Helloooo new recipe! And a quick, delicious, fully plant-based dinner recipe at that! So, one of my New Year’s intentions for 2019 is to ensure I have at least one (and ideally 2) fully meat-free/animal protein free dinners per week. As you guys know, I keep my lunches and breakfasts veggie, and do consider myself plant-based (see my post on Sustainable Diets to read more on that and my reasons for it!). Though really, diet labels are not something I agree with – but I do strongly feel we can all help the environment by reducing our meat intake, particularly red meat. So, as the first of my new plant-based dinner recipes, I decided to do a vegetarian version of one of my favourites – chili! My family gave this Double Bean Chili a big thumbs up too – so you know we’re onto a winner! Let’s cook!

Recipe (Serves 6)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp mild chilli powder
• 1 tbsp agave or maple syrup or honey
• 1 red onion
• 2 bell peppers (aim for two different colours!)
• 250g button mushrooms
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 400ml tins of chopped tomatoes
• 3 tbsp of tomato puree
• 1 400g tin of black beans
• 1 400g tin of red kidney beans
• 300ml water
• A twist of black pepper & a pinch of sea salt, to season
• A sprinkle of dried coriander

Method

1. Prepare your veggies first by washing and dicing them up and setting them aside in small bowls (onion, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, celery). Peel and finely dice the garlic.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot, and add the onions and garlic, and fry until the onions are translucent.
3. Add all of the spices to the onions and cook for another 3-4 minutes until coated.
4. Add the celery, mushrooms and peppers, stir again, then add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and water, and mix it all up until the veggies are fully coated in the spices – another 5-ish minutes.
5. Next, its beans time! Add the kidney beans and black beans, and stir again.
6. Add a sprinkle of sea salt and a twist of black pepper, stir again and then turn the heat down to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid.
7. Leave to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring the chili 2-3 times during this period.
8. If you’re serving this immediately, get preparing your side dish while the chili simmers! I love having this chili scooped on top of a baked sweet potato, or simply with a side of a grain like brown rice or quinoa! Alternatively if you’re going for a lighter meal or for lunch its great with a side salad too.

Enjoy guys! Be sure to tag me if you try it out – @theirishbalance on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook!

Ciara 🙂 x