Sustainable Chili

Vegan Chili

Serves 8

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup each chopped carrots, green, red and yellow bell peppers
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. chopped garlic
2 chopped seeded jalapeño peppers
1 tablespoon ground ancho chili (or, in a pinch, 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes)
1 chipotle in adobo, chopped (these canned smoked chilies are in the Spanish foods sections of most supermarkets. If not available, add extra ancho)
1 Tbsp. cumin seeds, toasted briefly in a dry pan and ground, or 4 tsp. ground cumin
One can (28-ounce) plum tomatoes, roughly chopped, juice included
Three cans (16-ounce) beans: one each red kidney, cannellini and black beans, rinsed and drained, or an equal amount of home-cooked beans
1 cup tomato juice
Tofu sour cream (optional)
Finely chopped red onions
Chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the onions, carrots, bell peppers and salt; cook 15 minutes over medium heat, until the onions are soft.
2. Add the garlic, jalapeños, anchos, chipotle and cumin; cook five minutes more. Stir in tomatoes, beans and tomato juice. Simmer about 45 minutes. Serve garnished with tofu sour cream (if using), red onions and cilantro.


This Vegan chili is a sustainable recipe because vegitarian and vegan food is less damaging to our earths ecosystem. The meat industry,especially beef, is one of the country's main sources of water pollution, soil erosion, and—indirectly through huge amounts of grain feed—pesticide and petroleum-based fertilizer run-off into our soil and land. Not to mention the huge amount of fossil fuel it takes to transport. By eating vegan and vegitarian, as well as organic,you can eat gourmet while being y an enviromentalist, supporting sustainabilty and plus a little healthier too!