RECIPE: SMOKY BEAN CHILLI

Ok so this bean chilli tastes INCREDIBLE. It is ridiculously cheap to make and SO easy to put together in only 20 minutes.

When I made it the other day, I didn’t expect it to taste SO good. The flavours blended together so well – the sweetness from the agave, the acidity from the balsamic vinegar, the freshness from the tomatoes and the spice from the chilli. Best of all, it made me feel great afterwards: satiated but not overly full. It’s a great good mood food!

If you already have the ingredients, great! If you don’t, I recommend buying them as they are staples for so many whole food recipes. I always like to have jars of beans and chickpeas in the cupboard so that when I don’t know what to make, I can easily throw together a healthy recipe like this! It also stops me buying takeaway food. Yes we have all been there when we are so hungry and then realise that we don’t have anything in the cupboard so we think ahhh lets get a pizza!!

Time

20 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

❤ Olive oil (link)

❤ 2 cloves of Garlic

❤ ½ Red pepper

❤ ½ Courgette (Zucchini)

❤ Black beans (link)

❤ Kidney beans

❤ Chopped tomatoes

❤ 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

❤ 1 tbsp of agave nectar (You can use maple syrup or sugar – you can choose (whatever you have)

❤ 1 tbsp sweet or smoky paprika

❤ 1 tbsp chilli powder

❤ Salt and pepper to season

 

Method

1.  Start by lightly cooking the garlic, pepper and courgette in some olive oil.

2.  After a few minutes, add a tablespoon of chilli powder and paprika powder (This also depends on how spicy you want it and how spicy your chilli powder is. So adjust it based on your preferences).

3.  After a few minutes of bathing in the spices, add the black beans and kidney beans and let them be coated by the spices.

4.  After a few more minutes, add the chopped tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, the agave nectar and season with salt and pepper.

5.  Bring to a boil and then simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes (the longer you simmer, the better the flavour). The sauce will become nice and thick but make sure you don’t dry it out

6. Serve with whatever you would like! I like quinoa for extra protein and it is a less processed grain. 

Nutrition

- Beans and quinoa are a great source of protein.

- Beans, especially black beans, enhance gut health by improving intestinal barrier function and increasing the number of bacteria. This is amazing for gut health which is so important for your mental health.

- Peppers contain lots of vitamin C which is great for your immune system. 1/2 a  raw red pepper contains 100% of your daily amount of vitamin C.

- Try use an organic tomato sauce to make the dish void of chemicals and pesticides. Tomatoes, especially when heated up, are rich in antioxidants

Please comment below if you want to make this, have made it or if you have a great chilli recipe already!

As always, I wish you the best health and happiness!

Alice

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. This means that any purchase you make from the links - I will get a very small commission. This does NOT result in any additional cost to you, and the affiliate money earnt will go back into creating the best content. Thanks for your support!