This is my go-to for chili. It’s easy, quick and you likely have most of the items already in your house. Inspiration from this recipe comes from a recipe out of Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking, by Dana Shultz. This recipe gets better after a few days in the fridge, and freezes well.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon grape seed, avocado or other healthy neutral oil

½ of a red onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup chopped carrots

1 bell pepper, chopped (I like to use a sweet red, yellow or orange pepper)

1 medium sweet potato, chopped

1 cup chopped mushrooms (I like to use shitake)

2 tablespoons pure chili powder (I use ancho)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 15-ounce cans of beans, your choice, drained. (Some good options are black beans, kidney beans, chili beans or chickpeas…)

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice

½ cup tomato sauce, or ¼ cup tomato paste stirred into a bit of water

3 cups veggie broth or bean cooking liquid if you cook your own beans

1 cup of frozen corn

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of ½ of a lime

PREPARATION

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until soft and translucent.
Add the carrots, bell pepper, sweet potatoes and mushrooms. Season again with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes.
Add chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne pepper to pot. Stir to coat and cook over medium heat for another 3-4 minutes until veggies are fragrant.
Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce or paste and broth. Stir well and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat, cover and cook until the veggies are tender, about 20-30 minutes.
Stir in corn and simmer a few more minutes.
Add remained of salt and pepper and more cayenne pepper if you like a lot of heat.
Serve hot topped with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.