Hehehe…”Chilly Chili!” I love the name I made up for this recipe! This is absolutely delicious, refreshing and definitely hollers “SPRING TIME!” from the top of its lungs. I was having a pretty bad hankering for this amazing raw vegan chili that my husband and I get at a raw vegan restaurant in St. Pete Beach called Vida De Cafe, but that’s like an hour away and I don’t feel like driving down there all the way from northwest Tampa! So, I got creative, remembered the flavors as best I could and recreated it in my own way this afternoon. Theirs indeed is a raw foods dish, while mine was not. I was going to add barley, like they do in their version, but I have no idea how to prepare it “raw,” nor did I want to wait an hour and a half to cook the barley (the directions said it had to boil for 1 hour and 15 minutes!). So, I opted for a can of canellini beans instead. I also love this chili because it’s really easy to make and it’s another great way to get raw vegetables into your diet.

Ingredients:
3 large beefsteak or Uglyripe tomatoes, chopped fine
1/2 large bell pepper, chopped in a food processor
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1 can canellini beans
1/2 small jalapeno chopped fine
3 stalks celery, chopped in a food processor
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp white pepper
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro and extra jalapeno slices (optional garnish)

Make:
Chop and process all veggies as required. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. You can either serve it immediately, or chill it for about 45 minutes to an hour so it’s really cold.