Vegetable Chili
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 sweet bell pepper red, orange or yellow, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 bunch Swiss chard stems diced and leaves cut into 1-inch pieces, about 5 cups
- 1/2 jalapeno chili, seeded (leave the seeds in to make it hotter) and minced
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 29 ounces of whole plum tomatoes crushed and keep the juice or 2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 cups or 3 15-ounce cans cooked beans (such as red kidney, pinto or black), drained and rinsed
- 2 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock
- 2-3 teaspoons sea salt I use 3 teaspoons
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro plus extra for garnish (optional)
- Garnishes: cubed avocado lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, bell pepper, chard stems, jalapeno and garlic, and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add oregano, cumin and chili powder and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes with the juice, bay leaf, beans, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour. (even 45 minutes is fine)
- Discard the bay leaf. Add the Swiss chard leaves and cook, uncovered, until mixture has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Stir in chopped cilantro. Serve with cooked brown rice, millet or quinoa.