps where appropriate. Usually I would use 2x tins of chopped tomatoes, but because chopped tomatoes can be hard to come by, I’ve supplemented my second tin with 250ml of supermarket own brand stock and I think it made it taste better!
I have added a few optional steps that aren’t super important for the overall recipe, but I like it as additional touch! I got, 3 portions of this, so if you want to batch cook or have a few more mouths to feed then just simply double up on ingredients!
Details
- Difficulty: moderate
- Serves: 2-3
- Prep time: 20 mins
- Cook time: around 35-40 mins (simmer for loner for a fuller flavour)
- Suitable for Vegans
- 1x tablespoon of oil (I used coconut)
- 1x teaspoon of olive oil
- 4x teaspoons of cumin
- 1x teaspoon of chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon of garlic salt (or regular salt will do
- 3x teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 2x teaspoon of paprika
- Black pepper and salt
- Half a teaspoon of brown sugar
- 250ml of veggie stock
- 1x tomato puree
- 1x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1x 400g tin of butter beans
- 1x 400g of kidney beans
- 1x 200g tin of black beans
- 4x potatoes chopped into wedges ( I used a mix of sweet and white potatoes, just because that’s what I had in)
- 5-7 mushrooms – roughly sliced
- 1x red pepper – roughly sliced
- 1x brown onion – roughly chopped
- 3x garlic cloves – roughly chopped
- 0.5 inch of ginger – minced
- 2x green chillis – finely chopped ( a few teaspoons of chilli flakes will do instead)
- 1x bunch of coriander (optional)
- 1x small cube of 80% dark chocolate – grated (optional)
- vegan cheese (or regular cheese) – grated (optional)
- 1x avocado (optional)
- 2x lime (optional)
- salted tortilla chips (optional)
Pre-heat the oven to 200c/Gas mark 6 with a roasting tray and half a teaspoon of olive oil
Parboil your chunky wedged spuds in a pan of boiling water for 8 mins
In a small container mix your paprika, cumin, garlic salt, chili powder and cayenne together with a pinch of black pepper
Optional step:
With your fresh coriander, remove leaves and set aside and finely chop coriander stalks
While your spuds are par-boiling , heat your coconut oil in a frying pan and add your sliced onions- sprinkle with brown sugar and gently fry for 5 mins until browning slightly
Add the chopped garlic and ginger and fry off for a further 3 mins
Take your spuds off the boil, drain well, give them a bit of a shake in the cullender and then carefully add your wedges to your pre heated roasting tray, add the remainder of your olive oil and a pinch of the pre-mixed spices, give a shake and place back in oven
Add you’re the remainder of pre-mixed spices and fry with onion garlic for 60 seconds
Add the tomato puree and stir for another 60 seconds
Add in your red pepper and finely coriander stalks and half of the chopped green chilli (both are optional)
Plonk in the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock and mushrooms and stir
Drain your kidney, black beans and butter beans and simmer it on a low heat for 15-20 mins until the liquid has reduced or until your wedges are done(you can leave this chilli on a steady simmer for over an hour if you have the time to, it really helps the flavours develop)
Optional step:
drop in your dark chocolate square and stir in just before taking the pan off the heat- this may seem a bit bizarre but trust me, it ads a really nice depth of flavour
Optional Step:
Make smashed avocado by scooping out an avocado into a bowl, adding the juice of half a fresh lime , a pinch of sea sat a chilli flakes and smash together with a potato masher!
Take out the wedges from oven and portion out, ladle the chilli on top (don’t worry about being neat, just whack it on!) If you made smashed avocado, spoon a heaped table spoon on to the side of your dish and plonk a few tortilla chips in, sprinkle with a few pinches of the cheese and a wedge of lime for squeezing over the whole dish! If you fancy a garnish, sprinkle the top with a cautious pinch the remainder of sliced green chillies and a pinch the coriander leaves.
Ta Da!
