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Nichole Dandrea-Russert, MS, RDN

http://purelyplanted.com

Book: The Fiber Effectbook

Recipe:

5-STEP EASY VEGAN CHILI

Servings: 4-6

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 16-ounce can (BPA-free) vegan refried beans
  • 1 16-ounce jar of salsa or, if you have a bit of extra time, make homemade! Choose mild, medium, or hot depending on your spice preference.
  • 1 package meatless crumbles (Beyond Meat, LightLife or Gardein will work) OR 1 BPA-free canned black or pinto beans, drained
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 1 large red pepper, chopped
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  • cilantro and green onion, chopped (optional)
  • nutritional yeast (optional) (or your favorite vegan cheese or homemade cashew cheese)

How to Make:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Mix all ingredients (except for the cilantro, green onion, and nutritional yeast) together in a large bowl. Stir until everything is mixed well. You might need a fork to break apart and blend in the refried beans.
  3. Scoop into a baking dish.
  4. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the center is hot.
  5. Top with chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, and a sprinkle of vegan cheese or nutritional yeast.

Great for a party … or for yourself! Portion out into containers and you’ll have a delicious lunch for every day of the week (the flavors get even better the next day).

*You can also make  this with 8 ounces of crumbled tempeh (Lightlife is carried nationwide, but any organic tempeh should work). I like to boil the tempeh first for about 10 minutes, which makes it softer, easier to crumble, and more porous so that it absorbs all of the delicious flavors. After you boil it for 10 minutes, let it cool down a bit before crumbling it into the chili mixture in place of the meat crumbles.