A few days ago I made this recipe from the book, Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker: 200 Recipes for Healthy and Hearty One-Pot Meals That Are Ready When You Are. The author, Robin Robertson, has a website called Global Vegan Kitchen, and a blog; Vegan Planet (lots of other recipes here!). I’m sure I’ll be visiting both frequently.

I was stunned at how delicious this chili was, and so was non-vegan Greg. I guess I’d never thought of lentils as being something you’d put in a chili, but man, give it a shot.

Sweet and Spicy Lentil Chili

From: Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, by Robin Robertson

1 T olive oil
1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T chili powder, or to taste
1 1/2 C dried brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/3 C dark unsulfured molasses
1/2 t ground allspice
Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 C water
1 C apple juice

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder and cook 30 seconds longer.

2. Transfer the mixture to a 4-quart slow cooker. Add the lentils, tomatoes, molasses, and allspice and season with the cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Stir in the water and apple juice, cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours. Add more water if the chili gets too thick.

My notes:

I used a white onion because I didn’t have a yellow one, and it didn’t seem to matter. I thought that a whole tablespoon of chili powder was insanity, but I did it anyway, and it was incredibly delicious. Moments like that I realize what  novice cook I am – Robin clearly knows what she’s doing. I completely forgot about salt and pepper, and I used orange lentils because I couldn’t find the dark ones I thought I’d put in my pantry. It didn’t matter: STILL YUMMY.