Chickpea Chili! (Vegan friendly)

Do you have a busy week ahead of you? This is a perfect chili to pre-make and put in the fridge when you don’t have time (or you’re too lazy) to make something from scratch. This is a damn fine chili and makes about 5-6 generous portions.

This is some serious comfort food, I have such a soft spot for chili. If you like the heat then increase the chilies in the recipe.

Also, I know it’s weird but don’t omit the walnuts. It just gives it that something extra.

What you’ll need:

1 ½ cups               rice of choice (I used Spekko long grain)

2 TBS                     olive oil

1 white onion, finely chopped

2 cloves                garlic, finely chopped

2 large                  carrot, peeled and finely chopped

2                              red or green peppers, finely chopped

1 stick                   celery, finely chopped

4                              small red chilies, de-seeded and finely chopped

1 tsp                      ground cumin

1 tsp                      cayenne pepper

½ tsp                     cinnamon

1 tsp                      all-spice

1 tsp                      chili flakes

½ tsp                     salt

1 can                     chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 can                     cherry tomatoes

½ cup                    walnuts, roughly chopped

Method:

• Cook the rice according to packet instructions and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, heat up your olive oil and add the onion and garlic. Sauté for about 4 mins.
• Add the carrot and celery to the pot and cook until softened slightly. About 5 minutes.
• Add all the spices and stir to coat, keep cooking for about 4 minutes until fragrant.
• Place the chopped pepper, chili and walnuts into the pot, cook for another 4-5 minutes.
• Add the can of tomatoes, the chickpeas and 1 cup of water. Stir through and simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened.
• Serve with the cooked rice and a green salad. Don’t forget to top with some nutritional yeast and a squeeze of lime!

Thanks for reading! And as always let me know if you give it a try and what changes or improvements you made!

xx

N