A video of this recipe came through my Facebook feed so I thought I would give it a try. It is from the wonderful website “Forks over Knives.” It came out great! I made the recipe exactly as the instructions said — which is pretty rare for me. Usually I take at least SOME liberties. But this turned out perfectly as is.
I did not use a slow cooker or electric pressure cooker as the recommend, so I updated the instructions to reflect that. Also you will notice that the recipe calls for no salt, and does not use chicken or vegetable stock as a base. I was skeptical — but it really didn’t need it. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Red Lentil Chili
(based on http://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/red-lentil-chili/)
Ingredients:
2 ounces dates (approximately 9 Deglet Noor)
1 pound red lentils
7 cups water, divided
2 14.5-ounce cans salt-free diced tomatoes (fire roasted preferred)
1 6-ounce can salt-free tomato paste
10 ounces chopped onion (approximately one large)
1 pound red bell pepper, (approximately 2 large), finely chopped*
8 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1½ tablespoons dried parsley
1½ tablespoons dried oregano
1½ tablespoons salt-free chili powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika (different than regular paprika)
½ teaspoon chipotle powder (or more to taste)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
scallions (for topping at the end)
Instructions:
- Blend the dates in one cup of the water until smooth.
- Place dates and all remaining ingredients in soup pot and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender and all the flavors have combined.
- Sprinkle with chopped scallions to garnish.
