Completely Vegan, Plant-Based Chili (2024)

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Plant-based diets are becoming popular for a reason. Studies prove that eating plant-based meals will help in many aspects of your health. It is seen to improve cardiovascular health, cognitive health and more.

A healthy vegan diet is so beneficial and I’d love to offer you some delicious vegan recipes to help you get started on making your choices for food, plant-based. Today I am working with Sweet Earth Foods to share one of our favorite plant-based meals with you.

What is a plant-based diet?

A whole-foods, plant-based diet is an option that is easier to switch to than most people think. Plant-based foods come from plants. They do not consist of animal ingredients, such as milk, eggs, or meat.

“Plant-based or plant-forward eating patterns focus on foods primarily from plants. This includes not only fruits and vegetables, but also nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. It doesn’t mean that you are vegetarian or vegan and never eat meat or dairy. Rather, you are proportionately choosing more of your foods from plant sources.” – Harvard Health

“A healthy, plant-based diet aims to maximize consumption of nutrient-dense plant foods while minimizing processed foods, oils, and animal foods (including dairy products and eggs).

It encourages lots of vegetables (cooked or raw), fruits, beans, peas, lentils, soybeans, seeds, and nuts (in smaller amounts) and is generally low fat.8,9 Leading proponents in the field have varying opinions as to what comprises the optimal plant-based diet. Ornish et al recommends allowing animal products such as egg whites and skim milk in small amounts for reversal of disease.10,11” – National Library of Medicine

Vegetarian or Vegan/Plant-Based?

“Vegetarian dietshave also been shown to support health, including a lower risk of developing coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and increased longevity.

Plant-based diets offer all the necessary protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals for optimal health, and are often higher in fiber and phytonutrients. However, some vegans may need to add a supplement (specifically vitamin B₁₂) to ensure they receive all the nutrients required.” – Health.Harvard

Vegan Chili Recipe:

Today’s non-meat chili is another plant-based recipe that we love. I try to add in as many vegan dinner ideas as possible. We still eat meat on occasion, but not nearly as much as we did in the past. After doing a lot of research on vegan and plant-based benefits, I felt like I owed it to my family and myself to make the switch. We’ve moved to the vegan version of many of our meals.

In lieu of using meat, like traditional chili, I am using Sweet Earth’s Awesome Grounds. Awesome Grounds is a plant-based food with no meat, but it looks and tastes like meat.

Awesome Grounds provides an excellent source of protein, fiber, and spot-on flavor. One package contains 16g Protein, 4g Fiber, and is completely Plant-Based. Plus, it’s easy… it is skillet ready & recipe ready. You can switch out your traditional beef dishes with Awesome Grounds; like stir fry, chili, tacos, meatballs, pastas and more.

Plant-Based Chili Recipe:

The prep time on this easy vegetarian chili is less than 25 minutes.

Plant-Based Chili Ingredients:

• Pack of Sweet Earth’s Awesome Grounds ( Tastes just like beef! It is meaty and delicious, so you would never know its plant-based. Sweet Earth Awesome grounds are made with non-GMO plant-based ingredients like pea & wheat protein.)
• 4 bell peppers
• 3 cups of chopped carrots
• 1 large onion
• 6 cans of beans: kidney beans (non-drained), black beans (drained), white kidney beans (non-drained), great northern beans (non-drained)
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 15 ounce can tomato sauce
• 8 ounce can tomato paste
• tablespoon cumin
• tablespoon salt
• 3-4 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon of smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1-2 cups of water. (Start with one, but as the chili cooks, you may want to thin it out by adding another cup of water. This is what we did)

Optional: You can also add zucchini and sweet potato. We’ve done this in the past & it’s great!
Optional toppings: I love to top it with cilantro. If you are not 100% vegan, you could top it with sour cream, as well.

Directions for Vegan Chili:

• Add a little olive oil to a pan.
• Brown the Awesome Grounds (cook it just like you would cook ground meat)
• Once it is browned, set it aside.
• Saute the vegetables for a few minutes, until they are softer.
• Next, you have two options:
  1- Add it all together in a pot on medium heat, stirring often for two hours. Reduce heat to low, and let it simmer for two more hours, stirring occasionally.
  2– Add it all together in a crockpot on low for 6-8 hours.

When it is done, you’re ready to enjoy your vegan meal! Plus, this vegetarian chili recipe looks & feels like regular chili, thanks to the Sweet Earth Awesome grounds. They are made with non-GMO plant-based ingredients like pea & wheat protein. Since they are plant-powered, they are nutritious, too.

Still hungry? Check out these other vegan recipes…

1. Chilled Southwestern Quinoa Salad

2. Plant-Based Zucchini