4 Bean Chili

I don't usually do this because I totally owe my cooking skills to my ability to read & follow directions. I'm not a "maker of recipes"...except the Latch Morgan Surprise (which hardly counts) & my "famous" cream sauce (a recipe for which you can find here). BUT My girl Meghan introduced us to the Plant Based on a Budget blog which features grocery lists & recipes for whatever size family you have for a whole week. As we get close to welcoming Baby M to our family & continue to look forward to buying a house for all of us to live in, I committed to cutting our grocery budget IN HALF. YIIIIIKES! This blog has been SUPER helpful toward achieving that goal, but the REAL bonus here is that the food. is. delish. Even my carnivorous Mister says so. I just made the 4 bean chili (recipe below) for the second week in a row...froze half last time for post-baby dining, but THIS time I made us a batch to eat right up, on Greg's request. One side note...lots of sodium & seasoning involved here. But you can totally tailor that to fit your tastes & nutritional standards. Enjoy!

Here's the recipe:

4 Bean Chilli

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2-3  celery stalks, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
1 1/2 tblsp cumin
2 tblsp chile powder
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook about 3 minutes.  Add carrots and celery Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.

2. Stir in diced tomatoes, beans, and water. Season chili with cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder salt, and pepper. Stir and let chili simmer for 30 minutes. Stir chili frequently so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Serve hot.