Vegetarian Lentil Chili
Way back in early October I spent an entire Sunday roasting peppers on our rickety charcoal grill and blanching, skinning, seeding, and chopping my ‘Japanese Black Trifle’ tomatoes that had finally ripened. I packed these veggies into pint sized bags, stuffed them into my entirely too small freezer, and then collapsed onto my couch in a stupor.
My eyes were watering (I accidentally rubbed them after peeling jalapenos) and my fingertips were puckery from peeling 50 humongous tomatoes, but I was happy. I had never put up food before, because the process always seemed like so much effort. And it was.
But on cold, windy, rainy days like today, I love opening up our freezer and checking out the food that I grew. It’s pretty much the best cure for a case of the wintertime blahs. Our supply of tomatoes and peppers is quickly dwindling, in large part because Jon and I are addicted to this vegetarian chili recipe. It calls for canned tomatoes and peppers, but our homegrown stewed tomatoes and fire roasted chiles make a most excellent substitution.
Maren’s Vegetarian Lentil Chili
My aunt’s friend Maren is the perfect person to invite to a party. She loves to talk, makes a mean cocktail, always brings the best food, and she’s happy to share her recipes. I got a hold of her Vegetarian Lentil Chili recipe a few winters ago and it has since become a staple meal at our house. The addition of lime juice at the end brightens up the soup and ties all the flavors together. The recipe makes a lot, so I often dish it up as soup one day and then serve the leftovers (which thicken up in the fridge) with braised greens and roasted vegetables the next night.
You’ll need:
1 pound lentils, rinsed and drained
2 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
½ cup onion, finely chopped
1 can fire roasted tomatoes (or two cups stewed tomatoes)
1 can green chiles (or ½ cup chopped fire roasted chiles)
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons minced cilantro
Instructions:
Combine lentils, broth and water in a large pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes partially covered.
Meanwhile, in a skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes. Then, add the tomatoes, chiles, chile powder, cumin, salt and cayenne. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir the tomato sauce into the lentils. Simmer 20 to 30 minutes more, or until the lentils are tender. Add a bit more water if the lentils become too thick. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro and adjust the seasonings just before serving.
Oh how delightful sounding. If it were not a holiday evening for us I would be tempted to try it tonight. I’ll file away for another cold rainy night (probably tomorrow).
February 25th, 2009 at 6:09 pmSounds scrumptious! Must save to try, maybe tomorrow as snow is in the forecast (again…)
I am curious for your freezer bags of peppers and tomatoes, did you pack them in any extra liquid or just the juice from the tomatoes?
February 25th, 2009 at 7:39 pmElle–I’m glad you want to try it. Last night we stuffed some of the leftover lentils into quesadillas with sauteed arugula from our garden. It was yummy.
Jaspenelle–I packed the peppers into bags (without liquid) and left 1/2 inch of “head space”, and squeezed out as much extra air as I could. I packed the tomatoes the same way and only used their juices. A good tip for preparing the tomatoes is to cut them on a carving board that has a canal around the edges, because it catches the juices and prevents them from spilling all over your counter. I chopped the tomatoes a few at a time and then put them in a bowl. Then I used a ladle to scoop them into the bags.
February 26th, 2009 at 9:01 amLentil soup (tucked into the freezer from a late-fall cooking bout I think) was on the menu here last night, and will be again today at lunch. Next time I will alter the flavorings and try the “chili” idea. Thanks.
March 1st, 2009 at 5:24 amThat recipe sounds like just the thing for one of our Lenten Friday meals. Reading about you putting up your peppers and tomatoes was nearly the cure for my winter blues. I am again growing seeds on the windowsill and planting lots of peppers and tomatoes. It is frightening how many tomatoes I am going to grow (15 kinds I think), but I will be so glad once the harvest starts coming in, and I put away the food. Thanks.~~Dee
March 1st, 2009 at 7:41 pmMargaret–I had only had vegetable lentil soup before I tried this chili and they both have their place. I have to say though, I really, really like the leftovers in burritos and quesadillas. So good! Perfect for a quick lunch.
Dee–I wish I had room for 15 kinds of tomatoes. That’s craziness! I want to see pictures come August.
March 4th, 2009 at 5:05 pmGreat post. YOu make it seem so easy to share your experiences. I wish I could do as well in sharing on my blog. I just got it started and sometimes feel stuck on what to share or if it is the right thing to share. what to do?
May 20th, 2009 at 7:40 pm[...] photos of the lanterns Buffe made. She got the idea from her friend Maren (who kindly shared her wonderful lentil soup recipe with me earlier this year). Maren made dozens of the lanterns a few summers back and hung [...]
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:47 amWilli-
I looked up recipes for roasted peppers and found ones that have you put oil on the peppers before roasting. Do you do that?
Sarah
July 26th, 2009 at 8:45 amSarah–I’ve done it both ways and they both worked great. Now I usually just roast them plain because I’m too lazy to coat them in oil!
August 10th, 2009 at 4:12 pmJust one word: great!
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:40 am