Winter Wonder - Veggie Chili

Temperature has plummeted to sub zero since Tuesday and it looks like the freezing old weather (literally!) will linger around till next week! Mega effort was required each morning to drag oneself out of the warm and cosy duvet. Concentration level is low as all I could think about at work is 'What shall I have for dinner?' or more like 'What's Dave planning to cook for me tonight?'

I suppose I'm rather blessed to have a boyfriend who enjoys cooking and very good at it! What's better than coming home to a delicious home cooked dinner in the winter (or anytime of the year!)?

Since the beginning of 2013, Dave and I have made a lifestyle choice to actively eat less meat (especially processed meat), and have more vegetable orientated dishes. It hasn't been easy as a lot of the common vegetarian recipes use a lot of dairy product (Dave is lactose-intolerant), and I am OBSESSED with cheese - having recently attended a cheese tasting session when I was on holiday in Amsterdam! (blog to follow). I personally prefer Asian vegetarian dishes, as they use a lot of tofu product as substitute, and the texture (and taste!) and the taste of the dishes could easily rival meat dishes!

With a little bit of imagination and using the correct spices and herbs, Dave has rustle up this flavorsome veggie curry the other night. This recipe is easy to make and uses a lot of ingredients you may already have in the pantry, with a few staple vegetables. The flavor would greater enhance if cooked the night before serving.

Serves 4

Splash of rapeseed oil

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely chopped

1 stalk of celery, finely chopped

1 tin of black eyed beans, rinsed with water and drained

1 tin of chickpeas, ditto

1 tin of red kidney beans, ditto

2 tins of chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tbsp paprika
1 fresh red chili
Yellow and red peppers, roasted
Dash of red wine
250ml of bouillon
1 tbsp of tomato purée
Bay leaf
Salt and pepper, season to taste

1. Prepare all the vegetable and heat a splash of oil in a casserole dish.

2. Brown the garlic, fresh red chili and onion

3. Soften the celery and carrot. Add in the spices.

4. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and add a dash of red wine. Bring it to simmer.

5. Add the beans and bay leaf. Pour in enough bouillon until the beans are covered, season with salt and pepper. Bring it to boil then simmer for 20 minutes.

6. Add the roasted peppers and the tomato puree then leave to simmer for a further 30 minutes or until the beans are cooked through.

7. Serve with boiled basmati rice or tortillas

Depending what kind of beans are available at the time, different type of beans would work just as well (apart from Heinz's baked beans!). Also, depending on how tolerable you are with heat and the type of chili that is being used, some may find one chili is not enough. Nonetheless, lesson has been learned that it is always wise to put a small quantity of chili at the beginning and gradually add a bit more later if it is preferred.

It was a very heartwarming dish and I sprinkle some grated Cheddar with mine serving :)