Vegetarian bean chilli

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 brown or red onion, peeled and finely diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 sticks celery, peeled and diced
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 150g (1/2 cup) store-bought roasted capsicum, drained and roughly chopped (often sold in a jar)
• 3 teaspoons ground cumin powder or seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2-3 teaspoons chipotle flakes or 1-2 teaspoons chilli powder (to your liking)
• 1 dried or fresh bay leaf (optional)
• 800g (1 large can) diced or crushed tomatoes
• 3 cans of beans such as black beans, cannellini, kidney beans, chickpeas (undrained)
• 1 teaspoon white sugar

Optional sides

• lime wedges
• ripe avocado, peeled, deseeded and diced
• sour cream or coconut yoghurt
• grated cheese or nutritional yeast
• coriander leaves
• pickled and/or fresh jalapeno peppers

Directions

1. Heat a large Dutch oven or pot on medium high, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, along with the onion, carrot and celery. Season with 1 teaspoon of sea salt and black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes until the veggies are softened and starting to stick to the bottom of the pan.
2. Add the garlic, capsicum and stir. Next, add the cumin powder or seeds, ground coriander, smoked paprika, dried oregano, chipotle flakes or chilli powder and bay leaf (if using), and stir well. Pour in the tomatoes, and the beans with their liquid and stir to combine. Cover and reduce cook for 20 minutes.
3. Uncover, add sugar and season well with 1½-2 teaspoons of sea salt — as always, taste often while you are seasoning, but particularly here as different brands of beans will vary in saltiness so you need to adjust seasoning accordingly. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 5-10 minutes until thickened slightly.
4. To serve, top your chilli with your chosen toppings, and eat while warm.