Vegetarian Chili

Anyone that has been reading my blog the past couple of weeks has seen a lot of soup recipes. I have been making a new kind of soup each week. It has been a lot of fun and I have been enjoying all the different kinds of soups that I have experimented with. It is a great lunch to take with me to work; it is comforting and great to warm me on these cold days in winter.

This week I did change it up just a little bit, I made chili. Not just any kind of chili, but vegetarian chili. This is my first time making a vegetarian chili and it was a hit with the family. With a chili that is so full of flavor; who really needs to have meat. Once again I found this recipe in the cookbook that I checked out of my public library Better Homes and Gardens soup & stews Cooking For Today. This book has so many wonderful soup recipes in it, but I am sad to say that this book has to go back to the library this weekend. I am sure that I will check it out again; there are still so many recipes in this book that I would like to try.

I did adapt the chili some though. The recipe did not call for any peppers in the chili and for me chili just has to have peppers. The recipe called for zucchini and I did leave that ingredient out, I was not sure about zucchini in chili, plus the fact that I didn’t have zucchini in the house helped with that decision. Plus the recipe called for beer, which I decided to add, I am glad I did, it added a unique flavor.

I think that this chili would be a great addition to any menu for the big game this weekend. It is spicy and full of flavor and one of the best things your family and friends will be eating a super healthy chili and they won’t even know it.

Vegetarian Chili (Adapted  from Better Homes and Gardens soups & stews Cooking For Today)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic; minced
1 large onion chopped
1/2 large green pepper chopped
1 large red pepper chopped
1-14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1-12 ounce bottle beer (I used a light beer)
48 ounces of tomato juice
2-15 ounce cans kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1-15 ounce can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1-15 ounce can chili beans
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 1/2 ground cumin
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon crushed red peppers
1 teaspoon pepper
Several dashes bottled hot pepper sauce
1 cup fresh or frozen whole kernel corn
Directions:
In a Dutch oven cook garlic, onion, and green and red peppers in hot oil for about  30 seconds. Stir in the undrained tomatoes, beer tomato juice, chili powder, mustard, oregano, cumin, pepper, crushed red peppers, and hot pepper sauce. Stir the beans into this mixture. Bring the mixture to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes.
Stir in corn and simmer, covered, about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. If you like you can top it with shredded cheese.