Where's The Beef: Chili Edition...

So, last Monday I shared with you a Quinoa recipe that our family loves...did you try it?  If you did, I'd love to know your thoughts and any changes you made to suit your tastes!


This weekend it was pretty chilly in the mid-west, so it seemed fitting to stick a pot of chili on the stove and let it simmer down.  In the past, I've used a pretty standard chili recipe, one that includes ground beef. Well, in keeping with our new family changes, I sought out to find a meatless chili recipe (vegetarian if you will) that would satisfy and not leave us feeling like something *ahem* was missing.


Chili is one of those subjective things...everyone has their own tried and true version, and no two chilis are alike.  I found that to be true while searching for the 'perfect' meatless chili.  Several came close, but I found that nothing truly seemed to fit the bill.  I ended up sort of shooting from the hip and came up with this recipe that we really loved!


I chose not to add a meat substitute, and instead used a combination of beans as the protein.  After that, I used traditional chili seasonings, but the two surprise ingredients were bay leaves and shredded carrot.  Both seemed to take the chili to the next level flavor-wise.  As with any chili, slow simmering seems to be the key to having a super-yummy pot of chili!  I cooked mine for about 2 hours on low. 

Sorry friends, no pictures of a superb bowl of chili...I took one and then decided that in general chili probably isn't meant to be photographed ha!


Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Vegetarian Chili

1/2 cup finely diced red onion

1 small green pepper finely diced

1 garlic clove minced

2 carrots shredded

1  4oz can diced green chilis

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp corriander

1/4 pkg of chili seasoning 

(I used William's no salt added only because I was out of chili powder...

otherwise I would have done about 2-3 tablespoons of chili powder to taste)

1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper if desired

2  14.5oz cans of tomatoes 

(I used salt-free petite diced) 

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained and rinsed

1 can blackbeans drained

(I didn't rinse the black beans) 

1 can light red kidney beans drained and rinsed

Directions:

In a large stockpot, saute onion and green pepper in a little olive oil until vegetables are softened.  Add chopped garlic and cook only until fragrant.  Add carrot, green chilis and all of the seasonings and cook for about a minute.  Add tomatoes and beans and let simmer on low for about an hour to two hours.  If the chili is thicker than you like, you can add a little vegetable broth or water (1/4 cup at a time) until desired consistency is reached.  Adjust seasonings, remove bay leaves and serve.

I topped my bowl with a squeeze of lime juice, cheese, sour cream and a few chips.

Next time I might saute a diced jalapeno pepper with the veggies and skip the cayenne pepper.


Hope you enjoy it!