Taking an old favourite and making it vegan was not too difficult in this case.  For me the star of any chilli con carne is the red kidney beans, so taking out the meat element didn’t really change the taste for me.  With the added heat from chilli peppers I think this Chilli Sin Carne is a winner.  The avocado brings a certain freshness to the dish, and I have to say I do not need any excuses to eat more avocados. My kids ate this chilli without a peep and polished off their plates but I could not get them to eat the avocados. I think more lobbying is needed on that front.

Hope you will enjoy this vegan version of a Mexican classic.

This recipe serves 6

What you need:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 avocados, halved, stoned, roughly sliced
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 hot chili peppers, chopped and seeded
• 1 tsp hot chili powder
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 handful (20gr) of fresh coriander, chopped
• 400gr can of chopped tomatoes
• 800gr can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup of  tomato purée
• 1/2 cup of rice (you can add 1 cup if you want more rice)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt & pepper to season

What you do:

1. Place a large pot over a medium heat and add the olive oil, onions and the garlic
2. Cook together for 5 minutes until the onions are nice and soft
3. Add in the chopped chilli peppers and the red sweet pepper, cook together for another couple of minutes
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Add in the sweet paprika powder, hot chilli powder and the powder coriander. Fry together for another couple of minutes
6. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée and sugar. Mix well
7. Let it cook for about 5 minutes before you add the rice
8. Cook for about 2-3 minutes before adding the drained red kidney beans
9. Bring to the boil
10. Once it is boiling turn the heat down, add the fresh coriander and leave it to a simmer with a lid slightly askew
11. It should simmer for a about 30 minutes, but stir it every now and again to stop it catching
12. Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve with the avocados (half an avocado per person)

Enjoy!