Vegetarian Chili

This chili is a hit!  Bryce and Michelle tried it, Mom tried it and of course I made it for Justin.  Everyone seemed to like it.  I seemed to like it with a good helping of sour cream and cheese, but that's how I roll.  This chili is healthy and tasty.  The only thing about it, is that the original recipe is VERY spicy.  I omitted a few of the spiciest things and made some notes about the others.  I also found a recipe for chili powder that allowed me to add all of the flavor of chili powder without the kick (notice it calls for a full quarter cup of chili powder).  Do not skimp on the other spices.  It will seem like a lot, but don't fear!  It's great that way.  I also used whatever beans I had on hand, without following the recipe exactly.  Want to eat more beans?  This is a great way.

Vegetarian Chili

• 1 TB olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 TB oregano
• 1 TB salt
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 green peppers, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped [I did more]
• 1 (4 oz) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained [I didn't drain them]
• 3 (28 oz) cans diced/crushed tomatoes [or until the amount of tomatoes looks right to you - I've also done fresh diced tomatoes]
• 1/4 cup chili powder [I would do less, or alter the cayenne using the recipe I linked to above]
• 1 TB black pepper [maybe less for kids]
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can whole kernel corn

Saute onion in olive oil, season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano and salt.  Cooke and stir until onion is tender, then add the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, garlic and green chili peppers.  Heat through, cover pot and simmer 5 minutes.  Mix the tomatoes into the pot.  Season with chili powder and pepper.  Stir in the beans.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes.  Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

[I also tried this by dumping everything into a slow cooker in the morning and it was done and delicious by dinnertime.  It's very low-hassle that way.]