Looks delicious! Will try it soon...

I love the idea of using fresh ginger in chili! - another dimension of "spice".

This would also be great topped with a smoked sea salt like Maldon.

mmm mmm

This chili looks absolutely wonderful, and so unique with the lentils and ginger!

Nice idea to combinate ginger and lentils! I'll try soon this recipe. Thank you sharing...

I used to love vegetarian chili, and I ordered it in restaurants all the time, but I got discouraged by the watery flavors in the ones I made, and I stopped. This one looks incredible though! Hearty and rich... I'm definitely making this once the weather gets cold again.

Love the all the different pulses in this chili and ginger is something I would have never thought to add.

I agree with you on broth - if you can't drink it plain warm, its not going to add anything to your final product.

That does look good! But it makes me feel more like winter than the plant-the-garden-as-fast-as-we-can weather we've been having. When I make chili, I've taken to adding a couple squares of dark, dark chocolate to the pot---even if you can't really taste the chocolate, it makes me feel exotic to be able to say it's chili with chocolate. It's the small pleasures....

Awesome. Will definitely try this, even though am not a veggie. Thanks!
Am likely to add sweet paprika & bitter dark chocolate....

I've been looking for a new vegetarian chili recipe. Thank you! Sounds particularly delicious with the egg on top. I've been cracking an egg over just about everything these days. Thanks also for the beautiful pictures of the lentils and the grains.

Ordinarily I'd just file this away till fall, but it's still so cool and rainy here in the northeast that I'll probably be making this over the weekend. Love the addition of the grains as well!

I'm up for chili any time of year. Though I think of it as a fall/winter dish, these spring days, alternately cool and damp, are really just perfect. Plus, the spring cleaning of the pantry is a nice bonus. I made a Moroccan stew with a miscellany of leftovers from my cupboard not long ago. Serendipitous cooking is happy cooking!

I love a good vegi chili. I will be trying this soon!

Just curious, since I tend to shy away from hot-spicy dishes, can the serrano and/or chipotle peppers be omitted from the recipe (or just reduced) and have it still be tasty?

Yum! Looks great, thanks.

A couple of things:
* I think I will add adzuki beans to this. Like lentils, they require no soaking, and they cook up faster than other beans.
* I will use whole barley, because pearl barley is not wholegrain. But I'll have to cook it for 45 minutes or so first. I think it'll be worth it. :)

Wow - how refreshing and healthy. Love the ginger idea and serrano's are one of my favs!

I love the idea of a grain and lentil chili....I can just imagine the taste by looking at the lovely photos. You never cease to amaze me with your creations....

WOW that looks so incredible - That is comfort food at its finest!!! What a great blend of flavors!!

Love, love, love the baked eggs idea!

Thanks a lot for this veggie recipe... looks cool and tasty :)

I wonder what non-gluten type grains I could substitute? I have a bag of teff that I don't know what to do with. Would that work? That and some rice.

Heidi, because of you I tried farro for the first time recently! It was a great success, as I'm sure this recipe will be too. Anything that fills a big pot is fine by me...leftovers is my middle name :-)

My farro: http://www.findyourbalancehealth.com/2009/05/a-mouth-full-of-springtime

It looks really nice and hardy and earthy. I am an ancho fan too. I always add a bit of kelp to my chilis and any bean or grain dish. It really helps to make it more digestible and adds some good for you trace minerals.

As with everything you post, I'll have to try this one out, Heidi. It looks great and not far off from my own vegetarian chili recipe which I make on a near-weekly basis.

I usually perform a little alchemy and mix together my own chili powder from a variety of spices (paprika, cayenne, cumin, oregano, sage, thyme, etc.) but one thing I always include is cocoa powder. It gives a subtle depth and sounds like it would accentuate the earthiness of the ancho chili powder your recipe uses. One tblsp. for a big pot is enough.

I'm not big on "traditional" chili, but this looks really good!

A tip on the broth/stock/bouillon - I use mixed herbs and a can of larger beer/light ale! Works incredibly well.

Yum! Do you happen to know the brand of chili powder you used? Or if it was your own blend, what the ingredients and proportions were?

I have several veg chili recipes that I rotate through but none of them send me. This looks terrific with lots of texture and lots of flavor. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for this! I have only been vegetarian since January and although am not craving meat have been unable to make a vege chili anywhere near as tasty as my beef one used to be. Here's hoping this is it - I will be looking forward to a bowl of chili one night, followed by enhiladas made with the left overs the night after!

Oh, and I will be making this even though we have gorgeous sunshine over here!

Joey, Scotland x x

I've been procrastinating making veggie chili for some time now. I think today is the day I dive into the pool with this great recipe. Thanks Heidi and thanks to the writer who suggested cocoa powder. Sounds perfect.

Lentils a barley? That's a chili after my heart! :)

Giddiness aside, I typically do not like chili but, as I have become enamored about Heidi's cooking for some months now. I think I will give it a try. I love ginger and while this recipe is ingredient intensive it looks like a chili I could love. I've been making Cashew Curry for weeks now (it's easy to bring to work and have everyone ask...'Ohhh, What's that?!"), which I added 1/2 tsp ginger too. Oddly, many people I work with don't know what curry is (dunno what planet they are from)! Thanks Heidi for a great (best on the web) site!

I hate wasting food and am sure glad this recipe helps me from doing just that!!! Meg and I will try this a hora mismo!!

That's one protein packed chili!

This looks fantastic, only i live at high altitude and cannot seem to digest lentils. Am going to try this with aduki beans instead!

I always add a bit of fresh Ginger to a basic tomato sauce, but never thought about adding it to chili!!! (Molasses or Yacon syrup instead of sugar or agave is another phantom ingredient I like in dishes with tomato based sauces). I love your use here of black and green lentils and the mixture of grain remnants. Thank you!

I would suggest using dark beer instead of the vegetable stock!

Thank you Heidi! I can't wait. Yummmm. And I have all these grains/legumes in the cookie jar that I use as my grain 'silo'. (Cookies just don't last long enough to jar at my place.)

Keep 'em coming!!

Sorry, I meant a couple cups of dark beer, and the rest water - not 10 cups of bee

Heidi, your followers' comments are so enlightening. Many mention they use cocoa or bitter chocolate in their chili...makes so much sense! Heidi, you certainly inspire your followers in the kitchen.

Oh my goodness, this chili looks fantastic! Especially for these rainy, foggy days here. :)

Looks lovely. Can't wait to try. Maybe I missed it somewhere in the notes, but why is it called "Pierce Street"?

HS: Sorry :) I live on Pierce Street.

It's just too hot for chili here in Texas, but I'm intrigued to try this when the cooler months return :)

I am definitely going to try this chili. I am especially excited about ginger. I usually add a bit of chocolate to chilies but tend to skip this with veggie chilis for fear of the chocolate taking over the dish. But I think this recipe is hearty enough to give it a try. Thanks.

Hi Heidi,

I love eating all of these whole grains, but I am concerned about weight gain. Do you have any experience or expertise to add on this? I am wondering if the addition of all of these whole grains (which are also carbohydrates) are going to cause weight gain.

HS: Hi Phoebe, I like to shoot for a balance - grains, lots of vegetables, some proteins, some fats... throughout the day. I find the less processed grains keep me from getting hungry right away.

So, with Celiac eliminating both the farro and the barley for me.... and me not knowing much about comparable grains.... What would best be substituted so that it still turns out ok?? Because this sounds fantastic and I want to eat it!

HS: Do they sell celiac-safe oat groats, or cracked oats? That might be one direction to explore.

Wow! A chili with lentils and chick peas - two of my favorites.

Can't wait to try this. Maybe tonight since it's cool, wet and windy here in Toronto today.

Thanks Heidi for what is sure to be another classic recipe.

Looks intriguing - I've never had a chili with legumes other than beans before. My hands-down favourite for a long time has been from The Vegan Gourmet, chili with tempeh and dried apricots - this looks like an interesting option to switch it up.

