A 2 Bean and Couscous Chili

My mother-in-law made a very delicious chili the other night and I just HAD to share the recipe with you! It's very unique and unlike any chili I had previously tasted before! The couscous and chickpeas made this chili not very 'heavy' feeling and it was just lovely! I have been really blessed here in Winnipeg because my family has been so supportive to my vegan lifestyle! It's sweet! I feel so passionate about my decision to become a vegan and I can't imagine living any other way! It's funny because I never imagined being a vegan and was quite content being a vegetarian...my journey to becoming a vegan was one that I now see was inevitable but at the time I never even thought about it! With every month that passes since January (when I became a vegan), I feel better, stronger, happier and healthier! YAY! Anyways, just wanted to share some of my excitement over my vegan lifestyle! One thing that I really want to work on and that Alicia talks about in The Kind Diet, is that I want to become more of a 'superhero' and consume less refined-sugars (such as the soy chai latte that I LOVE from starbucks)...I eat tons of greens, quinoa and hemp hearts...I would say that my diet is 90% extremely healthy...but I have this vice...I love stopping at Starbucks for a half-sweet, soy chai (no H2O)!!! It's such a terrible habit and I really want to break it! Baby steps...I think that once I am able to cleanse my system of this 'treat-which-has-become-more-than-a-treat', I will feel even better! SO that's my work-in-progress update for ya!

Onto this chili recipe!

Here it is!

Easy-Peasy 2 Bean & Couscous Chili:

1 tbsp. of olive oil

2 onions, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cups of mushrooms, sliced

2 cups of kidney beans, cooked

2 cups of chickpeas, cooked

1/2 cup of couscous

796ml can of tomatoes

1 cup of medium salsa

1/2 cup of water

pinch of sea salt

1 tbsp. of chili powder

1 tsp. of basil (or more if you like it)

1/2 tsp. each of pepper, oregano and cumin

1/4 tsp. of cayenne

1 tbsp. of unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup of corn niblets

1 tsp. of maple sugar

Makes 10 1-cup Servings

Heat the oil in a large pot. Saute onions, peppers, and garlic for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute for 4 or 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except the corn. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the corn. Scoop onto a plate or bowl and enjoy with a slice of local, vegan bread, toasted! MMM!

I wish I had taken a picture but I forgot! We were just so hungry that we dove right in! Next time I re-create this meal (on a cooler day), I will be sure to snap a few pics!

Enjoy and my next post will be a summery-dish! MMM