Fall Soups, Stews, Curries and Chilis

As the temperatures continue to drop, the cravings for something warm, hearty and (relatively) healthy tend to rise during fall and into the winter months. In our house, this means bring on the soups, chilis, curries and stews, particularly those that are easy to make and bonus points if they can be made in an Instant Pot or slow cooker.

I love experimenting with new, clean recipes and after picking up the Pollan Family’s Mostly Plants cookbook, the first recipe I decided to try was the red lentil and bean chili. It’s delicious, simple, very filling and versatile – the chili was so fun to customize as we enjoyed the leftovers throughout the week. Plus, it was plentiful – nothing beats having ample leftovers to freeze and have on-hand for easy weekday lunches and/or dinners!

And if your family may be similar to mine – half “pseudo-vegetarian” and half “I could eat meat, meat and more meat” (plus two kiddos) – check out the Mostly Plants cookbook, as it focuses on flexitarian recipes to help shift your diet from animal to more plant-based, and you’ll want to try them all! So far, my meat eater has loved these more plant-based recipes, so it’s a win across the board!

Red Lentil and Bean Chili, slightly adapted from Mostly Plants

For the seasoning mix

• 3T chili powder
• 2t ground cumin
• 1 1/2t paprika
• 1t dried oregano
• 1/4t crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
• 1 1/2t kosher salt
• 1/8t freshly ground black pepper

For the chili

• 2T avocado oil (could also use grapeseed oil)
• 2c chopped yellow onion
• 1c chopped red bell pepper
• 1c chopped carrots
• 1/2c chopped celery (omitted because didn’t have!)
• 4 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced (omitted to control the spice)
• 2T tomato paste
• 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2c low-sodium veggie broth
• 1T coconut aminos (could also use low-sodium soy sauce)
• 1c dried red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 1/2c cooked black beans
• 1 15oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 1/2c cooked kidney beans
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Cooked quinoa/rice, tortillas, or Siete chips for serving
• Toppings of your choice: avocado (added after above pix), pickled jalapenos, sour cream, shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (or chopped cheese stick like lazy me, ha!), vegan cheese

For the seasoning mix:

1. Combine all the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl, stir and set aside.

For the chili:

1. In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the avocado oil until shimmering. Add the onion and saute for one minute. Add the bell pepper, carrots and celery and saute until softened (about 10 minutes). Add garlic and jalapeno pepper and saute for an additional minute. Add the tomato paste and seasoning mix and stir well to incorporate. Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, coconut aminos and bay leaf and stir well.
2. Raise the heat to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir in lentils and reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the lentils are just tender, about 15-17 minutes.
3. Stir in the beans and simmer the chili, partially covered, for an additional 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle the chili into individual bowls. Enjoy with quinoa/rice, tortillas or Siete chips and the toppings of your choice.
5. Enjoy 🙂