Lentil Chili from Whole Foods

I got this recipe from Whole Foods. You can find the recipe originally posted here.

picture courtesy of Whole Foods.com



Serves 8

This simple vegetarian chili recipe uses lentils instead of beans. Brown lentils work best as they will hold their shape even when tender after cooking. Serve over brown rice or with whole-grain hearth bread.

Ingredients

8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 teaspoons salt-free chili powder
1 (16-ounce) package brown lentils (about 2 1/4 cups lentils)
2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Method

Bring 3/4 cup broth to a simmer in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook about 8 minutes or until onion is translucent and pepper is tender. Stir in chili powder and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add lentils, tomatoes and remaining 7 1/4 cups broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes or until lentils are almost tender. Uncover and cook 10 minutes longer. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Results

This was really good. We had nothing in the way of leftovers. None. It was that good. I did make some substitutions. Since I had already cooked up a bunch of lentils for another recipe, I used about 4 cups of pre-cooked lentils, and some chicken broth to make the correct consistency. I added the other ingredients, but only added 2 tsp of chili powder. I think it is better to start with a little, test for taste, then add a little more when it comes to chili powder. I bought my chili powder from The Spice House, along with many of my other spices. They are fantastic spices! My sister-in-law had given us a gift certificate for Christmas 2009.

I served this with some corn bread, and shrimp sauteed in olive oil, garlic and spices. A delicious dinner that everyone enjoyed.