Vegetarian Chili.

 

Today was a rainy, dreary day.  Now, it has turned into a lovely, sunshine-filled afternoon.  Once again, this fall weather has me perplexed.  It is however the beginning of my rest days as I prepare for my half marathon this Sunday.  I admit, I’m not a fan of “rest” days as I get very antsy and prefer to keep myself active either running or at the gym but for now – I’m taking it a bit easier, hydrating and eating lots of protein in preparation.

If you’ve been a follower of my blog, you know that about seven months ago I opted to change my diet and focus on becoming more vegetarian based foods.  To my chagrin, I haven’t missed the meat at all.  Actually, I’ve felt better without it.  Now my family however, are quite the carnivores.  My kids especially.  They swim a lot and I realize that the best option for protein (as they don’t consume the amount of beans/veggies I do) is lean meats (organic).  I do have one caveat and that is that a few times a week, everyone eats vegetarian or vegan.  No one seems to mind or really even miss the meat as I make hearty options that are super filling.  Plus the homemade cornbread is always a hit/distraction.

This recipe is very versatile using up whatever veggies you have on hand or like in your chili.  Adjust the spices to your taste as well.
Ingredients:

Olive oil
1/2 of a medium sized yellow onion, diced up finely
1/4 cup of ground cumin (use less if you aren’t a fan)
1/4 cup of chili powder
3 tablespoons of oregano
2 tablespoons of smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
3 bell peppers – any color, chopped (I used one red, orange and green)
1 jalapeño, diced
1- 28 ounce can of diced or crushed tomatoes (I used San Marzano)
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
2 cans of bean, rinsed.  You can use dark or light red kidney, garbanzo or black or any combination.  I used one can of dark red and one garbanzo.
1/2 of a bag of frozen organic corn.  You can use as much or as little as you prefer.
1 handful of cilantro leaves, chopped (fresh)

Directions:

In your Dutch oven, add some olive oil to the bottom of the pan and let it get nice and hot (medium heat).  Add your diced onions and cook them off for 3-4 minutes.  Then add your seasonings through ground pepper.  Give a good stir and let this cook for another 4 minutes or so.  Then you’re going to add the remaining ingredients.  Give a good stir, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and cover.  Simmer for at least 30 minutes up to several hours (check to ensure the liquid level is adequate and add water/veggie broth or wine if necessary).

Serve in bowls with corn bread as a side.  My cornbread recipe can be found here.

Then grab a book, a glass of wine and sit by the fire and enjoy!

 

 

— Knead to Cook