Need something new for meatless Monday? Don’t let the long ingredient list fool you- this chilli can be thrown together in a snap. Â 
This recipe was inspired by a salsa my dad used to make. In the summer, when his garden was overflowing with vegetables, he would throw onions, garlic, tomatoes, carrots, celery and peppers together, and call it “garden salsa.” It was so good. I want to have a vegetable garden just so I can make salsa like that. I’ve tried to make his salsa here in KL- but without the garden fresh tomatoes, it just didn’t taste right. One day, while starting to make a pot of chilli, I decided if he could put carrots and celery, and have it taste so amazing, in salsa, it would probably be equally good in chilli. I added roasted eggplant to replace the volume of the meat. Good call. 
And another small victory this weekend? Finding Cholula in KL! To understand why this is such great news, you would have to see my suitcase when I fly back to Malaysia from the States. I have a luggage scale, so I can keep shopping and packing it tight, until it reaches exactly 50 pounds. Oh, why have I never taken a picture? I fill it with all the things I can’t find here- like plain whey protein powder, GoFree rice protein bars, spices, and of course clothes and hair products. But I also fill it with things that are prohibitively expensive here– like real vanilla and almond butter. Having all those items in my bags means that I am almost always searched by security leaving the States. And, I am sure they think I am crazy. The things you miss when you move abroad are sometimes surprising. It’s also strange to realize how comforting a taste like Cholula can be when you’re 8000 miles away from home. 
Contents
Roasted Eggplant Chili {Vegan}
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium onion minced
- 1 (15) ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 (6) ounce can tomato paste
- 3 cups water +1 vegetable bouillon cube (I recommend Rapunzel brand)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (I used a mild New Mexican chili powder)
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander
- 1 1/2 cups celery cut into cubes
- 3 bell peppers (I used 1 green, 1 red and 1 yellow)
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 1 ear corn sliced off the cob
- 2 (15) ounce cans kidney beans
- 1 large eggplant (1 tsp olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt)
- cayenne pepper and sea salt (optional seasonings, to taste)
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large pot, then saute the garlic and onions until soft and translucent.
- Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, water and bouillon, and the spices through coriander. Let simmer for 20 minutes while preparing the other vegetables.
- Add celery, bell peppers, carrots, and corn, and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes.
- Peel and dice the eggplant. Place on a cookie sheet, and coat lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt, and bake at 425 f (210 c) for 10 minutes.
- Add the kidney beans and roasted eggplant to the chili. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Taste, and season with additional salt or cayenne pepper, if needed.
This was amazing! My whole family loved it. One question though…I was trying to log this into MyFitnessPal and the calories didn’t match up (by a lot), and I was wondering where the nutritional info that you published came from (I went with yours, the other website came up with a crazy number).
I use Nutritiondata.com — and I double check the calorie contents of each ingredient to make sure they seem accurate. A lot of times the sites will have wildly different numbers for packaged products, like canned items, so I make sure they match what the product I actually use says.
I am so glad you enjoyed it! I have been wanting to make another batch of that. I really love having chili made for lunches at work!
Thanks for sharing. This was a great base for my vegetarian chili and it turned out amazing! I added some cumin, sautéed most items, added collard greens, lentils, chipotle and jalepeno, fresh cilantro, lime, green onions, queso fresco (Mexican fresh cheese) and sour cream (not vegan but amazing).
I love the idea of adding collard greens! And tons of cumin 🙂 Sounds like yours turned out great. Thanks for sharing!