Vegetable Chilli

Make it stand out

You are likely to find this in our weekly batch cooking, especially in the cooler months. It’s so easy, flexible with what you have in the fridge & freezes well for bonus meals

Ingredients

• 1 onion finely chopped

• Few cloves of garlic

• 1 carrot diced

• 1 aubergine diced

• 1/2 courgettes diced

• 1 red pepper diced

• 1 punnet mushrooms chopped

• 1 tin lentils (I used black)

• 1 tin black beans

• 1 tin kidney beans

• 1 tin chopped tomato

• 1 tube tomato puree

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon chilli powder

• 2 tablespoons raw cacao/cocoa powder

Method

• Fry off the onion until it goes slightly see-through (about 5 minutes on medium-high) in a deep pot

• Add the garlic for a miniute or so, keep stirring

• Then add the aubergine, pepper, courgette & carrot (or whatever veg you have/want to use)

• After a few minutes add the mushrooms, keeping the pan fairly hot & stir regularly

• Then when veg is starting to look cooked, add the chilli powder, paprika, raw cacao/cocoa powder, balsamic vinegar & tomato puree & stir in

• After a few minutes add the pulses/lentils & the tinned tomatoes, using extra water to rinse the tomato tin out & adding to mix

• If the mix looks quite dry you can always add a second tin of chopped tomatoes (it depends how big all the veg is you add)

• Turn the pot to low, stirring occasionally

• After about 30 minutes taste the chilli & adjust accordingly, adding seasoning to taste

• Once soft, you can leave to cool on side for added flavour or serve immediately

• We often eat with rice, mashed potato, as nachos or even by itself with our cheese sauce