The chili serves a vibrant palette of spring hues. From the deep green of fava beans, nutty brown lentils speckled among chunks of white button mushrooms, to the soft translucent chunks of yellow onion. All of this bathed in an aromatic tomato broth with bright red tomatoes poking through the surface, garnished with a radiant sprig of parsley, specks of black pepper, and a small mound of creamy avocado slices offset to one side.

Spring Green Vegan Chili

Name: Spring Green Vegan Chili
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Green Lentils, 1 cup soaked overnight; Fresh Fava Beans, 2 cups de-podded; Button Mushrooms, 1 cup chopped; Yellow Onion, 1 medium chopped; Garlic Cloves, 3 minced; Fresh Tomatoes, 2 large diced; Vegetable Broth, 4 cups; Fresh Parsley, A handful chopped; Avocado, 1 ripe sliced; Olive Oil, 2 tbsp; Salt, to taste; Crushed Black Pepper, to taste

Category Main Course

Prep 20 minutes

Cook 40 minutes

Style American

Technique Simmer

Diet Friendly Vegan

Daily Recipe: May 06, 2024

This is a fresh take on a classic American dish, Chili, remodeling it with a Spring twist. The key ingredients here are green lentils and fresh fava beans, which are both in season, bringing a hearty, yet light feel to the dish.

Ingredients (for 4)

Green lentils - 1 cup - soaked overnight
Fresh fava beans - 2 cups - de-podded
Button mushrooms - 1 cup - chopped
Yellow onion - 1 medium - chopped
Garlic cloves - 3 - minced
Fresh tomatoes - 2 large - diced
Vegetable broth - 4 cups
Fresh parsley - A handful - chopped
Avocado - 1 ripe - sliced
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Crushed black pepper - to taste

Preparation

Step 1 - 🥣🥒🔪

Soak lentils overnight. De-pod the fava beans, chop the mushrooms,onion, and tomatoes. Mince the garlic. Slice the avocado.
Step 2 - 🥘🧅🔥

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion and garlic, cook until aromatic and lightly caramelized.
Step 3 - 🥘🍄💧

Put in mushrooms, cook until they have released their moisture.
Step 4 - 🥘🍅🥣

Stir in the soaked lentils and chopped tomatoes.
Step 5 - 🥘🍅🔥

Pour in the vegetable broth and let it simmer.
Step 6 - 🍲🕒🔥

Once simmering, add in the fava beans, simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
Step 7 - 🥘🧂🔥

Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Allow the chili to stew until lentils are tender.
Step 8 - 🍲🥑🌿

Serve hot, garnish the stew with fresh parsley and fan avocado slices.

Additional

You can customize this dish by adding in other spring vegetables, such as asparagus or sugar snap peas. Your little kitchen helpers can engage in safe tasks such as deshelling the fava beans or chopping soft veggies with a child-safe knife. Did you know fava beans are a staple of Mediterranean cuisine and are rich in essential nutrients?