It’s been brought to my attention that my Lemon Orzo Spinach Soup post cited “Orzo October” but was posted in November. Sincere apologies for that! Often, Mr FBBQ and I write the posts in advance and they get queued for a post date. I’ll have to be more careful. Thank you to New Hampshire for pointing this out!
Now, on to our next delicious recipe! A vegan chili! I know New Hampshire is going to be excited for this one!! Who doesn’t love a vegan chili!?
Best thing about this post is that it’s another two-for-one! This recipe called for pico de gallo. Instead of store bought, I decided to make my own!!
So, lets start with that. It was so easy to make! I bought some tomatoes on the vine, a white onion, cilantro and a lime. Every time I read “lime” I immediately start singing Lime in the Coconut in my head. It’s a must. Mr. FBBQ does not partake in this fun event. He’s really missing out.
So, chop the tomatoes and the onion into small pieces. Add them to a bowl, chop the cilantro, add lime juice. So simple!! You can add jalepeno peppers if you want. I’m not a fan of anything spicy, so I left those out.
As far as our main dish goes, it will involve a little prep work. It calls for white beans, but I went with a bunch of different types-Northern, Navy, Pinto, Cranberry, Kidney, Mayocoba, and Black Eyed Peas. Fun fact, Black Eyed Peas are actually beans! They are a variety of the cowpea. I had to look up what a cowpea is, mostly because it sounds really cute (unlike Mr. FBBQ, cows are my friends and I do not eat them). A cowpea is a plant that is cultivated for its seeds and pods. That didn’t really clear it up, but we will go with a cowpea is another type of pea/bean.
Soak the beans in enough water to cover them and leave room for expansion. Leave them soaking for 24 hours or so. Then simmer the beans on low heat for about an hour. This will really soften them up.
While the beans are doing their thing, we can prep the sweet potatoes. Cube the sweet potatoes. The recipe says to peel them, but potato skins have a lot of nutrients and are not bad to eat, so I left them on. After you have a bunch of sweet potato cubes, place them on a sheet of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 425 degrees for about an hour (time depends on how small you slice them).
While our beans are simmering and our sweet potatoes are softening, cook some brown rice (I went with a variety of long-grain wild rice, brown rice, and purple rice). Once the rice is done cooking, drain it and add it to a large pot. Drain the beans and add those to the pot. Add the cooked sweet potato cubes, along with a can of diced tomatoes and the pico de gallo. Season this with chili seasoning (thanks, Mr. FBBQ, for letting me use yours!) and garlic powder. Add chopped kale and a small amount of vegetable stock to keep everything moist. Simmer on low for about 20 minutes and you are ready to serve!
