My Black Bean Tailgate Chili Recipe

 

 (corn free, dairy free, gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, whole food plant based)

 

Ingredients: 1/2 cup water 1-2 cups chopped onions (depending on how much you love onions) 1-3 cloves garlic, minced or diced (depending on how much you love garlic) 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 28 oz box of diced tomatoes (this is flexible- you could use half as much), drained for a more traditional chili or with the liquid for more of a soupy version 2 cans (or equivalent cooked) black beans, rinsed and drained (or whatever beans you like) 1 cup fresh diced carrot (you can use frozen but I find fresh much nicer) 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon onion powder (if you really love onions, which I do) 1 teaspoon garlic powder (if you really love garlic, which I do) Optional: 1/2 cup pre-cooked quinoa (or grain of choice)  Optional: 1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley for garnish   Instructions: Thinly cover the bottom of the pot with water, heat it up on medium (max for my dutch oven), and water saute onions and garlic until almost soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in carrots and green peppers and saute an additional 3-5 minutes, adding more water as needed to keep the veggies moist and bottom of the pan covered. Stir in diced tomatoes, beans, carrots, and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add quinoa and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Let cool and serve. Garnish with the cilantro or parsley.   More options:   It works fine without the quinoa and I think it'd be nice served over cauliflower rice or whatever grains you like. To stretch it to more servings, serve with a salad. I think I get about six meals from it (original dinner, some lunches, and then some frozen dinners) but my husband would probably consider it two or three servings.  Notes:  This is inspired by Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Tailgate Chili with Black and Red Beans. I don't like red beans, prefer more onions and garlic, and have a bunch of food allergies, so I have made many changes to it and I therefore consider it my own recipe now but I do want to acknowledge the original source and highly recommend his books.  We usually make a batch of quinoa earlier in the week so can just scoop it in from the fridge.  I use a 3.5 quart dutch oven.