Vegan Chili

My favorite dish to make is chili. I've been making it for almost 20 years. The first recipe was one can kidney beans, 1 pound ground beef, one can tomato sauce, one can tomato paste, water, chili power and red chili pepper flakes. The end. It was just the right size to feed family of four.
Over the years the recipe has morphed. Slowly I replaced the ground beef with ground turkey and replaced the kidney beans with black beans--well I would add black beans along with kidney beans and pinto beans--and added bell peppers and onions. And it's just kept on changing until it is what it is today. My current recipe is vegan and it didn't happen on purpose. One time I put in quinoa but forgot the meat and it was good. So I started making the chili without the meat, then I decided I wanted to make the chili with meat and it just didn't taste right (though I have to say that local, organic, grassfed beef is way better than conventionally raised/produced beef, by the way), so I no longer use meat.
Now I have made some additional changes, I replaced the beans with azuki beans that I make from dry beans I buy in the bulk bins at the health food store (I go to Harvest Natural Food in Atascadero, SLO Natural Foods in SLO and Whole Foods in SLO).

When using dry beans, start by rinsing them in cold water--I do it quickly to use less water, but they do need a quick rinse before cooking.

Then add one cup of azuki beans to four cups of boiling water (turn off heat) and soak for an hour. Then turn heat on again and simmer for about 2 1/2 hours (I include that time in my simmering time for the chili).

After the beans are done soaking and are simmering, I saute the veggies till the onions are clear and the peppers soft.

Then I add the spices--don't over do it in here, you can always add more spices later, I always do.

Then add all the veggies to the pot of beans, then add chopped tomatoes and more spices as needed--and sea salt.

The last thing I add is the quinoa--already cooked.

To finish the chili, I top it with a chopped avocado (can also use guacamole instead), chia seeds and hemp seeds. And more sea salt as needed (I've found that as I eat less processed food, the more salt I seem to need).

Chili recipe

1 cup dry azuki beans

2 tablespoons coconut oil (or grape seed oil, or water, or veggie broth)

2 onions, chopped

four cloves garlic, finely diced

three bell peppers (I use one of each: red, yellow and orange), chopped

2 jalapenos, chopped (I remove most of the membranes and seeds, but not all because I like a little heat, so if you don't like much heat, make sure to remove all membranes or seeds, or skip the jalapenos altogether)

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teapoons ground chili pepper

1 teasppon red chili pepper flakes

1/2 cayenne powder

sea salt to taste (I use pink Himalaya sea salt)

4-5 medium to large tomatoes (I like to use heirloom tomatoes), chopped

1 cup dry quinoa

1 avocado (per serving)

1 tablespoon hemp seeds (per serving)

1 tablespoon chia seeds (per serving)

Boil four cups of water in a medium pot on the stove, once boiling turn off heat and add one cup dry azuki beans (rinse first). Soak the beans for an hour. Then turn heat back on to simmer the beans on low-medium heat. While the beans are simmering, heat the oil or water on medium in a large sauce pan and add onions, garlic, peppers and jalapenos and heat until the onions and garlic are clear and the peppers are soft. Then add spices and simmer for five more minutes (add a little water or veggie broth as needed). Add the sauteed veggies to the beans. Next add chopped tomatoes. Let the chili simmer for 2-2 1/2 hours. While the chili is simmering prepare the quinoa. Rinse the dry quinoa under cold water then add to two cups water and heat on high and bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and cover. Let simmer until the water is absorbed, then turn off heat.

Taste the chili, adding more spices and salt as needed.

Mix quinoa into the chili and let simmer a few minutes longer before serving. This makes enough chili for one person to eat for a week or for a few meals for a family. You can freeze individual servings for later.

I package my leftover chili in glass containers and eat throughout the week--I reheat on the stove rather than the microwave.

What did you think of it? What changes did you make to the recipe?