Recipe - A Springtime Vegan Chilli

Its almost May but this everchanging weather has got us all guessing... this week with rain coming down intermittently in sheets and blustery winds whipping hats off all I have craved is hearty warm dinners. This springtime vegan chilli recipe is exactly what i'm talking about!

You will need:

3 small onions or shallots
4 carrots
half a red or bell pepper
6-8 mushrooms
a tin of chickpeas
2 cartons of chopped tomato
2 cloves of garlic
2tsp paprika
1 tsp coriander seeds
1tsp dried or fresh and chopped chilli
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
80g 74% or higher cocoa solids chocolate
1 tblsp tomato purée
salt & pepper
Coconut oil for frying

Chop onions coarsely and fry on high for a few minute in coconut oil. Now add the garlic stir and lower heat. I roughly copped the carrots, mushrooms and pepper (I favour a chunky style chilli) and put them all in to fry together. Add the dried chilli, paprika and coriander seeds then season with salt & pepper. Next add your tin of drained and rinsed chickpeas stir and turn up the heat! Cook for 3/4 mins continuously stirring to coat the veg in the spices evenly before lowering heat again and adding the chopped tomato. At this point I stirred in 1tblsp tomato purée and then cayenne pepper. Let the chilli simmer away for a few minute whilst you break up your dark chocolate into small pieces. after a further 5 mins turn the heat off and throw the chocolate on top of the chilli and let it melt. Stir slowly and watch the sauce go deliciously smooth and creamy with a rich dark reddy brown colour. Put a lid on your pan and leave the chilli to sit until you are ready to re heat slowly before serving. The last thing you want to do is burn the chocolate so take care when doing this.

I served our chilli with pearl barley and fresh coriander and a light beer. Enjoy!

Recipe - Baked Veg and Bean Burgers (vegan)

A surprisingly quick recipe jam packed with good stuff that makes a lovely late lunch on the weekend.

You will need:
1 small onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 stick of celery
1/2 a small cauliflower
a handful of Brazil nuts
4 broad beans
1 carrot
1 tin of kidney beans
salt & pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
rapeseed oil for frying

Finely chop garlic, onion and celery and fry together on a low/medium heat in a tblsp oil until onion is clear. Whilst this is frying blitz cauliflower and brazil nuts in a food processor until you have a dry flour like mixture and put this to one side. grate your carrot and finely chop broad beans then add to pan and stir into onions. Turn the heat up a little and add a tsp more oil. Now add the dry cauliflower/nut mix and stir well! Rinse your tin of kidney beans and blitz them in processor too. Season the frying ingredients with paprika, cayenne s&p and lastly add the mashy beans. Turn the heat down and stir for 2/3 mins til combined together and take off the heat.

Leave to stand and cool for 5 mins and pre heat oven at 175oC. grease a baking tray and mould mixture into small burger sized portions, this should make approx 8. place on tray and pat down. Bake for 30 mins flipping over half way!

Delicious served with steamed kale...