Can you believe it’s October? We’ve already had snow here in Colorado! I’m not ready for the cold temperatures, but the one silver lining is it’s time to make warm, filling foods like stews, soups, and chili! Nourishing vegetable chili that will warm you up and fill you up with good nutrition! Ok so maybe the colder temperatures just got better!
The way I make my chili really builds flavor upon flavor so you won’t even notice that there is no meat in this dish…SHHHHH! I may live in Colorado, but I’m actually a Texan at heart so I like my chili with a nice, kick to it. You can adjust the hotter ingredients, like the jalapenos and cayenne pepper, to your personal taste if you like a milder chili. You also can adjust the water added at the end of the recipe according to your preference for a more thicker or thinner chili.
I’m using a slow cooker because I love the convenience of it, but you could also cook this right on the stove top in a dutch oven, cooking for about two hours on medium-low heat and stirring occasionally.
I love adding a lot of vegetables in my dishes because vegetables are where all cancer-fighting nutrition is at, along with using fresh herbs and spices. How lucky for us that all of these things also add a lot of flavors and yumminess to our food, right?
It’s really amazing how such small amounts of spices can turn a dish from blah to bravo in terms of taste, but did you know that certain spices have powerful phytochemicals in them that can boost the immune system and fight off cancer?
- Garlic contains organosulfur compounds which prevents cancer.
- Black pepper has high levels of antioxidants in it!
- Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin which, in some studies, has shown to be toxic to cancer cells as well
Fennel, coriander, and cumin are all in today’s chili recipe! It’s a powerhouse dish that will help you be the boss of cancer, and even if you don’t have cancer! Prevention is the key to a healthy long cancer free life!
In addition to the vegetables and spices in this dish, I’m using bulgur wheat as the grain. You do not need to fear grains, especially bulgur wheat, because it is 100% whole wheat, full of fiber, protein, iron, and vitamin B-6. Eating whole grains like bulgur wheat can also lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, which claims more lives every year than all forms of cancer. Unfortunately grains and “carbs” have gotten a bad reputation with different fad diets but not all carbs are created equal! Bulgur wheat is a healthy carb that you can definitely keep in your diet and is beneficial to your health!
I also want to share that if you watched my broadcast, Lunch With Leslie, you will see I cooked this chili using the awesome kitchen utensil, the Spoontula! My father makes each Spoontula by hand and it has been designed to be the last wooden spoon you will ever need. It can be used in so many ways and really is an awesome addition to any kitchen. You can get one exactly like mine right at the homepage of my website here. I know you are going to love it!
Ok, it’s chili time! Let’s get to cooking!
With all the flavors in this chili, you will never know there isn't any meat in there! This is a crowd pleaser for any gathering or just a delicious, easy meal for any cold, blustery day. If you make it in your slow cooker, you can get it ready in the morning and by dinner have a hot meal ready to go. Please tag me at Go2Kitchens across all social media with photos and thoughts on this delicious vegetable chili! I love connecting with you!
- 1 yellow onion roughly chopped
- 1 organic bell pepper roughly chopped
- 2 organic jalapeño peppers seeded and diced
- 1 organic carrot chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large portobella mushroom roughly chopped
- 2 18 oz jars of diced organic tomatoes strained and save the liquid
- 1/2 cup bulgur wheat
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1.5 tbsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground clove
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1 pinch allspice
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp fennel seed
- 7 oz salt free tomato paste
- 2 15 oz can kidney beans strained and rinsed
- 1/2 avocado diced
- 1/8 cup black olives chopped
- 1 tbsp raw jack cheddar cheese grated
- 1 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 1 lime
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In a food processor, pulse on at a time the onion, carrot, jalepeno, bell pepper. Pulse to a rough chop for each. You can also do this with a chefs knife, the food processor is much quicker. Set aside.
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Rough chop the mushroooms with a chefs knife. Mince the garlic. Set aside.
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Turn slow cooker on high. Strain tomatoes in a fine strainer. Add liquid from the diced tomato to a pot on the stove and bring to a boil while you add the dry bulgur wheat to your slow cooker. Add boiled tomato liquid to the bulgur wheat, cover and let it sit for 15 minutes.
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Add a teaspoon of olive oil to a dutch oven or large skillet on the stove and heat over medium high heat. Add chopped onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and carrot and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
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Add garlic and mushrooms and turn off the heat. Let sit for about 5 minutes while you go back and stir your bulgur wheat.
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Add the strained tomatoes that you placed aside into the slow cooker and add all your spices. (chili powder, cumin, ground cloves, coriander, all spice, cayenne and fennel)
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Add the tomato paste and kidney beans into the slow cooker. Stir gently, you do not want to bust the beans.
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Remove vegetable mixture off the stove and add to the slow cooker along with a liberal portion of salt and pepper. Add water to cover ingredients in the slow cooker and even more water depending on how thick or thin you like your chili.
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Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 1 hour on high and then reduce the heat and cook four hours on low.
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Serve with raw jack cheddar cheese, olives, avocado, and cilantro. I love a big squirt of lime just before I serve it! So yum!
Copy By Marci West
Recipe By Leslie Nance CHN, CHCC
