Chef AJ’s Red Lentil Chili

Ingredients:

2 14.5-ounce cans salt-free diced tomatoes (fire roasted preferred)

1 6-ounce can salt-free tomato paste
1 pound red bell pepper, (approximately 2 large),
8 cloves garlic
3 ounces of pitted dates (approximately 12 Deglet Noor dates or 6 Medjool)
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

7 cups water (heated) (if using the crockpot you don’t need to heat it)

10 ounces chopped onion (approximately one large)
1 pound red lentils
1-1⁄2 tablespoons dried parsley
1-1⁄2 tablespoons dried oregano
1-1⁄2 tablespoons salt-free chili powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika (different than regular paprika)
1⁄2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or more to taste)
1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste) (I actually leave this out as I don’t like spicy and let people add this or hot sauce to their bowl)
scallions (for topping at the end)

Preparation:  place canned tomatoes, tomato paste, red bell peppers, garlic, dates, and apple cider vinegar in Vitamix and blend until smooth.

In Instant Pot, put in 7 cups of water, onions, red lentils, mixture from the Vitamix, and all the spices.  (I don’t stir this until it’s finished cooking) Cook for 10 minutes at high pressure.  You can either use manual release or natural release.

If using a crock pot:  Put in water, onions, red lentils, mixture from Vitamix, and spices.  Stir and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

This chili can be served over a baked potato, brown rice, or quinoa.  You can top it with the chopped scallions and sprinkle on some vegan Parmesan that you can make yourself or buy already made (Parma! makes a good one).  

Enjoy!

 

Link to the YouTube video Chef AJ made:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOfxvkqjIS4