It didn't take long at all to put together, and once it's all in the slow-cooker, you just have to wait! It was really delicious--I highly recommend trying it. And it's also not expensive, which we all appreciate these days.
If you want to make this vegetarian/vegan, I don't see why you couldn't simply remove the beef and add the same volume in beans. I would use something like red kidney beans. :)
Note that you will need to soak dried chickpeas overnight before adding them to the chili.
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 lb sirloin beef, trimmed of fat and cut into ¼-in thick strips
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
3 cups low sodium beef stock, divided
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5 to 2-in chunks
1.5 cups jarred or boxed unsalted diced tomatoes with juices
1.25 cups dried chickpeas, soaked in water for 24 hours (Tip: If you don't have time to soak chickpeas for 24 hrs, boil them for 1 hr, until al dente, then drain and set aside.)
⅓ cup sliced dried unsweetened apricots
Sea salt, to taste
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ lightly packed cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves (Note: Chop just before serving)
Directions
* In a large nonstick skillet on medium, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add beef and cook until browned and cooked through, about 3 to 5 min. Transfer mixture to a 4- to 6-qt slow cooker.
* Return skillet to medium, and heat remaining 1 tbsp oil. Add garlic, onion, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper and pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 min. Add 1 cup stock and stir, scraping up browned bits in bottom of skillet with a spoon. Transfer to slow cooker.
* To slow cooker, stir in remaining 2 cups stock, potatoes, tomatoes, chickpeas and apricots; cover and cook on high for about 4 hours. Season with salt.
* Just before serving, combine zest and mint. Top chili with mint mixture.
Tip: For an added kick, harissa – a popular North African and Middle Eastern hot sauce – is the perfect condiment for this chili.
