Vegan Chili That is Amazing – Pressure Cooker or Instapot

I got this recipe from my mother, who was not a vegan or vegetarian, but was an excellent cook. Her version contained some beef. I’ve adapted it over the years to suit my veggie tastes. It’s very popular in my house and some version is made at least every couple of weeks. This week, VeganAsanaSon4 requested it so his girlfriend could try it, so it was our anniversary dinner. HA!

We typically have it the first day as chili and then the leftovers show up as nachos, burritos, and taco salad.

Ingredients

2 lbs pinto, kidney, black beans or a mix (use canned if you prefer but cooking them from dry makes better chili)
1-2 medium onions diced
4 stalks celery sliced thin
2 cups carrots shredded or chopped (sometimes I leave this out)
1 large can crushed tomato
2 large cans diced tomato drained
4-6 cups veg broth
2-3 jalapenos diced or sliced
3 T olive oil
6 T cumin
6 T cocoa powder
3 T smooth peanut butter
sea salt
pepper

Process

Sort and rinse beans and dice veggies. Put everything except the peanut butter and cocoa in your pressure cooker, using only 4 cups of broth to start. Seal and increase to high pressure, cooking for 25-30 minutes. Turn off heat and allow pressure to come back down. Unseal, add cocoa powder and taste test for seasoning. You may need to add more of the veggie broth. At that point, you continue to cook on a low simmer until everything is at the level you enjoy. More cooking will break down the texture of the beans and thicken the soup into a more creamy consistency – which some people like.  Less cooking will result in a chunkier chili.  When you are close to finished (within an hour of completion), add the peanut butter and stir in.

Each time you make this, it comes out differently based on how much of each thing you add, but it accommodates a lot of variation.  Increase the PB & C for a richer taste.  Add more diced tomato for a chunkier chili.  Put in extra veggies (bell peppers, zucchini, and eggplant are excellent, and squash adds a different flavor) for a little veggie boost. If you don’t have any fresh jalapenos in the house, this can be done with jarred peppers or chili powder.  You can even add browned beef, chicken, or pork (blarf) or tofu (yay) if you want even more protein than the beans provide.

Serve with sour cream and grated cheese (vegan or non) and crackers.  This and a side salad makes a full and delicious high fiber meal!