This 20 Minute Cayenne Chocolate Vegan Chili is quick, easy and kid approved!
Do you ever feel like you're being pulled in 20 different directions? Like, you have so many things you have to take care of, you wish you had a cloning machine in your basement? If you're a woman (and especially if you're a mom) my guess is, the answer is yes.
I personally don't mind it too much. I get bored very easily, so being constantly busy is actually a good thing for me. The problem is, I'm one of those people who cannot shut off their brain once it gets going. And for me, that translates mostly into waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back to sleep. So, for the past couple of months, my internal alarm clock has been set between 3:30 and 4 am. That's when my brain decides it has had enough rest and needs to get moving.
Upside, the amount of work I get accomplished by 9 am is truly amazing. And as odd as it sounds, I'm incredibly energized throughout the day ( running on pure adrenaline I'm guessing).
The downside, no matter how much your brain tries to tell you can keep going, your body eventually says "nope!", and quits on you, without notice. And if you've ever been there, you probably know it is NOT fun, at all.
So the trick is, being able to identify when your body is about to go on strike and do something about it before it's too late! And we all have different ways of doing that of course, but I've found that there are a couple of things that seem to work for me:
- Allowing myself to have some ME time, as often as I can. For me, it's going for a run outside ( which is definitely a challenge during the winter months, but hey, that's why layers were invented, right?)
- "Clock out" at a certain time at night. Around 8 pm, when I put my son to bed, I close the laptop and don't open it again till... 4 am!
- Find time-saving shortcuts whenever possible. And for me, having a list of go-to quick and easy recipes I can whip up for dinner in no time, is extremely helpful!
I made this 20 Minute Cayenne Chocolate Vegan Chili on one of those nights when I was dealing with 10 different things at the same time and with a very hungry 10-year-old. He happens to LOVE chili, but when I told him it had chocolate in it, he went crazy! And said it was the best chili he ever had... ( that's the power of chocolate I guess!).
Hope you enjoy it... and don't forget to hit pause every now and then, and breathe 😉
Other Vegetarian Chili Recipes You Will Also Enjoy
- 30 Minute Black Bean Chili
- Lentil Sweet Potato Chili
- 20 Minute Cayenne Chocolate Vegan Chili
- Cornbread Crusted Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
- 3 Bean and Sweet Potato Chili
20 minutes Cayenne Chocolate Vegan Chili
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Description
This 20 Minute Cayenne Chocolate Vegan Chili is quick, easy and kid approved!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion, diced
- 3 tomatillos, diced
- 2 tsp cumin, divided
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 28 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 8oz canned diced green chilies
- 2-15.5oz cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1.5oz dark chocolate with cayenne pepper ( here we usedthis one )
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onions and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes, stirring often
- Add the tomatillos, 1 teaspoon of cumin, chili powder and salt and continue cooking for another 4 minutes
- Add the canned tomatoes, chilies and beans and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring often
- Add the chocolate, 1 teaspoon of cumin and smoked paprika and stir well. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for another 10 minutes
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½
- Calories: 232
- Sugar: 10.7
- Sodium: 613
- Fat: 9
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Unsaturated Fat: 4
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 31.7
- Fiber: 9
- Protein: 8
- Cholesterol: 0
JOANNIE
I love chocolate this recipe was amazing....
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you so much Joannie!
Sol
Is it possible to use this recipe in a slow cooker? Any changes to the ingredients/instructions?
Vicky & Ruth
Hi there!
This recipe should work in a slow cooker, but you might need to add some extra liquid to keep it from burning (about 2 cups of water or veggie broth maybe?). I would also taste it after adding the water to see if it needs more cumin and chili powder. Make sure to add the chocolate at the end, once you turn off the slow cooker, and still well until it melts. Hope this helps!
Winnie | Induction Cooking
Time saving shortcuts. That's what I need. If you can make dinner in 20 minutes that suits me. I totally agree with what you say about being busy. Sometimes the mind just doesn't switch off! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I'm going to try making it for the family.
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you. We are glad we could help.