When I was an omnivore, one of my favorite recipes was for white chili. With its unique blend of spices and green chilies, it was always a nice change from more traditional, tomato-based chili. It also makes the house smell great while it’s cooking!

One morning, I decided to veganize my old white chili recipe. I swapped out the ground turkey for lentils, and moving the whole thing to my slow cooker. The result was very satisfying.

Packed With Protein

One of the things I’m asked most often about the way I eat is how I get enough protein. Easy! I eat plant-based protein.

Protein is in everything we eat. It’s in beans, and lentils, and even spinach. The key to eating a plant-based diet is combining a variety of foods, to get all the necessary vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Those amino acids? They’re the building blocks of protein.

Many vegans combine foods, to create what’s called a complementary, or complex, protein. Combinations like rice and beans, or beans and tortillas, or any other of one of the hundreds of combinations of beans and grains, or legumes and seeds, give a full complement of essential amino acids. These foods can be eaten separately, during the course of the day, or together, in a single meal.

Ingredients

1/2 medium onion, ,chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 can chopped green chilies
1 can white beans
1 cup lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
cayenne pepper, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1 cup chopped spinach, (optional)

Instructions

Place the onion and garlic into the bottom of your slow cooker, on high. Let them warm while you’re assembling the other ingredients, measuring, and opening cans.

Add the remaining ingredients except the spinach to the slow cooker, and stir.

Cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for 4, until the lentils are tender and the liquid is mostly evaporated.

If desired, add one cup chopped raw spinach in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Serve with your favorite sides and garnishes. I serve this chili over brown rice, with some vegan cheddar shreds on top.

Tips

• I added a cup of chopped, raw spinach in the last 10 minutes. Never eat a meal that doesn’t include something green!
• Although I used a slow cooker for my chili, dry lentils and canned beans don’t require much time to cook. This could easily be simmered on a cook top for an hour or so instead, without compromising any of the texture or flavor.
• I’m not a big fan of really spicy food, so I usually go with 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, which gives me warm and flavorful, but not hot. If you like more spice, dial up the cayenne to taste.
• Serving this chili over rice, or another whole grain, is a great way to get some good complementary proteins!