Lentil Chilli (and Burrito Snacks)

A basic lentil chilli served with rice and pitta breads on day one and then as burritos for lunch for the next few days.

Ingredients-

For the Chilli -

250g Green Lentils

2x Onions, finely chopped

200g Mushrooms, sliced

1x Green Chilli, finely chopped

1x Sweet Red Pepper

1x Tin of Kidney Beans, drained

1x Tin of Chopped Tomatoes

1tsp Smoked Paprika

1tsp Chilli Powder (or Chilli sauce, simply add more for a spicier dish)

Basmati Rice

Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Burritos -

8x Fajitas

Left over Chilli

150g Mature Cheddar, grated

Tin foil, for wrapping

Method - For this recipe I actually used split green peas which were pre-soaked for several hours prior to cooking. In hindsight though, I do believe that previous attempts where I have used lentils instead produced tastier, more successful dishes. It should also be noted that I generally use a lot more smoked paprika in my chilli than is stated in the ingredients but I feel it is better to err on the side of caution as you can always add more whilst cooking or even when reheating the chilli again.

To begin, cook the lentils in boiling water for around 20 minutes until soft but do not allow them to turn mushy. Drain and set aside for later. Next, add the onion, garlic, chilli and spices to a large frying pan with a little oil and salt and fry over a medium heat for around 5 minutes until the onions start to brown slightly. Next add in the mushrooms and pepper, continuing to fry for around 10 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked. 

Add in the cooked lentils and stir into the mixture in the frying pan for around 2 minutes in order to give the lentils the chance to take on the flavours of the chilli, onion and garlic. Now, add in the kidney beans and tinned tomatoes, stirring well and leave the chilli to cook over a low to medium heat for around 15 minutes whilst you prepare the rice and pittas.

Once cooked, serve on a bed of Basmati rice with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese and toasted pitta breads.

Chilli Burritos - Generally, the amount of chilli made from this recipe could serve 4 to 5 people in one sitting. However, I prefer to re-use the left overs in making individually wrapped burritos that can be kept in the fridge for several days to be reheated or enjoyed cold.

Burrito wrapping for dummies 

Preheat the oven to 180°c and follow the above guide to wrapping burritos. Start with a generous dollop of chilli and a helping of cheddar cheese. Roll, wrap, rinse, repeat. Cook for 20 minutes and enjoy straight away or allow to cool before storing in the fridge. For a vegan alternative you can substitue the cheddar with a vegan cheese or simply swap it out for some guacamole.

I should probably try and make my own fajitas.

JAB

Smoky Baked Beans on Toast

This is a recipe that I find quite difficult to pull off but it's very, very tasty when it works. Great served with toasted crusty bread and a little salad or as a side dish.

Ingredients-
1x onion, grated
2x garlic cloves, grated
oil for frying
2x cans of beans (in this case I'm using 1x haricot beans and 1x butter beans)
water from canned beans
2x tbsp cider vinegar
2x bay leaves
2x tsp smoked paprika
½x tsp of mustard powder
pinch of ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
1x tsp black treacle
1x canned tomatoes
2x tbsp tomato purée
demerara sugar/salt and pepper to taste
crusty bread

Method - Firstly, drain the beans making sure to preserve the water from the cans. Add a little oil to a pan and heat to a medium temperature, next add the onions, garlic and half of the smoked paprika. Stir regularly and allow to brown over the heat for around 10 minutes. Now reduce to a low heat and add the water from the beans, cider vinegar, bay leaves and the beans to the pan and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. 

Whilst waiting, preheat the oven to 180°c. Now, mix in the rest of the paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg and mustard powder then simmer for another 5 minutes. Mix in the treacle, tomato purée and tinned tomatoes. Taste the mixture, this is a key point as too much mustard powder or too much treacle may have made the sauce taste unpleasant. To counter this add extra salt if it is too sweet or demerara sugar if it is too bitter.

Finally, add to a casserole dish and place in the oven. The dish will be ready to eat after around 20 minutes in the oven, however, the sauce will benefit from longer (around 40-60mins) as more water will evaporate from the sauce and create a stickier texture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Served with a side salad (root beer optional)

It is extremely easy to make very different versions of this dish by tweaking the amounts of certain ingredients based on your own personal taste, mainly smoked paprika, mustard powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt will effect the final outcome the most. 

More recipes coming soon.

JAB