As a vegan, I get asked the questions "What do vegans even eat?!" "How much do you spend on food?!" and "How do you find time to cook so much?!" on a daily basis. I mean, other than the entire produce section at any grocery store, there are also lots of other vegan options that are affordable and easy to prepare. In this series, I will show you all of my favorite meals for maintaining an inexpensive, easy to handle, vegan diet.

When I first became vegan I longed for all the classic, down-home meals that I ate as a herbivore. One of my favorite dishes at family get-togethers or holidays was chili. My mother makes an amazing bean and beef chili, but unfortunately, I cannot eat it any longer. That's why I perfected this recipe for Vegan Four Bean Chili!

This is one of the cheaper meals that I make regularly. Aside from basic spices, all you need for this recipe is a few canned items. Oh, and the secret weapons! The two things that really make this chili wonderful are Figaro Liquid Smoke, which adds a ton of flavor.

And Gardein Ultimate Beefless Ground, which really makes this dish comparable to the chili that your mom makes you when you make a trip home for the weekend.

This recipe is also incredibly easy. All you have to do is dump everything in a crock pot (or a stock pot on the stove) and heat until hot all the way through. Yup, it's that easy!

Vegan Four Bean Chili:

1 29 oz can of tomato sauce

1 15.5 oz can each of dark red kidney beans, navy beans, pinto beans, and black beans (don't drain the beans, dump the juice in as well)

1 whole package of beefless ground

1 tbsp liquid smoke

1/2 green bell pepper

1/4 - 1/3 yellow onion

2 tbsp garlic powder

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp cumin

1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper

To make this chili all you have to do is dump everything in a crock pot, mix it together, and let it sit on low for four to five hours, or two hours on high (If you don't have a crock pot just heat it on medium high in a large stock pot on the stove for about 30-45 minutes).

Yeah, that's it. I like to serve this either with crackers or tortilla chips, and vegan sour cream.This dish is incredibly easy to make and oh, so rewarding. A heaping bowl of this vegan chili will fit perfectly into your busy schedule.