Easy, economical, healthy and delicious – what more could you want? Serve with steamed brown basmati rice and a large leafy green salad. I like my chili spicy if you prefer a more mild chili simply omit or adjust the cayenne, chili powder and jalapeño.
½ cup dried kidney beans
½ cup dried black eyed peas
½ cup dried pinto beans
- Picked over and rinsed
or
2 cans of beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly
3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
3 celery stalks with leaves, finely chopped
2 large carrots, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 tsp. (or to taste) sea salt
2 bay leaves
1 28-ounce canned crushed tomatoes + 2 cans of water
1 ½ cups of fresh or frozen corn
2 ripe avocados, diced for garnish
Cooking time: 1 hour
(However the longer you let it simmer the better it tastes; I usually cook it for 2-3hrs)
1)Place dried beans in a bowl and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Let them soak overnight (8 hours). Drain and rinse thoroughly.
2)Put the beans in a medium size pot, cover with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1.5-2hrs. Drain and rinse the beans.
3)In a large pot sauté all vegetables in olive oil over medium heat until tender (7 to 10 minutes).
4)Add all the spices and herbs and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Stir often to avoid sticking.
5)Add tomatoes and water. Cook for at least one hour until thickened. Adding more sea salt if desired.
6)Stir in corn and cook for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves, top with diced avocados and serve.
Serves 6 – 8 (great for freezing!)
