Veggie Chili

I made a very large batch of veggie chili on Sunday.  I got this recipe from Whole Living last year, I altered it a little, so I will give you my version.  I do not know who the original creator of this recipe is, so I am not sure who to give the credit to, but I thank them because this guy is a real gem and it makes enough for dinners/lunches all week long. I have made this recipe before, but for whatever reason this batch was soooo spicy.  I like spice, so I don’t think I am being a wuss.  To further prove my point, my husband’s head sweats every time he eats it.  I could not figure out why this batch was so spicy.  I thought maybe the jalapeno I used this time was extra spicy. Nope.  I am just a ding dong.  I went out to lunch with a friend today and she solved the mystery.  Turns out chipotle powder is quite a bit more spicy the chili powder.  Who knew?  I do now.  Here’s why this matters: the original recipe called for 5T of chili powder.  I don’t have chili powder and I love the smokie-ness of chipotle powder, so I used 5T of chipotle powder.  Well, if you like your food VERY spicy, I say give it a whirl.  However, if you prefer to avoid breathing fire, use about 1.5T of chipotle powder.  lesson learned.

Veggie loaded chili:

Prep time: 45 min

cook time: 45 min

serves 7-10

The goods

What you’ll need:

• 2T organic coconut oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 cups broccoli florets, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1.5 (not 5)T chipotle powder
• 1T cumin
• 1t paprika
• 1/2t sea salt
• 1/2 fresh, ground pepper
• 1 orange pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 15-ounce cans of beans.  I used 1 can pinto & 1 can of black beans.  My favorite type of canned beans is Eden’s because they are packaged with seaweed rather than salt and their cans are BPA free.

Steps

1. Heat oil in large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.  Add garlic, onion, and jalapeno. Saute for approximately 3-5 minutes.
2.  Add sweet potato, broccoli and spices.  Stir until spices evenly cover veggies. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add bell peppers & stir.  Cover and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add tomatoes and and beans.  Simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes.

yummm

I added spinach or kale to my bowl after cooking, I also top with avocado and nutritional yeast (for some B vitamins) and added yum.