Wholesome and Healthy Spicy Lentil Chili

Hello hello! Hope all of you are doing well and enjoying the beginnings of all things Fall! This is by far my favorite time of year! I love the holidays that are spent with loved ones, I love the beautiful weather, and I love the food!  Soups being at the top of that list. In this chili I use lentils, which are a powerhouse of health and nutrition. Lentils are a legume and grow similar to peas in a pod. And do you ever get this lovely question from your friends.. "Where do you get your protein?" Well us veggie eaters get our protein from many natural sources. Did you know that lentils are 26% protein?!  And they are also packed with folic acid, soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, high levels of vitamins A and B vitamins, and are one of the highest sources of antioxidants found in the winter growing legumes!  Some other awesome health facts of the humble little lentil are...

• The type of fiber they have reduces cholesterol
• Good for those with diabetes- the fiber in lentils traps carbohydrates, which slows the digestion of them, which prevents wild swings in blood sugar levels
• so so good for digestion, and constipation issues, again, because of all that fiber!
• Really great for weight loss! Keep you full longer and the insoluble fiber passes through you virtually intact which means low calorie but filling!
• A study at the Department of Nutrition at Harvard has shown that there is a link between diets high in lentils and reduced risks of breast cancer
• Linked to reduced risk of coronary heart disease

Oh Lentils, how I love you! You keep me energized and healthy!  There are several different varieties of lentils. I chose for this recipe to use 2 different colors, but you can use whatever kind you get. This is a soup that will nourish you and warm your belly and soul this time of year! Enjoy friends, and now lets go make some soup!

Wholesome and Healthy Spicy Lentil Chili

Serves 6-8

printable recipe

What you will need:

4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

3 stalks of celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 Anaheim chili, seeded and diced (if you are sensitive to spicy food, just leave this pepper out)

1 Tbsp. cumin

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. blackstrap molasses

2 1/2  boxes (just estimate) of vegetable broth/stock (using the 32-ounce boxes)

1 14.5 ounce can tomato sauce

a few tsp. salt (to taste)

pepper

2 cups of lentils, I used 1 cup of red lentils, and one cup of french lentils

Vegan sour cream

tortilla chips to dunk in the soup

To make the soup:

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large soup pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes until softened..Add in your bell peppers and Anaheim chili with another pinch of salt and pepper and saute for a few more minutes. Add in all the spices, vegetable broth, tomato sauce, 1 Tbsp. maple syrup, 1 tsp. blackstrap molasses, a couple tsp. of salt, and lentils and stir well. Bring to a boil, and them simmer for about 35 minutes or until the lentils are soft and tender. Taste the broth after it is finished cooking and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve:

Ladle soup into bowl. Top with a dollop of vegan sour cream and chips either crumbled on top, or served on the side for dipping! YUM!

Pizza with creamy sunflower seed and cashew nut cheese, roasted peppers, olives and mixed greens

Hello Hello my lovelies! How is everyone? Well, considering that I am in the process of moving, and I should be packing at every chance I get, I have chosen to forgo the task at hand for my one true love...cooking up some awesome vegan food! :D  And I just had to share my newest recipe with you all! Think thin crust pizza/flatbread covered in an Italian herbed sunflower seed and cashew nut cheese, and topped with roasted red peppers, jalapeno stuffed olives, and a salad gently tossed in a light vinaigrette on top. perfection on my tongue! If you don't like spicy food, just use regular olives or kalamata olives if you like those. Either would be great. But if you do like jalps, definitely go with the jalapeno stuffed olives. I had the in-laws in town for a visit and all of my taste testers loved this! It was a perfect game day snack, cut up in to little rectangles. Use any extra sunflower seed cashew cheese on sandwiches! Hope you all have a great week!! Enjoy!!!

Pizza with sunflower seed and cashew nut cheese, roasted peppers, spicy olives and mixed greens

makes 2 baking sheet sized pizzas

printable recipe

Pizza Dough: (I got this pizza dough recipe from a very good friend of mine, Maria, who got it from HER sister. It is fabulous!!  After Maria made me some amazing bruschetta pizza a few weeks ago, I emailed her begging for the recipe. They were so kind to give me the dough recipe!!  I just swapped out the white flour for wheat but you can use white if you want. Also, I made my dough in a Kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook)


*you can skip this step if you want and use a pre made pizza dough*


1 1/2 c. warm water
2 tsp. dry active yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
About 3 1/2 to 4 cups of white whole wheat flour, or regular white flour


Whisk the warm water, yeast and sugar together in a large mixing bowl or in a Kitchenaid. Let sit for about 5 minutes until it is bubbly and active. Add the salt and your first 2 cups of flour. Using the dough hook on the lowest speed or using a wooden spoon, mix the dough until combined. Then add another cup. and continue to mix After the 3rd cup has been added, add by the 1/2 cup. If you are not using a Kitchenaid, start kneading with your hand when the dough becomes to hard to stir. The dough should be wet but not overly sticky. you should be able to work with it without it sticking to things. You want to add as little flour as possible without it sticking to the surface. at this point,  Divide the dough into two balls and place each in their own Ziploc bag or wrap in saran wrap and place int he fridge until ready to use. If you are only making 1 pizza you can freeze the other one and then thaw before using.

Sunflower seed and cashew nut cheese

makes about 3 cups of cheese

1 C. raw cashew pieces

1 c. raw unsalted sunflower seeds

1 clove garlic

4 sundried tomatoes

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 c. fresh Italian flat leaf parsley

2 Tbsp. mellow white miso paste

2 Tbsp. dried oregano

3 tsp. ume vinegar or red wine vinegar (try to find the Ume vinegar if you can!)

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2-1 tsp. salt (add slowly to taste)

pepper to taste

Soak the cashews and sunflower seed for about 1 hour. Drain and add into a vitamix blender or a regular blender. Add all other ingredients. Begin mixing and add water slowly to help it mix. Start with 1/2 cup water and from there add more as you need to help your blender mix the ingredients well.  Be careful not to add too much water and make it overly runny. You want it to stay thick and spreadable. You want this to be the consistency of a soft cheese or a hummus. Once mixed well, taste, store in a container in the fridge until ready to use.

Salad Vinaigrette:

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. Veganaise, vegan cream cheese, or about a Tbsp. of silken tofu to help make creamy)

1/2 tsp each oregano, parsley, and garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

About 1/2 cup Olive oil

In a bowl add all ingredients except Olive oil. ix, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil until creamy. Set aside until ready to use.

To make the pizzas:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Dust a baking sheet or a pizza stone with some cornmeal. on a clean surface dust a little flour and roll out your dough into either a circle (if using a pizza stone) or a rectangle (if using a baking sheet).  Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and poke the top all over with a fork to puncture and prevent bubbles.  Brush the top with about 1 Tbsp. of olive oil. then sprinkle with a pinch of garlic powder and dried oregano Bake for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden and cooked through. Remove fro the oven and place the crust on a cutting board or other surface to cool very well.

For pizzas toppings:

sunflower seed cashew nut cheese

roasted red bell peppers (you can buy them jarred and ready to go)

Jalapeno stuffed olive (these can be found just at the regular grocery store usually)

Spring mix lettuce

Vinaigrette made earlier

Once cooled, spread pizza crust with about a 1/2 inch layer of the sunflower/cashew cheese. Next layer the roasted red bell peppers.

In a bowl toss about 4 large handfuls of mixed greens with just enough vinaigrette to coat well. Pile about 2 cups per pizza on the top. You can then either sprinkle the jalapeno stuffed olives all over ( I add them generously) or you can serve the olives on the side and people can add as they wish.

Enjoy!!!