Vegetable-Chickpea Chili with Fried Almonds

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced, optional
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 cups vegetable broth or water
• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish, optional
• For the fried almonds:
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions

1. Pour 2 Tbs. of the oil into a heavy-duty 5- to 6-quart pot and warm it over medium-high heat until it looks glossy and hot, about 2 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt, and cook, giving everything a stir now and then, until the onion starts to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cumin, chili powder, and paprika, stir for 1 minute, then pour in the tomatoes with their juice. Mix well, pressing the tomatoes against the pot so they break down a bit. Add 2 cups water and bring the chili to a simmer. Mix in the chickpeas, corn, bell pepper, jalapeño, and 1 Tbs. salt, then cook until the peppers no longer taste raw and crunchy, 8 to 12 minutes. If the chili seems overly thick at this stage, stir in an additional 1 cup of water.
2. As the vegetables are cooking, warm the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil in a 10-inch skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and cook them, moving them constantly in the pan, until they are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel-lined plate, then season right away with 1/2 tsp. salt.
3. Fold the basil and scallions into the chili. Serve the chili topped with sour cream, if using, plus more scallions and the fried almonds.