Teresa Palmer's Vegan Chili
from the kitchen of contributing wellness editor teresa palmer
serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
Olive oil
3 stalks celery
1 white onion (or half if it's massive)
1 can adzuki beans
1 can kidney beans
1/2 cup chopped garlic
1 cup Homemade Vegetable Stock
1 can whole peeled tomatoes
1 small package of tomato paste (or just under half a cup)
1 tsp of Himalayan sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
vegan sour cream (or regular)
scoop of guacamole, for serving
tortilla chips, for serving
For the Homemade Vegetable Stock
1 carrot
2 stalks celery
1 large white onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp mixed herbs (or whatever spices you have handy)
1 bay leaf
water
DIRECTIONS
*I like to prep everything in advance first before starting the cooking process. Finely chop the celery, chop the onion, smash the garlic (I used a large knife and press my palms on the flat side of it to squash the garlic before chopping). Chop the garlic finely. Drain the beans and rinse them. I just throw them all in a strainer together and run water over them. Open the tomato paste and canned tomatoes, set aside. Oil a fry pan with the olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic until opaque, a few minutes should do it on medium heat. Throw in the chopped celery and stir. Cook until the celery is softening up and starting to look translucent, about six minutes or so. Add the tomato paste and canned tomatoes. Strain the vegetable stock, and pour only the liquid in to your dish (you can use the cooked veggies for next days school lunch!), or add in a cup of store-bought vegetable stock. Stir. Add the beans, mix it all around. Add the spices, these can be of your choosing, but I did one teaspoon of cumin and sea salt, one and a half teaspoons of oregano and half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and pepper (kid friendly!) I then turned the dish down to low heat and let the chili simmer while I cleaned up and set the table. It lets the juices and flavors really marinate and thicken over the course of ten minutes or so. Serve with corn chips, a scoop of sour cream, a scoop of guacamole.
