Black Chickpea and Turtle Bean Chili with Sundried Tomatoes and Spinach

This meal is the exact incarnation of a voluntary breaking of culinary cultural barriers.

I went going for a slight twist on a Mexican black bean chili by doing half and half with kala chana (black chickpeas), which I essentially use in Indian cuisine.

And then I let all my desires lose... I added sundried tomatoes (whaaaat?) and fresh baby spinach toward the end.  What Mexican dish has ever done that while still tasting "Mexican"?

The one I conjured in my small stubborn heart... which made me release my happiness while exhaling pure joy and forgetting any moments of stress or annoyment I may have gone through during the day.

This chili was so good with a broth so rich that nobody even noticed the fact that it was meatless...

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

3/4 cup black chickpeas (kala chana), soaked overnight

1/2 cup black turtle beans, soaked overnight

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 yellow onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 Tbsp dried oregano

1 Tbsp coarse sea salt

2-4 whole dried chile de arboles

2 bay leaves

1 can tomato pulp

3-4 cups water

last entries:

1 tsp olive oil

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

3-4 handfuls rinsed baby spinach

10-14 sundried tomatoes, chopped

lots of freshly cracked pepper

garnish:

chopped avocado

chopped green onion

chopped cilantro

squeeze of lime

shredded red cabbage (for under garnish)

grated gruyère or swiss (optional if vegan)

Directions

1.  Put everything but the last entries and garnish in a slow cooker and set on low for 7-9 hours.

2.  About 30 minutes before serving, add the baby spinach and sundried tomatoes into the slow cooker.

3.  Heat the oil in a wok or heavy based pan and sautee the sliced bells.  Add the pepper and cook on high, stirring for about 5 minutes.  You want them to be cooked but still have a bite to them.  Add them to the slow cooker to heat through.

When ready to relax and enjoy, serve with the garnishes of your choice.

For example, over a mattress of shredded red cabbage...

 and then unmake the bed after adding the avocado, green onion, cilantro, and lime...

 Or serve it over some home fries with some grated cheese, Poutine style.. 

Quebec, not Vladimir..