Vegan Chili

I made this delicious chili Sunday night. It's a simple dish which requires time simmering on the stove, but not constant attention.

I served it with fingerling potatoes, which I thought was an excellent combination - like baked potato with baked beans. Larry preferred to eat saltines with his bowl of chili. Rice or cornbread would also be good side dishes.

The beans I used are called barbecue beans - they're a little larger than navy beans and have a slightly green tinge. Kidney beans work well too. The green lentils make the chili thick, so you don't need to use ground beef substitutes made of chemically-flavored soy beans.

The chili improves for a few days in the fridge, and can be frozen for longer storage.

Vegan Chili
1 cup barbecue beans
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
1/4 cup oil
1 cup green lentils
4 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp paprika
14-oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt

Cook the beans until almost cooked but still a little crunchy. Drain and set aside.

Sauté onion, garlic and carrot in oil until soft, about 8 minutes. Add cooked beans, raw lentils, chili powder, coriander, paprika, tomatoes with the juice, and 2 cups water. Stir. Bring to the boil and simmer 1 hour, adding more water if necessary. Stir in the soy sauce and simmer another 30-60 minutes. Stir in salt to taste.

Serves 6-8