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:

1. Blend the dates in one cup of the water until smooth.
2. 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.
3. Sprinkle with chopped scallions to garnish.