Quick and Easy Very Veggie Vegan Game Day Chili

There are few foods I associate more with football than chili.  Give me a big bowl of chili and a cold beer and I am ready to settle down for a day of watching football and nothing else! With a chili recipe that is quick and easy, and above all vegan, I’ll have less time in the kitchen. That gives me more time in front of the television cheering for my team!

In our house we have two camps when it comes to chili: Chili Con Carne (chili with meat) and Chili Sin Carne (chili without meat).  It can be a real challenge getting the Chili Con Carne camp to switch camps. The key is to load up the Chili Sin Carne with so much goodness they do not even miss the meat.

You can really add just about any vegetable to chili.  Fresh or frozen, it does not really matter.  However, if the chili is loaded with too many vegetables, those picky Chili Con Carne folks may turn their noses up at a perfectly good, delicious chili.

So, what I have done with this recipe is use two ingredients that mimic ground beef in the chili sauce:  Riced cauliflower and diced carrots.  The key is to make sure both are cooked long enough so that they are not crunchy, which it the dead giveaway veggies were snuck into the chili.

What I really like about this recipe is the variety of textures other than the beans.  Riced cauliflower, diced carrots, bell pepper, onion, and garlic complement the light and dark red kidney beans and chickpeas.  The sauce has the right amount of spice and earthy notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cumin.  The heat of the chili powder is balanced with the sweetness of maple syrup. 

Serve with fresh avocado, diced onion, cilantro, and my favorite…diced bread and butter pickles!

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Very Veggie Vegan Game Day Chili

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Dinner – Comfort food

By Stephen MacNeil – Serves: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 1 hour – Total Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

The perfect gameday chili for vegans and non-vegans alike!

Ingredients

• 1 Large Carrot
• 1 Cup of Riced Cauliflower
• 1 Green Bell Pepper
• 1 Fresh Jalapenos
• 1 Medium Onion
• 3 Cloves of Garlic
• 1 Can of Dark Red Kidney Beans
• 1 Can of Light Red Kidney Beans
• 1 Can of Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans)
• 1 Can of Tomato Sauce
• 1 Can of Diced Tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp of Tomato Paste
• 1 Cup Vegetable Broth
• 1 ½ Tbsp of Olive Oil (or Vegetable Broth if you are limiting oil in your diet)
• 1 Tbsp of Chili Powder
• 1 Tsp of Cumin Powder
• 1 Tsp of Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Tsp of Ground Nutmeg
• 1 Tsp of Salt
• ½ Tsp of Ground Black Pepper
• ¼ Cup of Maple Syrup (or Brown Sugar)

Instructions

1

Dice the carrot as small as you are able (roughly ¼ inch cubes or smaller).

2

Chop the onion and green bell pepper into ½ to ¾ inch pieces.

3

Mince the garlic cloves.

4

Thinly slice the jalapeno pepper.

5

In a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil (or vegetable broth) and let it heat for about a minute. If you are using vegetable broth in place of the olive oil, you need to may attention to make sure the broth doesn’t evaporate too quickly. Add more as needed.

6

Add the carrot and cauliflower to the pot, stirring to coat with the olive oil, and cook for 4 minutes.

7

Add the onion, garlic, green bell pepper, and jalapeno slices to the pot, stirring frequently for 6 minutes.

8

At this point the carrot should be softening. If it is still too hard, continue cooking until it starts to soften. The key is to have the carrot firm, but not crunchy.

9

Rinse the beans, add to the pot, and stir.

10

Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.

11

Add the chili powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, salt, and pepper.

12

Stir all the ingredients together and cover the pot with a lid.

13

Set the heat to low and cook for another 45 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so. You do not want the mixture to be boiling.

14

Add maple syrup, stir, and continue to cook on low heat for another 5 minutes without the lid.

Notes

Serve in a bowl. I garnish my chili with chopped cilantro, fresh jalapeno slices, diced bread and butter pickles, and avocado. Tortilla chips and guacamole work great, too!