Summer chili? Absolutely.

Chili, in the summer? Some argue the hearty dish evokes autumn, but ask around and you’ll find plenty of people who happily eat chili all year long. Which works out well, as food prices climb higher and higher. When it comes to making the most nutritious, energy-rich meal at an affordable cost, there’s no beating chili.

Enter a lentil summer chili with a medley of healthy vegetables – like sweet potatoes, a nutritional smorgasbord loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, potassium and manganese. Add rice to make this a complete protein. Meat eaters, you can barbeque a steak or piece of chicken and use this chili as a base for your plate. Or slather chili on hot dogs, or use it as pictured here, for sloppy joes. So many options. Enjoy!

Ingredients

For the lentils:
12 ounces green lentils, rinsed in cold water
8 cups of cold water
2 bay leaves
½ onion
1 large garlic clove, smashed

Sauté:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 whole onion, chopped small
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
2 small sweet potatoes, diced small
2 carrots, diced small
1 green pepper, diced into small squares
3-4 small sweet peppers, diced small
28-ounce can chili starter tomatoes (choose mild or medium depending on your taste) or 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
Smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, chili pepper, cayenne to taste (if not using chili starter or if you want more kick)

Sloppy joe:
8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
6 hamburger buns
Optional: red onion, radish, scallion dressed in lime and olive oil

Method:
Add lentils and cold water to a pot. Add bay leaves, half onion and smashed garlic. Bring to a gentle simmer slowly, no boiling. Check after about 18 minutes to see if lentils are slightly al dente. Cook until they are to your liking – about 25 minutes works for me.

While lentils are cooking, start your sauté over medium heat in a separate large pan or pot. Heat olive oil, add onions and cook until soft and slightly browned, then add garlic and stir until fragrant. Add diced sweet potato and carrots and sauté for 4-5 minutes to soften up a bit. Add pepper and sauté another 3 minutes. The small dice helps this chili act as a topping, or you can rough chop if you prefer to serve it in a bowl. Add the full can of chili starter or tomatoes and bring to a simmer with a little water, about 8-10 minutes until everything is tender.

Remove the aromatics (onion, bay leaves and garlic) from the lentil pot and pour all the lentils into the pan/pot with the sauté. Simmer very low for 8-10 minutes until the liquid reduces a bit so it is thick and gravy-like. Continue seasoning to your liking. For sloppy joes, toast a hamburger bun, add the lentil chili, then sprinkle generously with cheddar cheese. The “slaw” on top is red onion, radish and scallions dressed in lime and some olive oil.