Spicy bean chili with orange and cinnamon recipe! A cozy, vegan chili brightened up with a touch of orange and a pinch of cinnamon. SUPER GOOD!
Well, Friday. You're lookin goooooood. And this vegan orange chili is making you look even better.
Oh man, this week. My friends, it's been kind of a rough one. I ended up getting hit with some sort of major sinus malfunction and suffered from a really sucky case of vertigo. Nothing totally unusual for me this time of year, but still, sucky. And yes, you better believe I wonder if I'll resemble Lucille Austero when I'm older. LOL! (anyone know what I'm talking about?)
So, this chili was (hopefully) my last big batch o wintery comfort food of the season. The oranges are making an exit, and this is for sure the last orange recipe you will see until they come back around. Bittersweet feelings- big time. It's absolutely perfect to soothe your soul. Spicy, hearty, cinnamony, but with a touch of sunshiney brightness with that orange added. Everything ya need if ya need it. Know what I mean?
I wanted to give a big ole shout out to something that has really been inspiring me the last few weeks. The Feeding a Broken Heart series from Pinch of Yum. I've been following along on Lindsay's journey to heal her soul after the loss of her baby, Afton, and part of that journey for her has been to create comfort food dedicated to feeding a broken heart.
Food cures all that ails us, right? Well, honestly, not really. Not always. But, it certainly is a universal language of love. Creating food with love for someone who needs it - now that's something to celebrate. At the moment, I am fortunate. There isn't anybody in my life who needs their heart mended. And I have so much to be grateful for these days (ahem, little Rhubarbaby is now 9 months old!).
I wish wish wish I could seal up this pot o goodness and mail it to Lindsay. This one's for you, girl! Her tenacity is truly inspiring, and I am in awe of her ability to take such heartache and turn it into a movement of cooking for others. Just..... goodness. 100% love. ❤️
Spicy bean chili with orange and cinnamon recipe! A cozy, vegan chili brightened up with a touch of orange and a pinch of cinnamon.
- 3 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium poblano peppers, diced
- 1 medium serrano pepper, minced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 4 tsp chile powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 15 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp orange zest
- The zest of 1 medium orange
- For serving: fresh cilantro, orange slices or additional orange zest, sliced radish
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Heat the oil in a medium sized dutch oven or soup pot over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add all the peppers and saute until fragrant, about another minute. Add the next 4 spices, through oregano and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
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Stir in the tomato paste until combined. Add the crushed tomatoes, all the beans, the water, and the orange zest. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
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Remove from heat and let cool for a couple of minutes. The chili will thicken a bit. Serve with fresh cilantro, sliced radish, and orange slices or orange zest (optional).
Feel free to add more orange zest if needed. Or you can add some fresh orange juice to the pot to make it a bit brighter.
Tell me, friends. What are you favorite comfort food recipes?
Trish
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Alison
Yes! I did try it. My slowcooker cooks really fast so it only took about 4 hours. It was really yummy although I would add more orange zest next time. One thing I did change was the liquid. I used one cup of water and one cup of freshly squeezed orange juice from the zested oranges.
Patricia Bozeman
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Alison
Oh my goodness! I didn't read that right LOL. You're right there are cranberries in the second recipe I didn't realize there was two recipes at first
Alison
Still having a problem finding the actual recipe for orange chili
Patricia Bozeman
OK, this is SO WEIRD! The cranberry chili recipe is up on this page for some reason. AAARGH. OK let me do some fixing and I'll let you know when it's up.
Patricia Bozeman
Should be fixed now. Thanks for bringing that to my attention!
Alison LeCompte
Thank You!!!! ??? I literally cant wait to make this!
Alison LeCompte
Sorry to bother again.... just wanted to know if you think this can be made in the slowcooker?
Patricia Bozeman
I don't see why not! If you try it out, let me know how it goes!
Alison
Can the cranberries be subbed for something else? A vegetable maybe?
Patricia Bozeman
Hmmm... there aren't any cranberries in this recipe. I have a cranberry chili recipe on the blog though, so if you are talking about that one I would just choose a different one. Just search chili under the recipes section or click here https://www.rhubarbarians.com/?s=chili
Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
What a fun mix of flavors - I wouldn't even miss the meat in this vegan dish!
Patricia Bozeman
Thank you! 🙂