Welcome back to the garden, and thank you for coming back to visit us here in The Lodge Kitchen! For the last couple of weeks, we have been on a bit of a whirlwind cross country vacation, involving an over 3500 mile road trip, and some major culinary adjustments. Sometimes, when you are on the road, its great to have a few recipes in your back pocket that you can quickly throw together no matter what type of grocery store you may encounter. An extra special creation can most certainly come out of those easy to find everyday ingredients that are available at any corner grocery store, no matter where you may find yourself. Being on the road and cooking in someone else’s kitchen can have its challenges, but if you can simplify your venture, you can enjoy a home cooked meal and give yourself a chance to enjoy and appreciate new environment. I have loved having the opportunity to create some new seasonal recipes (for example, our most recent addition of the steel cut oats that I posted from my cousin’s beautiful home in the mountains of Julian, CA) while we were traveling. So, I hope you will enjoy ours by trying them out for yourself, and also feel inspired to create your own while out on your travels.

I wish to acknowledge what an amazing group of family and friends that I have out in California, and in Arizona. We had an amazing visit with all of them, and they hosted us all so graciously while we were there. So many overdue reunions came out of our road trip odyssey. I saw cousins, and Aunts, and Uncles, and sweet beautiful babies. Old friends, and new ones, we laughed and we cried while remembering the ones that we lost along the way. It was awesome, and I hope that you all know how very much I love and appreciate you. I can’t wait until we see you again!

While out west visiting my parents in Arizona last week, I found myself at a local chain grocery store, looking for the ingredients to make a vegan chili. We were having a small get together in order to have an opportunity to visit with everyone in one location, so I wanted to make something to feed them all, and I decided that chili was the answer. But since my dad’s chili (which we were also going to be serving) was meat based with a Southwestern kick, I decided that I wanted my contribution to be not only vegan/vegetarian, but also use a different  flavor profile. So, Mediterranean Chickpea chili was born. This extremely versatile, longtime “f(l)avorite” combination of herbs and spices, can be infused into just about any recipe, to bring a Mediterranean flair to your garden fare!

Here is what you will need:

Mediterranean Chickpea Chili

Yields 8 cups, with one cup of chili per serving

Shopping List and Ingredients-

Vegetarian/Vegan protein of your choice- 8-14oz (I use Gimme Lean veggie protein ground but pre-cooked meatless crumbles, or seitan also work nicely)

Chickpeas/ Garbanzo beans- One15oz can drained

Kidney beans-One 15oz can drained

Great Northern beans/ white beans-One 15oz can drained

Cannellini beans-One 15oz can drained

Diced tomatoes-One 15oz can

Crushed tomatoes-One 15oz can

Tomato sauce-One 15oz can

Worcestershire sauce (I use Annie’s vegan version)- 1 TBsp

Mediterranean spice/ Greek seasoning (or make your own with basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, saffron, and fennel)- 1 TBsp

Smoked Paprika- 1/2 tsp

Cumin- 1/2 tsp

Turkish bay leaves- 2

sea salt/ cracked pepper to taste

Extra Virgin olive Oil- 1 TBsp

Parsley- 2 TBsp

Dried onion mix- 2 TBsp

Chives- 2 TBsp

Cilantro- 4 oz of partially freeze dried, or 1 bunch of chopped fresh

Garlic powder/ onion powder- 1 tsp each

Cinnamon-1 tsp/ brown sugar-1 TBsp

*(optional)* Vegan cheese shreds and Vegan sour cream for a non dairy addition- but a dairy based cheese and sour cream can also be used to make the chili vegetarian

Step 1: The Base

Drain all of the beans together in a colander and set aside, but do not rinse.

Brown your meatless protein in a small amount of olive oil with Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Then add the diced tomatoes, the crushed tomatoes, and the tomato sauce, and stir over med-high heat until chili begins to bubble. Add all of the beans to the base, and stir. Turn down the heat to low, and bring the chili down to a simmer. Add all of the remaining spices to the chili: Mediterranean spice mix/ Greek seasoning, smoked paprika, cumin, parsley, dried onions, chives, and cilantro. Cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently, and then add the bay leaves, the cinnamon and the brown sugar. Continue to simmer, covered, for 30 more minutes, to allow all of the flavors to meld together.

Step 2: The Payoff

Its time to reap the rewards of a job well done! A delicious hearty home cooked meal straight out of the pantry, and ready to warm your belly. For a memorable finishing touch, serve it up with a dollop of Greek yogurt, alongside some toasty pita bread warmed up in the oven, or even with a fresh Greek salad full of olives and cucumbers (or feta if you are not a Vegan)! Any way you decide to dish it up, I know you will enjoy every last bite of our delicious garden recipe for Mediterranean Chickpea chili.

So, as always, “lettuce” know what you think by planting your questions and comments here in the garden.

Thanks for visiting The Enchanted Garden Goddess. See you next time!

*Weight Watchers PPV for 1 cup of Mediterranean Chickpea Chili= 6 PPV