Vegan week day 7: Vegan lentil chili

Breakfast: Quinoa pilaf with blueberries, raspberries, pear, mango and almond milk

Lunch: Leftover spicy bean burgers with carrot and lime salad

Dinner: Vegan lentil chili with brown rice

So this was the last day of my first week totally vegan. I thought I'd tripped up at the BBQ by eating potatoes with butter on them, but it turned out it was soy butter! Hooray!

All week I've been feeling exceptionally clear-headed and full of energy, and for some reason I've been waking up early with no alarms. I've no idea why. Anyway, I've been trying to work out how better to incorporate veganism into my daily life - be a weekday vegan? A vegan 2 weeks out of every 4? It's a tough decision, especially when so many friends have expressed concerns about it. Has anyone else found this?

Anyway, one thing is for sure: there will be a lot more vegan cooking and baking happening in our house from now on. Even mainstays of our kitchen, like this vegan chili, will be making more appearances. Vive la vegan!

You'll need:
(Feeds 4-6)

175g red lentils
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 red pepper, chopped
400g chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp vegetable puree
300ml veg stock
100g frozen peas
2 carrots, chopped
175g mushrooms, chopped
1 tin kidney beans, drained
2 tbsp oil

Method:

Soak lentils in boiling water for 30 minutes then drain and rinse
Fry onion, garlic, chili, paprika and cumin in oil
Add peppers, carrots and lentils and cook for 5 minutes
Add tomatoes, puree, stock and peas
Bring to the boil then turn down and simmer for 30 minutes
Add mushrooms and simmer for 5 minutes
Add kidney beans and simmer for 5 minutes
When chili has reached your preferred consistency, serve with rice and a slice of lime

As ever, this can be kept in the fridge or freezer and is even better the day after you cook it! It's also great for a Canadian winter when you can't feel your lips.

Tweet