Perfect Vegan Chili

I love chili. But not with meat. And not too spicy. But with flavor. And the texture just needs to be right. What can I say, I know what I like?!

Creating the perfect vegan chili was surprisingly hard to do with all of these criteria.

But this is the perfect recipe for me. Hope you like it!

Note: this recipe can be made either with canned beans or with soaked beans, the method varies depending on which you choose.

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot sliced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. chipotle powder (this is for a tame palate; add more if you like it spicy)
• 2 large or 4 small red potatoes, cubed
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• ~ 2 C tomato sauce
• 1 heaping tsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 3-4 sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 of a large, or 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 C dried beans, soaked overnight, or 1 C canned beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 C quinoa, uncooked
• 1/4 – 1/2 C water
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat a dutch oven to medium.
2. Cook the carrot and onion in a couple tablespoons of oil for about 10 minutes, until they soften, but don’t let them brown.
3. Add the garlic, chili powders and cumin, stirring constantly as you cook for about one minute.
4. Stir in the potatoes, bell pepper, tomato sauce and paste, brown sugar and oregano.
5. If using soaked beans, add them now with 1/4-1/2 C of the soaking liquid.
6. Simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add the zucchini, mushrooms and quinoa.
8. If using canned beans, add them now with about a 1/4 C water
9. Simmer uncovered about 20 minutes more. (if the chili looks to be drying out or is getting too thick, add a few tablespoons more water while it cooks)
10. Season with salt and pepper.