Another chili addition that I love is a tablespoon or so of masa harina - the ground corn flour that is used in making tortillas. It adds a wonderful, earthy richness, and pairs so well with chipotle, chocolate and other southwest flavours. It also thickens somewhat (if you find your chili 'watery')

I love veggie chili. I don't have any set recipe, but I cook it all the time. I usually use black beans, but the chick pea & lentil combination sounds interesting. I'll be trying this soon.

My other favorite addition, which looks like it would work in your recipe, is fresh corn. I cook it separately on the cob, cut it off & toss it in at the last minute or use it as a crunchy garnish.

Wow, ginger in Chili! Great idea! I also like to freeze my chili in individual containers. Its a great brown bag lunch that everyone in the office will be jealous of.

This looks delicious but I am allergic to tomatoes. I am always having to pass on recipes when I read that they need tomatoes.
Heather, do you have any suggestions on a good substitute? Roasted red peppers maybe?

Thanks.

YES! i've been awaiting a vegetarian chili recipe on this site (my favorite veggie chili thus far is the eatingwell.com sweet potato chipotle black bean chili) but i am very excited to give this more complex recipe a try! heidi, you've never let me down- i can't wait!

Your post made me realize I've been in a chili making rut - my go to chili recipe is delish but definitely looking forward to trying something new. This would be great scooped up with some blue corn tortilla chips.

RE: GF grains. There are a variety of rices out there, if you are in a larger market and/or with ethnic stores available. I used to use whole wheatberries in chili, cabbage rolls, etc. There is a short grain reddish rice that has great texture, sorry I cannot remember the name, that cooks very much like whole wheatberries. Try also Japonica, a black rice or another red rice, Himilayan, both provide texture and flavor not found in most rices.

This looks delicious! This is a great variation from the standard "veggie chili" with tvp and kidney beans.

i love that you added chickpeas! i love making chili.

I've been looking for some time for a vegie chili recipe to replace our much loved chicken/vegie chili (no beans) & just haven't found one we like. We actually went the entire past winter without chili. I believe this just may be the one. And yet another recipe that I'm copying for my daughter to take with her to college this fall. She did get into the Scholarship Halls (yay!) where she will have the opportunity to share in the cooking for the resident women. I've been collecting healthy, appealing & quick recipes for her...many of which are yours. Plus they have become favorites for us. The Chunky Celery Soup made with wild rice is simply wonderful!!! Thanks once again for sharing with us.

I just made this for dinner tonight! Never did that with your emails before but this looked so interesting. Needless to say, it is amazing. So much texture it doesn't need meat or beans. I substituted brown rice for the wheat because I'm not crazy about it and it was wonderful. Even the feta cheese on top was perfect-who knew?

Heidi, this is so exciting. I still remember a gorgeous black bean chili I had about a decade ago and I've never been able to reverse engineer it to my satisfaction. You have some wonderful ideas for me to try.

This is something I can adapt quite easily for my slow cooker, especially now we are going into winter here in New Zealand. I love using the slow cooker - the aroma just fills the whole house. Perfect when it's cold and rainy outside. Mmm......

I live on Pierce St. in SF too!

Hi Heidi, just wanted to say I made your most recent carrot cake recipe today and it was phenomenal! I'm not a health-food nut and I'm used to "regular" desserts but I didn't miss the sugar one bit on this one. Did use a 1:1 substitution of cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil instead of butter but otherwise made it verbatim. Thanks for a GREAT recipe. Will save this chili recipe for the fall :)

I love the variety of grains that you used in this chili. I think my beef chili-loving husband would really like this.

http://www.cookincanuck.com

I am from India,we Indians are very fond of spicy foods, but my problem is that I don't understand the names of so many of your ingredients, how do I work it out now? I might know them but these names are different and I 've never heard them in India,is it possible that you show a small sample picture of the ingredients u use in your recepies? it will surely help I think...

Lovely recipe Heidi. Love the idea of being able to make 2 quite different dishes out of one - the chili baked eggs sounds excellent.

I am drooling... its way too early in the morning for me to be craving chile :)

As always your recipes are fresh and inspiring

Wonderfully Hearty! There is a very distinct chill in the air here in Sydney as we approach winter and something like this to soak some sourdough bread up with would be fantastic!