Give your chili a flavor upgrade with this Indian vegetarian paneer and bean chili! The fragrant spices and heat will warm you up from the inside.
Let me tell you what my life looks like after our family’s attempt at the Wilton Gingerbread Manor last night:
there are sprinkles in all the crevices.
there are gingerbread crumbs in all of the other crevices.
there will be thick sugar icing in my hair until eternity.
and there is a roof-less gingerbread house on my table that is (literally) being held together by an icing thread. Like, if I look at it the wrong way it might collapse. And Remy keeps trying to touch it.
Please. Send wine.
I am realizing now why my parents never made gingerbread houses with us when we were kids, and it is because you need to be a !^&($#@%^&*-ing architect with a background in civil engineering to construct one.
Never again.
(Until next year when I’ll probably try to make one from scratch, because apparently I enjoy torture in the form of impossible baking projects.)
After that debacle + being totally drained mentally from two weeks of night admitting (last night shift is tonight, wooooo!!!!!) making dinner seems like an insurmountable task, but slightly less so when there’s the promise of a big pot of this Indian vegetarian chili on the horizon.
It has all my favorite spicy flavors PLUS paneer PLUS it basically allows you to throw everything into a pot on the stovetop and walk away. Then before you know it, voila! DINNER.
It’s a Christmas miracle.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1-2 tsp curry powder (depending on how spicy you like your curry - I used 1 tsp HOT curry powder)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 8 oz paneer, cubed
- 2 cups cooked pinto or kidney beans
- 2 tsp fresh ginger
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- avocado and yogurt, for garnish
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Saute until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add in the sweet potatoes and the spices (garam masala, curry powder, cumin, and coriander) as well as a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Saute until the spices are toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, paneer, beans, ginger, and broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
- Serve topped with avocado slices and yogurt as garnish.
I don’t want to say that making a gingerbread house with kids is a rookie mistake but it’s a rookie mistake.
Save the gingerbread house making for when Remy is old enough to do it all by herself i.e. when she is 14.
Thanks for this yummy recipe.
The secret to the gingerbread house is you put it together the day before. That gives Remy a nice sturdy base to do the design work, which is all she really is interested in anyway. Plus, then you can take your time and let the base harden before putting the roof on.
My kind of food. Looks delicious! My granddaughters and I tried making a gingerbread house last week..forget it!!! Not worth it. Ours fell apart…
Thanks for the recipe Joanne – it’s just what I need.
What about the Nordicware house pan? I heard it comes with a Ginger cake recipe – not the same as the cookie house but, trusting the pan’s well greased – it might be fun for Remy and festive, too.
Thanks! Will definitely look into this!