Inspired by thedishonhealthy.com (amazing food blogger, go look), this recipe is divine. I’m not a huge fan of the really heavy meat chili’s, so I wanted to try a bean one! The large protein aspect drew me in because I am desperately trying to make my protein goals every day since starting heavier weight training. The chickpeas in this recipe really gives it a delicious heartiness. Let’s get started:

Ingredients (there’s a lot, so bear with me!):

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 cup of carrots, diced
• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled & finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp of oregano
• 1 tbsp of chili powder
• 1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes (optional, only if you like it spicy)
• 2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (optional, only if you like it spicy)
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 medium can of organic black beans, drained
• 1 medium can of organic red beans, drained
• 1 large can of organic chickpeas, drained
• 1 small can of pure tomato paste
• 1 large can of organic diced tomatoes (28 ounces)
• sea salt & ground pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (to offset acidity rather than white sugar)
• 1.5 cups of water or organic vegetable stock