Recipe: Vegetarian Chili

Ask any southern man … Vegetarian Chili or Chili with Meat?… and the answer you most probably will hear… Chili with Meat. Seems in the south they like their chicken fried and their chili with meat… so making a Vegetarian Chili for my southern guy was a challenge.. getting him to admit chili did not have to have meat in it was… well… almost impossible.. best I can hope for is a … not bad.. not bad.

Truth be told.. I’m a Chili with Meat person myself… however.. being open minded and loving the vegetables and spices in chili… it was not hard to get me to try this.

If you love chili.. you will love this.. after all.. truthfully… it’s all in the flavors… that’s what really matters.

And as always.. here are a few tips…

TIPS

Be flexible when making a pot of chili… you can make this hundreds of different ways… use the recipe as a guide.

If you don’t have the specific cans of tomatoes that I used… use what you have.. just try and stick to the same family of flavors… I wouldn’t recommend using the Basil Garlic and Oregano variety of tomatoes… but Tomatoes with Green Pepper and Onions work just as well as the ones I list below…

If you do substitute the Delmonte canned Tomatoes with Zesty Mild Green Chilis and Zesty Jalapenos, put in a small can of diced chilis and/or chop a fresh Jalapeno…

Be careful when chopping Jalapenos… keep hands away from your eyes… discard the seeds … wear gloves when possible… wash hands thoroughly after handling them.

Black beans are a great addition… use them in place of one of the cans of kidney beans…

I diced my vegetables.. you can easily just cut chunky pieces for a more “rustic” chili.

Cornbread is a great side dish for this…

Serve this with sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped green onion (both white and green parts) and tortilla chips.

This will warm you for the inside out on a cold winter’s night!






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Recipe: Vegetarian Chili

All you need:

2 cans (about 15 ounces) of kidney beans (light red or dark or a combination)
2 cans (14.5 ounces) of tomatoes (I use Delmonte canned tomatoes with Zesty Mild Green Chilis and Zesty Jalapenos)…
1 can (14.5 ounces) plain tomatoes
3 medium onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 peppers (red, green, yellow…any combination), diced
I can (15 ¼ ounces) Sweet Whole Kernel Corn

The Seasoning:

½ teaspoon cornstarch
1/3 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt

All you need to do:

Stove Top Method:

In a large pot, combine all ingredients and simmer for 2 hours or longer… (3-4 hours is better). Stir occasionally.

Crock Pot Method:

In a crock pot combine all ingredients.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until done. Stir occasionally.