I personally, for reasons of my own, have decided to take the animal care lifestyle to the next level. I'm transitioning to vegan. One of the things I really want to do is to keep some semblance of my favorite comfort foods if I can manage it. So far, it looks like I can! So without further ado, here is the first recipe in my catalog of vegan comfort foods. I think I'll post these from time to time as I get them right.  Enjoy!

Vegan Four-Bean Millet Chili 

1 cup millet

2 cups veggie stock, divided

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 T olive oil

1 15 oz. can chick peas

1 15 oz. can dark red kidney beans

1 15 oz. can black beans

1 15 oz. can of vegan refried beans

1 14 oz. can each of diced tomatoes with green chilis

1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 small can of diced green chilis

1 small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 T whole cumin seeds

1 T whole coriander seeds

1 T chili powder

2 tsp fresh oregano

2 bay leaves

1. Preheat your slow cooker to high.

2. While the slow cooker is heating up, in a large mixing bowl, take 1 cup of the veggie broth, the oregano, the chili powder, and the diced and crushed tomatoes, and mix with the can of refried beans to make it smooth, and set that aside.

3. Now that the slow cooker is heated, throw in the olive oil, onions, garlic, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds and get them started in there. Put the lid on, as the seeds will pop! Once the seeds have started popping, add the millet and stir until the millet is incorporated.

4. Add the remaining cup of veggie stock, and let the millet soak it all up.

5. While the millet is soaking up the veggie stock, separate the chipotle peppers from the adobo sauce, and set the adobo sauce aside. Rinse and seed the chipotle peppers, and dice them. Put the seeded diced chipotles, adobo sauce, and the can of green chilis in with the pinto bean-tomato mixture in the big bowl.

6. Drain and rinse all the canned whole beans, and add them to the millet, stirring until mixed. Then add the big bowl of refried bean-tomato-pepper stuff and mix together until everything is well-incorporated. Use your judgment. If it looks a bit too dry, add veggie stock until it looks right to you. Top with the two bay leaves.

7. Slow cook on low for about 4 hours, adding veggie stock as needed, if needed, depending on how you like the consistency.

The result is a gorgeous, zippy, complex bean chili with the millet perfectly mimicking the mouth feel of ground meat. It’s astonishing what the millet does texture-wise for those who are having a hard time transitioning from meat to veg.

If you like, top with fresh cilantro. Let me know how you like it!