Vegetarian Chili

With the cooler temperatures upon us, we tend to reach for a meal that will comfort us and fill us with warmth.   However, that comfort food isn’t always loving to our body or our health.  I’m going to share one of my personal favorites that will satisfy your taste buds and keep you on track for your health and  nutritional goals.

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Ingredients:

-2-3 medium sized organic sweet potatoes (we always make extra b/c they make a great side dish)

-1 level tsp cayenne pepper, plus extra for sprinkling

-1 heaped tsp ground cumin, plus extra for sprinkling

-1 level tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling

-olive oil

-sea salt

-freshly ground pepper

-1 onion

-1 organic red pepper

-1 organic yellow pepper

-1 bunch of organic fresh coriander(cilantro)

-1 red chili(I omit bc my daughter doesn’t like it too spicy)

-1 green chili(I omit bc my daughter doesn’t like it too spicy)

-2 organic garlic cloves(I always use more)

-2 x 400g tinned organic beans(such as kidney, black, chickpea, pinto)

-2 x 400g tinned diced organic tomatoes

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Instructions:

-Preheat oven to 400F.  Wash then cut sweet potatoes into bite-sized chunks.  Sprinkle with cayenne, cumin and cinnamon, drizzle with olive oil and add a pinch of sea salt.  Toss them so they are coat and put on a baking tray.  Put the tray in the oven for 40 minutes until soft and golden.  I usually stir them once or twice during that time.

-Peel and chop the onion.  Halve, deseed and chop peppers. Pick coriander leaves and put aside, finely chop the stalks.  Deseed and finely chop the chilies(I omit this step). Peel and finely chop the garlic.

-Put  a large pot on medium-high head and add a couple lugs of olive oil.  Add the onion, peppers, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the coriander stalks, chili and spices and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.

-Drain the cans of beans and add them to the pot with the tinned tomatoes.  Stir well and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat to allow to thicken for 25-30 minutes.  Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.

-Get the roasted sweet potato after they are cooked and stir into the chili with most of the coriander leaves.  Taste and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper if needed.

*OPTIONAL:  Scatter remaining coriander leaves over top and serve with some grated cheddar cheese, guacamole, or sour cream.  Sometimes we use gluten free tortillas to scoop.

This recipe from: https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/veggie-chilli/ is hearty and delicious alternative to its meaty counterpart.  We always make a double batch so we can freeze a family and individual size containers for those busy days.