Spicy Buffalo Chickpea Chili (Vegan)

Autumn is my absolute favorite season and with Autumn comes Hot cocoa and Chili – two of my most favorite things to eat/drink during the colder months. So, today I went on a hunt for new chili recipes. I love the traditional chili but I wanted something a little different. Thanks to Pinterest, it brought me to Alexa’s fooduzzi food blog. Who would have thought that chickpeas and buffalo sauce would make an AMAZING chili.

What you’ll need:

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil or oil of choice
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 15oz can of tomato sauce (Muir Glen Tomato Paste)
• 1 14.5oz can of fire roasted tomatoes (Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Chipotle Peppers)
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (Frank’s Red Hot) Yep, it’s vegan!
• 2 15oz cans of chickpeas; drained and rinsed (Westbrae Garbanzo Beans)
• 1 cup cooked brown rice (Lundberg Organic Brown Basmati Rice)
• Toppings that you desire – I toped mine with Vegan Cheddar Shreds (Follow Your Heart Cheddar Shreds) and jalapeños

Let’s make it.

Crush, dice the garlic and add to your pot (I used a Dutch oven) with your 1 Tbsp. of oil and sauté for a minute or so, on low heat. Add your cans of tomato sauce and fire roasted tomatoes, stir to combine. Add your 1 Tbsp. of chili powder and 1 tsp. of cumin, continue stirring ingredients together. Add your 1/2 cup of buffalo sauce, continue stirring. Lastly, add your rinsed chickpeas and cooked brown rice. I don’t like really chucky chili, so I added veggie broth (Pacific Foods Organic Veggie Broth) – add as much as you desire, depending on how you like your chili consistency. And that’s it! Really simple, right. I made homemade vegan cornbread (you can find the recipe here) to eat with mine. Add your toppings and enjoy.