Four-bean carrot chilli

The beautiful month of June is finally here, with the warm sunny days and long evenings. Whenever I have a free afternoon at home, I love to spend some time in the kitchen, making a delicious and healthy dinner for us to enjoy together. The long evenings are great to spend some family time on the terrace or balcony, and food tastes even better in the fresh air. Today I prepared a very nutritious and easy-to-make, four-bean carrot chilli - you can find the recipe below. It is full of healthy protein and totally vegan, so anyone can enjoy it!

Ingredients:

• red kidney beans (1 can)

• black eye beans (1 can)

• large butter beans (1 can)

• cannellini beans (1 can)

• 6-8 medium carrots

• 2 red onions

• 5 garlic cloves

• 1tsp. mustard seeds

• mix of pepper (ground before using)

• half tsp. chilli powder

• half tsp. hickory smoked sea salt

• half tsp. ground nutmeg

• fresh rosemary

• fresh basil

• fresh coriander

• olive oil

• half lime

Instructions:

• Peel and cut the carrots in medium sized pieces; peel and cut the onion into quarters, separate the garlic cloves.

• Place the carrots, onions and unpeeled garlic cloves in a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with hickory smoked sea salt, ground pepper and rosemary.

• Bake in 180 degrees Celsius for 35-40 minutes, until carrots are soft.

• Peel the baked garlic, take out the rosemary and blend all ingredients using hand blender until smooth.

• Heat up some olive oil in a pot, add the mustard seeds and cook until hot.

• Add the blended carrot to the pot, add all the beans (drained) and cook for 15-20 minutes on medium heat.

• During cooking add the spices and herbs: the rest of the hickory smoked sea salt, grounded pepper, chilli powder, nutmeg and chopped basil leaves.

• When ready, add a bunch of chopped fresh coriander as a topping and drizzle with some lime juice.

Health benefits:

I recommend using veggies from your local farmers market, to make sure they are fresh, tasty, nutritious and eco friendly. At the same time, you can support your local community. Once a week, I go to our local market and stock up on lots of fresh fruits and veggies, this way I can also avoid all the unnecessary packaging we get at the supermarket.

One of our main ingredients today are carrots. They are full of fibre, rich in antioxidants, beta carotene, vitamin K and Potassium. They can aid digestion, are recommended for healthy hair and skin, can lower cholesterol and improve eye health.

Beans are a great source of protein, perfect for vegetarians and vegans, but also for anyone looking to cook a nutritious and wholesome meal. Bringing beans and other legumes into our diet, while eating many fruits and vegetables, helps to keep a healthy weight. Beans are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, they have high levels of magnesium, folate, iron and zinc. 

Serving suggestions:

Best served with a side of basmati rice, toasted pita bread or toasted sourdough. The pot will serve 4 - 6 people. Enjoy!

I’ve got a little helper who always takes part in the photo shoot…