Vegetarian bean and lentil chilli with feta

I am a meat eater and don't get me wrong I love a good juicy steak, however, I make a lot of vegetarian and vegan food, there are so many interesting flavours and textures to be found in vegetables, beans and lentils. This deliciously spicy vegetarian chilli really hits the spot if you are after a warming and hearty dish. With the seas depleting of fish stocks and the rain forests disappearing to make way for ranches I think we could all go veggie a few days a week!

Ingredients

1/2tbsp butter (or oil if you prefer), 1 leek, 1 carrott, 1 stick celery, 170g fine green beans, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tin chopped tomatoes in juice, 1 tin drained red kidney beans, 1/2 stock cube (veggie cube or if you are not a veggie you could use beef), 1/2 cup dried red split lentils, 1tbsp lemon juice, 1tsp each of garam Marsala and chilli flakes, 1/2tsp powdered ginger, 1/4tsp ground clove powder, salt and pepper to taste. 

The topping to sprinkle over the finished dish is 2 finely chopped spring onions and about an inch cube of crumbled feta cheese. 

I served this with potatoes which were boiled until tender, drained, and then loosely smashed with a little salt and butter. However, you could use rice, cous cous or serve with some toasted wholemeal pita bread, it is a super versatile dish. 

Method: Top and tail the vegetables, wash thoroughly and finely dice in to bitesize chunks. Peel and crush the garlic. Heat the butter (or oil) in a large pan and gently fry the carrott, celery and leek on a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently,  until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes. 

Add the tinned tomatoes in juice, the drained kidney beans and the lentils, stir thoroughly to combine. Next add the stock cube and spices and around half a cup of hot water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, then add the green beans and cook for a further 10 minutes until everything is soft and the lentils have absorbed the juices. The chilli should be lucious and thick, if it looks too dry and a small splash of water. Finally add the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Serve scattered with the chopped spring onions and feta cheese, this is really important so don't leave this step out, there is something about this fresh vibrant topping that brings the dish alive!