Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe, by Joy Pierson, Angel Ramos, and Jorge Pineda has a collection of recipes fit for every occasion, adapted for plant-based ingredients.
Hearty chili cooked with French lentils and smoky spices like paprika, chili powder, and chipotle chile powder is a robust, satisfying dish to feed to a hungry crowd. To accompany the chili, we put out a big spread of garnishes—guacamole, chopped bell peppers, green onions, red onions, parsley, cilantro, salsa, and tofu sour cream, to name a few—and let our guests help themselves.
Directions
- Place the lentils in a large saucepan. Add 8 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat, and cook over medium-high heat until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat; add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the cumin, paprika, chipotle powder, chili powder, oregano, and remaining teaspoon of salt and stir well. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until all of the spices are incorporated.
- Add the tomatoes and tomato juice to the pot and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the liquid reduces and the chili thickens up. Add the lentils and kidney beans and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. (At this point, you can store the chili in the refrigerator for up to 3 days ahead of time, or freeze for up to 1 month. Bring the chili to room temperature before reheating.)
- Serve the chili warm with garnishes on the side.
Reprinted with permission from Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe copyright (c) 2014 by Joy Pierson, Angel Ramos, and Jorge Pineda. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
