Black Bean Chili Image from Forks Over Knives Family Book. Credit: Matt Armendariz
On the fifth anniversary of Forks Over Knives, the ground-breaking film that inspired many to adopt a plant-based lifestyle, comes Forks Over Knives Family (Touchstone), by Alona Pulde, MD and Matthew Lederman, MD. In this info-packed, inspiring guide to a whole-food plant-based lifestyle for the entire family, the doctors make a compelling case linking many modern diseases to meat, dairy and refined foods. The authors not only answer questions about dealing with allergies and school lunches, they serve up delicious recipes that the kids will love.
Black Bean Chili
from Forks Over Knives Family
Makes about 12 cups
Ready in 1 ½ hours
The ingredient list here might look a little long, but please don’t let that stop you from trying this delectable chili. There are only a few steps, and it is so chock full of vegetables, beans, and greens that all you need is some simple steamed grains or warm tortillas on the side to make this a very satisfying and filling meal.
5 medium tomatoes, cut into ½-inch dice or 3 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, with their juice (about 5 cups)
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into ½-inch dice (about 2 cups)
½ medium red onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
4 small garlic cloves, roughly chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
4 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained (about 3 cups)
3 large celery stalks, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1 ½ cups)
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
½ bunch kale, stemmed and roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
Sea salt
Steamed grains or warm tortillas, for serving
1. In a large stew pot or Dutch oven, place the tomatoes, red bell peppers, onion, garlic, oregano, and cumin, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes (the juices from the onion and tomatoes will be enough to keep the sauce from burning).
2. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. In a blender in batches or using a hand blender, blend the sauce until smooth. Return to the pot.
3. Add the black beans, celery, green bell pepper, corn, kale, cilantro, lemon juice, paprika, chili powder, salt to taste, and 2 cups water to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the greens are tender and the chili thickens, 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Serve hot over steamed grains or with warm tortillas.
Storage: Cool the soup completely and transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Excerpted from FORKS OVER KNIVES FAMILY by Alona Pulde, MD and Matthew Lederman, MD, with Marah Stets and Brian Wendel. Copyright © 2016 by Forks Over Knives, LLC. Reprinted with permission from Touchstone, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.