Vegan Lentil-Quinoa Chili
Soup and Chili are an easy way to make multiple meals throughout the week. I like to make a big pot of soup or chili on sunday, and then eat it for lunch the rest of the week. It's also a easy way to get creative because you can pretty much add any vegetable and it will come out good.
I made this last week before I went grocery shopping, so I used everything that was left in the refrigerator. I made vegan cornbread muffins with flaxseed to go along with the chili and they turned out great.
The recipe for the Chili is below.
What You Need:
2 cans of mixed beans 15 oz ( usually has white, kidney and black beans in it)
1 can of stewed tomatoes 15oz
1 Roma Tomato Chopped
1 small can of tomato paste or the tube
1/2 cup of Quinoa
1 cup of red lentils ( any lentils will work but I used red this time)
1 cup of white or red chopped onions
4 garlic cloves chopped
4 carrots chopped
1 sweet potato Chopped into chunks
1 handful of chopped cilantro (sit aside some for topping the chili once it's cooked)
2 containers of vegetable broth
3 Leafs of kale ( take of the stem and chop into big chunks)
Half of a container of Mushrooms chopped
1 Tbs of Cumin
1 Tbs of Chili Powder
1 Tbs of Salt
1/2 Tbs of Turmeric
1/2 Tbs of pepper
2 tsp of garlic powder
2 tsp of onion powder
1 Tbs of Olive Oil
How To Make:
Put the Quinoa, Lentil, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Olive Oil, Onion and Garlic in the bottom of a soup pot. Let it sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes, continue to stir and if it begins to stick, add a small amount of olive oil. Next throw everything else into the pot and turn it down to medium heat. Basically you need to allow the sweet potatoes to soften and the Quinoa and Lentils to release. I like to cook it in a crock pot and let it cook on high for about four to five hours. However if you don't have time for that, a stove top pot works just fine. It will probably cook for about 45 minutes on medium heat. Stir occasionally as it's cooking, once the sweet potatoes and grains are cooked you can serve the chili.
I like to top mine with lime juice, avocado, red pepper flakes and cilantro. You can serve this soup with vegan cornbread or even garlic bread depending on your families needs. I hope you enjoy my recipe and don't be afraid to adjust some of the ingredients to make it your own. My only goal is to give you healthy options and ideas for foods we've all grown up loving.
@AshleySirah