Practically Vegan- Spicy Black Bean Chili and Final Thoughts

 

Spicy Black Bean Chili

    

                                                                              The last recipe I tried was the Spicy Black Bean Chili. Once cooler weather began to arrive, I felt a chili would be a great way to warm up and celebrate the onset of fall. This recipe seemed simple, but flavorful, so I thought it was a good choice.

 

                                                                              I cooked the onion first and once golden brown, I processed it in my mini food processor and then added it back to the pot. I continued by adding minced garlic, with heaping measurements of the spices, including the salt and pepper, and the tomato paste. (The earlier recipes all lacked flavor and/ or spice, so I thought it was a good bet to add more.) I cooked for approximately one minute then continued by adding the diced tomatoes, the Dijon mustard, and the apple cider vinegar. Instead of one can of black beans, I put in three, rinsed and drained cans of tri-beans. The author states that any type of bean, including pinto or kidney, will work and I needed to make enough chill for dinner and then lunch the next day. Instead of using the liquid form the bean can, I added about a cup of veggie broth and cooked for 10 minutes. I served this with GF cornbread muffins.

 

                                                                              This recipe had too much tomato. Between a can of diced tomatoes and three tablespoons of tomato paste, it was the only flavor that came through. Despite using heaping measurements to increase the flavor profile, the flavor was lacking and if not for the addition of two extra cans of beans, this recipe would have been a failure.                                                                                                           

 

                                                             

    This cookbook has some interesting recipes, especially for a bean lover. I will definitely cook the black lentil masala recipes again, but adjust the ingredients to suit our tastes. Overall though, I was not impressed by the flavor and spice profile. Also, many of the recipes only serve three people and this does not work for our family. If you are trying to add more plant protein to your diet and are not a huge fan of spicy food, this cookbook may be a good introduction. It would allow you to try new, smaller dishes without the cost and investment that a large meal would involve. But for all you seasoned vegetarians and bean lovers, I would suggest you look elsewhere.