Mixed Bean Chilli

I love chilli, I particularly love vegetarian chilli, slow cooked meat chillis, frankly I just love the heat.  What is great about this chilli though is as well as being vegan, it also contains mostly store cupboard and "likely to be in your fridge" ingredients.  It's so cheap as well and freezes brilliantly making it the ideal recipe for when the month is nearly up and your bank balance doesn't look quite so healthy.

You could mix up the beans in this; I would have used pinto beans if I'd been organised enough to soak and cook them (I couldn't find any in cans in my local supermarket.)  Of course you can use dried beans here which would make this even cheaper, just soak and cook them first as I find cooking them with something acidic like tomato if they're not already cooked through makes them a little tough.


Mixed Bean Chilli - Serves 4, freezes well

Ingredients 

1 tsp Olive oil
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Red bell pepper, chopped
1 Orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 Cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 Mild fresh chilli, chopped (deseeded if liked)
1 Hot fresh chilli, chopped (deseeded if liked)
400g, 14oz Chopped tinned (canned) tomatoes
200ml, 7floz Red wine
Approx 700g, 1.5lb cooked beans (tinned / canned or home cooked) this was approx 3 tins.  I used red kidney beans, borlotti beans and black eyed beans
A few sprigs of thyme
A few sprigs of parsley
2 bay leaves
4 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Hot chilli sauce like tabasco (optional)
Seasoning

To serve (optional)
Cooked rice
Coriander (cilantro)
Tomato
Avocado
Pickled jalapenos
Sour cream
Grated cheese

Method

Fry the onion in the oil for a couple of minutes then add the pepper and garlic.  Stir for a few minutes to cook and start to brown without burning then add in the wine, tomatoes, chilli, herbs, paprika and cocoa powder.

Simmer for about an hour stirring occasionally or put into a slow cooker on high for 2-4 hours (depending on how hot your cooker is).  Add water into the pan or slow cooker if it starts to dry out.  When the chilli is thick, taste the sauce and add a little hot sauce if you like it really spicy and plenty of seasoning.

Serve with any of the serving suggestions as you like!  Obviously miss out the sour cream and cheese to make vegan and dairy free.

Leftovers reheat well and also make great burritos.