Vegetable Lime Chickpea Chili

My apologies for lack of posts this month. I'm having a hard time getting into a posting groove since the holidays have been over. If you have made anything amazing in the kitchen this month send me your recipes!

I adapted this recipe from the one over at Two Peas and Their Pod.

Ingredients:

• About 1 Tb. olive oil
• Heaping 3/4 c. chopped onion
• Heaping 3/4 c. chopped zucchini
• Heaping 3/4 c. chopped yellow squash
• 1/2 c. chopped sweet bell pepper (any color)
• 5 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Tb. garlic, minced
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 c. vegetable broth
• 1/4 c. cilantro
• 2 Tb. lime juice
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• about 1/4 tsp black pepper
• tortilla chips
• avocados

Directions:

1.  Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat.
2. Add onion, zucchini,  yellow squash, bell peppers, mushrooms and cook 5-8 minutes, till tender.
3. Add garlic and cook 1 more min.
4. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, broth, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips and avocado slices.

Quick and Hearty Chili

I adapted this recipe from a cookbook called Vegan Diner. It is one of my top picks for veggie chili. The consistency and flavor is really similar to a hearty meat chili. Tastes delicious with cornbread or tortilla chips.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tb olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2-15.5 oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1-15.5 oz can tomato puree 
• 1 Tb soy sauce
• 1 scant Tb chili powder
• 1 Tb baking cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 c. cooked quinoa (this is about 1/4 c. dried, cooked in 1/2 c. water)

Directions:

1. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat in a soup pot, until onion is browned. Add the red bell pepper and cook for about 3 more minutes.
2. Add the water, beans, tomato puree, soy sauce, chili powder, cocoa powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and smoked paprika. Bring to a boil. Add the quinoa. Then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

This recipe comes from Good Life Eats. Very delicious and filling (my husband even said so himself).

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 poblano pepper, diced (deseed if you like)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/4 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoons chili powder
• 15 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 8 ounces vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon Morton Season All Seasoned Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 2/3 cup diced sweet potato
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 37.5 ounces canned black beans, drained but not rinsed
• 1/2 cup fire roasted salsa
• 2 bay leaves
• 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
• toppings for serving: Monterrey jack cheese or feta and cilantro

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and saute for 5 minutes, until tender and golden. Add the garlic and poblano pepper and saute another minute, until fragrant. Add the cumin and chili powder and saute another 2 minutes.

Lower heat to medium-low and stir in the crushed tomatoes and broth (reserve 1/4 cup of broth), scraping to remove any browned bits in the pan. Add the remaining ingredients except the cornstarch and toppings.

In a small bowl whisk together the reserved 1/4 cup of broth and the cornstarch until smooth. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the chili pot. Stir until well mixed. Bring chili to a boil for 2 minutes and then lower heat to low. Simmer over low heat uncovered for one hour. Then, simmer covered with a lid for 30 minutes.

Serve topped with your choice of toppings.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I served it up with cornbread muffins (using 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white flour).
2. I didn't used crushed tomatoes, I used chili ready diced tomatoes.
3. I just used 1 whole sweet potato (which was a little more than 2/3 c.), and I only used about 28 oz of black beans (about 1 1/2 cups).
4. I cut the chili powder in half, and it was still a tad spicy so next time I might only use 1/2 of the poblano pepper or 1/2 the salsa (I had used a medium spice salsa).

3 Bean Chili

I've adapted this recipe from Betty Crocker. (Side note, I hope you aren't judging whether to make recipes or not based only on the pictures. I am not very good at photographing food!)

Ingredients:

• 1 can (14 oz) vegetable broth
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chili peppers
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder (depending on how spicy you like your chili)
  
• 1 can (15 to 16 oz) red beans, drained
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
• 1 can (15 oz) purple hull beans, drained
• 2-3 c. frozen peas and corn
• 1/2 c. water
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
  

Directions:

1. In 4-quart Dutch oven or large stew pot, heat 1/4 cup of the broth to boiling over medium-high heat. Cook onion and garlic in broth about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender.
2. Stir in remaining broth, tomatoes, oregano and chili powder. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in the beans, corn, peas, and water. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Serve with chips, rice, baked potatoes, or cornbread...whatever you like best with your chili!

Notes about this recipe:

1. I used 1 tsp of chili powder this time and it was still spicy, so next time I think I may do 1 can of tomatoes with chillies and 1 can without chillies. I think the extra spice may be coming from there.
2. If you use the exact recipe from Betty Crocker with kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and chili beans it will look more like the picture below.
   

Sweet Potato Chili with Cornmeal Dumplings

This recipe is adapted from the recipe Sweet Potato Chili Bake, found on my friend, Whitney's, blog. The original recipe is from the Taste of Home.

Ingredients:

Chili:

• 2 cups cubed peeled sweet potato
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 4-1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Cornmeal Dumplings (from Better Homes and Gardens):

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
• 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• dash of black pepper
• 1 beaten egg
• 2 Tbs milk
• 2 Tbs cooking oil

Directions:

• In a large stew pot, saute sweet potato and red pepper in oil until crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the tomatoes, broth, beans, brown sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Meanwhile, prepare cornmeal dumpling batter. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, cheese, cornmeal, baking powder, and pepper. In a small bowl combine the egg, milk, and cooking oil; add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork just until combined.
• Drop cornmeal dumpling batter into simmering chili (about 6-8 dumplings). Cover for 10-12 minutes, and do not open until the time is up. Dumplings are done when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Serve with optional toppings, if desired.
  

If you want to do it the according to the original recipe, cook your chili in an oven-proof Dutch oven. Prepare 1 package (6-1/2 ounces) corn bread/muffin mix according to the package and stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional). Drop by tablespoons over chili. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 min. or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I like to cube my sweet potatoes pretty small, but that's just my preference.
2. I didn't have vegetable broth, so I opted for chicken broth this time. It turned out fine, but would be more veggie friendly with the vegetable broth.
3. I didn't plan ahead enough for my dried black beans to be used, so I used a can of red beans instead. Tasted great. I have a feeling you could use any kind of your favorite beans and it would still be yummy.
4. Whitney notes that she didn't have chili powder, so instead she used 1 1/2 tsp of ground red pepper. She said it was good but spicy.