Vegetarian Chili with Cinnamon Spiked Yogurt

By aamundson

Ingredients

• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• olive oil
• 2 shallots, diced or sliced thin
• 8 cloves of garlic, rough chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons of ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 jalapenos peppers, seed and ribs removed and diced fine
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2-4 tbsp chili power (depending on how much spice you like)
• 1-2 chipotle peppers (from a can with adobo or dried and rehydrated), chopped (in a pinch, a tbsp or two of smoked paprika adds a nice smokey kick)
• sea salt
• 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 750ml (26oz) bottle of favourite dark ale
• water
• 1 can chickpeas
• 2 cups lentils (I used brown, you can use your favourite or a mixture)
• 1/3 cup potted barley
• 1/3 cup bulgur
• 1 large sweet potato, cut into small cubes
• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 tsp good quality ground cinnamon
• Topping options; fresh chopped cilantro, reserved jalapeno, minced red onion, feta cheese, olive oil

Preparation

Step 1

Sweat the onions and shallots in some olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once they’ve become translucent, add the garlic, ginger, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder and chipotle peppers. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until everything is very fragrant. Add the can of tomatoes and the beer. Give everything a good stir. At this point, have a taste of the liquid mixture. Add salt to taste and more spices if it’s not hot enough for you.

Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the chickpeas, lentils, barley and bulgur. Turn heat down to a simmer and let cook for 15-20 minutes. At this point, carefully have another taste for seasoning. Adjust to your liking. Add the cubed sweet potato. If the mixture is becoming too thick, add water 1 cup at a time too thin it out. Cover again and let simmer for another 20-30 minutes.

While cooking, mix yogurt and cinnamon in a small bowl. Refridgerate until ready to serve.

Spoon chili into big bowls and top with yogurt and whatever else your heart desires.