Hearty Vegan Chili (Oil-free)
This Hearty Vegan Chili is hearty, meaty, healthy, full of protein and is oil-free and low-fat! It has chewy buckwheat, red kidney beans and chickpeas for the ultimate texture and lots of spice for a great depth of flavor. Served with Lemon Cream Sauce and chopped poblano peppers for the perfect vegan chili ever!
Servings: 3 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup (160g) finely diced red onion
- 1 tablespoon (15g) minced garlic (5 large cloves)
- 4 tablespoons salt-free standard American chili powder (I use and recommend my homemade blend)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt & 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Optional: 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/4 cups (300g) salt-free tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or agave
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- two 15oz cans of beans of choice, drained & rinsed (I used 1 can chickpeas and 1 can red kidney beans and felt those worked best for texture)
- 1/2 cup (90g) uncooked white quinoa for high protein OR 2/3 cup (120g) raw buckwheat groats for a more meaty texture
Optional Toppings
- chopped fresh poblano pepper (so delicious on top!)
- Lemon Cream Sauce (the perfect balance to the spiciness)
- fresh cilantro
- red onion
Instructions
- To a small bowl, add the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and cayenne (if using) and whisk well. Set aside.
- Add 1/4 cup water to a large pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another couple of minutes, stirring often to make sure the garlic doesn't burn.
- Add the bowl of pre-mixed spices and stir for about 30 seconds to lightly toast the spices and absorb any residual moisture.
- Add the 2 1/2 cups water, tomato sauce, maple syrup (if using) and beans and stir well.
- Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. The chili will be very watery at this stage, but don't worry, it will be thickened nicely after 30 minutes of cooking.
- Once boiling, cover and lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes to soften the beans.
- Stir in the buckwheat and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the chili thickens beautifully and the buckwheat is tender. It should be thickened like in the photos, but still with some liquid.
- Taste and add any more salt if needed. I found 3/4 teaspoon to be absolutely perfect. Add cayenne pepper if more heat is desired. Top with desired toppings.