Vegetarian Chili

In our experience, chili has always been brimming with ground beef. For this venture, we decided to have a go at vegetarian chili. Spicy, yet not so much so that your body is inclined to act out in utter outrage.

And so...

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
*1 medium red pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped chipotles in adobo 1 tbsp dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
3 cups cooked, drained red kidney beans
1 1/2 cups cooked, drained black beans
*1 1/2 cups cooked, drained white beans
*1/2 cup of tomato puree, if desired

Creatively Tweaked Method

(precise method has been creatively tweaked. Please see original recipe, cited below, for proper grammar, punctuation and spelling)

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, peppers and garlic and then cook for 10-12 minutes or until veggies are softened, but not browned.

Add chipotles, oregano, cumin, chili powder and salt. Stir to blend. Add tomatoes and 4 cups of water. Gently simmer over low heat for 45 minutes sans cover.

Finally, add all of the beans and let the concoction simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

Next, it's time to sing, as Mom will invariably break into the following spontaneous song whilst adding the beans:

Beans, beans the musical fruit,

the more you eat, the more you toot.

My Mother can relate almost any noun in the English language to an old-school rhyme or song. I believe it's an asset, a gift.

But I digress.

Yes, allow the chili to simmer for the additional amount of time noted above. Or, you know, Until It Bubbles.

For some extra flavor, serve with some shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Our work here is done. Enjoy.

Serves 6-8

*denotes our own additions

From wholefoodsmarket.com