Easy Black Bean Chili
I somehow managed to come out of a four day weekend feeling almost as exhausted as I did going into it. It could be that it was jam-packed with lots of to-dos and that what began as a quick touch-up paint project turned into me painting my entire living room last night. Lesson learned: Super White paint will not blend with walls that haven’t been painted in 10+ years, even if your landlord says they’re “super white”. They’re not.
Needless to say, the thought of spending more than ten minutes prepping dinner in my “super white” kitchen was totally unappealing. I wanted something that I could throw together with minimal ingredients, chopping, and clean up. And also something that would result in a lot of leftovers for Aaron to bring for lunches this week.
Ignoring the fact that it was 86 degrees (in October?! Whatever, I’ll take it.), I decided to use up the black beans in our fridge to make a quick veggie chili. I also threw in a green pepper and some spicy soy chorizo, but you could also try adding in some chopped mushrooms or eggplant to get that same meaty texture without the processed soy.
Aside from the tears shed over chopping the onion, this meal was quick and painless. I made some brown rice while the chili was simmering, and served it with nutritional yeast sprinkled on top. Dinner and lunches for the week? Done and done.
| Easy Black Bean Chili |
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 large bell pepper, chopped (I used green, but red would be great too)
- 1 package TJs chorizo sausage (or vegetarian “meat” of choice)
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbs. tomato paste
- 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 C. cooked black beans (or 1 can, drained)
- 1 heaping Tbs. chili powder (more to taste if you’re not using the spicy chorizo)
- 1 1/2 C. water
- salt and pepper to taste
- Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.
- Add the chopped onion, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.
- Add the chopped bell pepper, soy chorizo, and minced garlic, cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste, diced tomatoes (liquid included), black beans, chili powder, water, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 30 minutes.
- Serve hot over brown rice or simply plain.
If possible, use an organic bell pepper, as these are one of the “dirty dozen” fruits and veggies that are heavy on the pesticides.
I like to use dried beans over canned. They’re a fraction of the cost and tend to be firmer in texture (not mushy!). Just place the desired amount of black beans in a bowl, cover with cold water, and put in the refrigerator to soak overnight. Then, drain and rinse, transfer to a pot, cover with fresh water, and boil for about 20 mins or until cooked. Similar to rice, 1 C. dried beans should make about 2 C. cooked.
