Favorite Veggie Chili

Chili is the epitome of winter and comfort in our house. We live on the west coast of Canada, and truly chili is the only thing to warm you from the inside out on a cold rainy day. It is soul warming — yes, it’s that good! We love to make big batches of this and have it ready to go for lunches throughout the week or for a quick dinner. We rarely eat it the day we make it, though it is delicious then too. But, lets face it, chili really does get better with age! Pair this with my favorite cornbread and you’ll be begging for a cold rainy day just so you can cozy up with a big ol’ bowl.

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 1.5 Hours (.5 hour active, 1 hour inactive
• Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients: 

• 1 tbsp oil or 4 tbsp water if oil free
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups of bell peppers, chopped (approximately 1 and a half peppers total, any colour of pepper will work for this)
• 1 1/2 cups canned or frozen corn
• 2 cans of beans, drained and rinsed (I like kidney and white beans,  or a can of mixed beans — but any bean will do)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 13 oz cans tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp chipotle in adobo, puréed*
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (trust me!) **
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp salt (if using garlic salt, only use 1 tsp salt)
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped plus extra to garnish

Method: 

Heat a large pot, melt 1 tbsp oil or 2 tbsp water over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add extra water if necessary if using an oil free method to prevent sticking.  Add the minced garlic and stir until fragrant. Add chopped peppers and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.

Add chili powder, cinnamon, garlic powder, cumin and salt. Sauté for a minute to open up the spices.

Add stock and water, stirring to scrape up any stuck-on spices.

Add corn, beans, chipotle in adobo, tomato paste, and tomato sauce. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. After an hour, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Stir in chopped cilantro.

Serve immediately, garnished with fresh cilantro or let cool and package up in smaller portions for lunches or freezing.

If you’re feeling a little extra decadent, this is excellent served with cashew sour cream and/or dairy-free cheese on top as well!

* I buy cans of chipotle in adobe and purée the contents of the can in my food processor. For this recipe you’ll only need 1 tbsp. I freeze the rest in a plastic baggie and break off pieces when I need it. You could also freeze it in ice cube trays, and once frozen transfer to a zip loc. Each cube is about 1 tbsp.

** Cinnamon is truly what makes this chili sing. I don’t recommend adding any more than 1/2 tsp or it will overpower instead of creating the perfect sweet background note, but you can add less if you’re skeptical. If you have cinnamon sticks instead of ground cinnamon use 1-2 sticks and remove after cooking.

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