Once again, I have left it way too long. Ah well, better late than never, eh?! Let's get started.
Chilli. VEGETARIAN chilli. Those two words strike fear into the hearts of many. I know this to be true, because many have told me that they get a bit panicky when they find themselves in a situation where they have to eat it. Say, for example, my house. I honestly don't know what the big deal is. What makes veggie chilli so terrifying? The abundance of legumes and (god forbid) healthy things it contains? "It's something that you would make when you're low on ingredients and want to get rid of everything in your fridge. Boring." Someone actually said this to me. Hey, everyone has a right to their own opinions. In this particular case, the person in question happens to be wrong. And (excuse my bluntness) if you share this opinion, then you are also wrong. So there. Nya.
Allow me to set you straight. Allow me to bombard you with some facts.
Enter Annabel. She is one of the best humans in the world. This is a fact. She was the one who suggested this chilli. Proof of her awesomeness, clearly.
This cooking session took place in Annabel's shiny new kitchen. My kitchen is not new, nor is it shiny. It's fine, I'm okay with this. I like my kitchen. But sometimes you need a bit of a change of scenery. We were joined by our friends James (who has featured on this blog before!) and Ross.
We may have been drinking rather a lot of Lambrini throughout the evening. Lambrini is cheap. That's a fact. And really not so bad. Once you start drinking it, it's hard to stop. (Okay, that might be an opinion. Unlike veggie chilli, I can see how Lambrini would scare people).
Chilli ingredients. All of them cheap, all of them healthy. FACT.
The deliciousness of a chilli increases one hundredfold if you leave it to simmer and thicken for awhile. That is definitely a well-known culinary fact.
As we are probably all very aware, chilli can be eaten with rice, or wrapped up in a burrito. We did both, because we know how to live. This called for condiments. Avocado and tomato salsa. I got to cut the avocado. Avocados are my favourite thing ever.
Chilli always tastes that little bit better the day after it's made. Fact. Although we didn't get to taste this one the next day. We ate it all. Every last bit. Not gonna lie, I polished off two burritos with everything in them. I regret nothing. Besides, I don't think we could have handled the deliciousness of this chilli a day later.
I know it's not a fancy-ass recipe, but sometimes it's just good to be reminded (or informed) of the deliciousness of veggie chilli. You need veggie chilli in your life. FACT.
YOU WILL NEED:
- one red onion, roughly chopped
- 1-2 chillis (we used 1, but it's all a matter of taste really)
- 2 tins chopped tomatoes
- 2 tins kidney beans (I'm sure you could use dried one's as well, but obviously that's a plan-ahead kind of thing, because of the soaking time)
- 250 ml veggie stock
- a good handful (that's an official measurement) of sun dried tomatoes in oil
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- a nice big bunch of coriander. chopped up
*you might also want to add peppers, sweetcorn, maybe mushrooms, or different kinds of beans... anything goes.
It's really quite simple. Throw the onions into a pot with olive oil, toss in the chilis and wait until the onions are slightly translucent. Toss in the beans, tomatoes, and stock. Bring to boil, then turn down to a simmer. Add the cumin, oregano, coriander and dried tomatoes, plus a pinch of salt. Let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the chilli has thickened.
(For the salsa):
- 2 tomatoes, finely chopped with the seeds removed
- 1 avocado, finely chopped
- olive oil for drizzling
- chili sauce (we used Sriracha... not exactly mexican but I firmly believe that Sriracha has a place in everything)
- juice of one lime
Combine tomatoes and avocado in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Add lime juice and chilli sauce. Mix. Voila!
Eat it ALL with tortillas, or rice. Or both. Don't forget the sour cream, and/or cheese.
YOU WILL NEED:
- one red onion, roughly chopped
- 1-2 chillis (we used 1, but it's all a matter of taste really)
- 2 tins chopped tomatoes
- 2 tins kidney beans (I'm sure you could use dried one's as well, but obviously that's a plan-ahead kind of thing, because of the soaking time)
- 250 ml veggie stock
- a good handful (that's an official measurement) of sun dried tomatoes in oil
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- a nice big bunch of coriander. chopped up
*you might also want to add peppers, sweetcorn, maybe mushrooms, or different kinds of beans... anything goes.
It's really quite simple. Throw the onions into a pot with olive oil, toss in the chilis and wait until the onions are slightly translucent. Toss in the beans, tomatoes, and stock. Bring to boil, then turn down to a simmer. Add the cumin, oregano, coriander and dried tomatoes, plus a pinch of salt. Let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the chilli has thickened.
(For the salsa):
- 2 tomatoes, finely chopped with the seeds removed
- 1 avocado, finely chopped
- olive oil for drizzling
- chili sauce (we used Sriracha... not exactly mexican but I firmly believe that Sriracha has a place in everything)
- juice of one lime
Combine tomatoes and avocado in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Add lime juice and chilli sauce. Mix. Voila!
Eat it ALL with tortillas, or rice. Or both. Don't forget the sour cream, and/or cheese.
