November was the month of floods …
Our garden under water last week!
And December looks like it’s going to be a month of deep freeze.
So, from now on, I’ll be cooking lots of hearty, warming dishes that will fuel us through this cold snap.
One of my favourite cold weather dishes has got to be Mexican chilli. As well as warming us up, I love to make a chilli filled with colours that stimulate our senses. Aren’t veggies beautiful? Just seeing all those colours is enough to put a big smile on my face 
So here’s how I make our ‘Rainbow’ Chilli…
Serves: 5-6
Hands on time: 15 mins Cooking time: 40 mins
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bell peppers (use a mix of red, yellow and green), finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 small courgette (zucchini), finely chopped
½ cup sweet corn
handful mushrooms, chopped (optional)
1 can of black (turtle) beans or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1½ cups veggie mince (optional, adds another dimension of texture)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
chilli powder, to taste*
1 can chopped tomatoes
½ cup vegetable stock
½ tsp sea salt, or to taste
1 tsp natural sweetener (I use agave syrup)
cayenne pepper, to taste
Method
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan and saute the onion until it starts to soften. Add the garlic, peppers, carrot and courgette (zucchini) and saute for 5 minutes. Add the sweet corn, mushrooms, beans, veggie mince, stock, cumin, paprika and chilli*. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste.
- Serve on a bed of brown rice. Lil’ L suggested that children may also like a side dish of something ‘breadie’ to go with the chilli. He loves toasted wholegrain tortilla segments and uses them to scoop up the chilli
* If serving this dish to children, begin by adding only a small amount of mild chilli powder to the pan (say about ½ tsp). When the veggies are cooked through, remove the children’s portion and add more chilli powder, cayenne pepper and salt, to taste.
Delicious!
Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Stay warm & dry xx
This recipe has been submitted to Ricki Heller’s Wellness Weekend & Healthy Vegan Friday
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Beautiful photos and the chilli looks amazing! Thanks so much, Sharon!~!
Fran@ Broken Cookies Don’t Count recently posted..Note To Self~
Oh my word I hope that flood didn’t get in your house! I love chilli at this time of year and that looks delicious
I love all of those colors in the veggie bowl…indeed a smile does come to your face.
Your chili looks perfectly delectable. This time of year is quite suited to warm bowls of soup/chili.
Hopefully you won’t have a complete freeze so that things would be dangerous…maybe just enough to make for some pretty pictures.
I hope things have been going well for you, M, and Lil’ L. It is amazing how quickly Christmas will be here and yet I am not prepared at all (although I do have a Christmas tree up). I am quite in the mood for the holiday, but it seems there is always something else that needs to be done BESIDES decorating the house.
Hopefully this weekend I will get to make some holiday cookies and do a little bit of decorating
Rachel @ My Naturally Frugal Family recently posted..Elf on the Shelf
Our Christmas Tree is finally up, which is lovely as the house looks far cosier with the tree & fairy lights. I wasn’t feeling particularly festive, but reading people’s blog posts is starting to really get me in the mood
This weekend I need to write the Christmas Cards and finish the Christmas shopping. I’ve still got lots of presents to buy!
I hope the flood hasn’t been too awful and hasn’t affected your life too much!
That chilli looks delicious
I love that sort of food when it’s really cold outside!
Sophie @ Love Live & Learn recently posted..It’s the Most Wonderful Time!
Fortunately the floods didn’t reach our house, so we’re absolutely fine. The garden’s drying out too, so no damage done.
It was pretty spectacular to see all the fields flooded. I started to feel like I was living next to a lake! Now the water’s gone and the fields are covered in frost. Yet another spectacular view! I feel so grateful to live next to such a beautiful piece of countryside. Such a shame that the local council keeps trying to build a car park on it
Oh my goodness, I can’t believe that is your yard! Hopefully it didn’t affect your house? And now freezing temps? Geez, it is just relentless this season!
Good thing for beautiful, hearty, warm meals like that beautiful chili! I love that photo with all the colors. I always make it a little challenge to see how many veggies I can add to my chili–sometimes there are far more veggies than beans in it! Yum! One of my all-time favorite meals in the winter. I hope that weather settles down a bit for you–you deserve it!
Candy @ Healthy In Candy Land recently posted..Pause
It’s freezing cold here at the moment but at least it’s dry! The countryside is looking really beautiful in the mornings, with the trees & fields covered in frost. I’m starting to feel like I’m in Narnia
I LOVED this recipe! I tried in yesterday night and it was so perfect! I ended up adding a good deal of cayenne, paprika, chili powder and cumin to it and I love how the flavors complement the veggies! I also have some organic corn tortillas that I am currently toasting up, per your suggestion! I don’t have kids yet, but when I do, those other tips will definitely come in handy and I will be one prepared mama. Thank you SO MUCH! BEST RECIPE EVER!
Thank you so much for your feedback on the chilli. I am over the moon that you liked it so much
xx