Taylor’s Vegan Three Bean Chili

When I was in the last mile or two of my first half marathon, I started to struggle a bit. I don’t listen to music (normally) when I run, so I decided to try and make conversation with some of the other runners. While most weren’t really up for a chat, I did find one super sweet girl that helped me push to the finish line, Taylor. Since that time, Taylor has continued to inspire me. We trashed our wedding dresses together for a good cause:

I have also joined other bloggers in Taylor’s Fit Women’s Weekly Blogger Challenge. The challenge involves not only completing Taylor’s amazing workouts, but also cooking up her tasty meals. This week, I made her vegan three bean chili. Its spicy, its sweet, its perfect. Kaylin loves it too!!

Here is Taylor’s complete recipe. I omitted the eggplant (because Josh isn’t a fan):

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (optional)
• 1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup eggplant, cubed (optional)
• 1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp BBQ sauce (all natural)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 vegetable bouillon cube
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp flour (or corn starch)

Directions:

1. In a large sauce pot heat up olive oil on medium-high. Add in onion, garlic, and peppers and sauté until fragrant and onions are translucent.
2. Add in everything else (EXCEPT flour), stir and bring to a low boil.
3. Reduce heat to med-low and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
4. If you need to thicken it up, add in flour.
5. Serve it up

mmmmmm. So so good!

What have you been cooking? Outside of chili, I recently made shrimp and roasted vegetables, an egg bake, and lasagna rolls: