VEGETARIAN CHILI

This was the best chili I have ever had, meat or not.



INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon oil

1 clove garlic

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 Yukon Gold potato chopped in 1/2 inch pieces

1 sweet potato chopped in 1/2 inch pieces

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cups frozen corn

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

1 can red black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

A dash of dried oregano

1 can tomato sauce (Then fill can with water and empty in pot)

1 can tomato paste

Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:
1. Rinse and divide the fresh vegetables. Chop the veggies into small pieces.

2. In a large skillet, saute the garlic, bell pepper, celery, and onion in hot oil until they are almost soft. I add just a little salt in the saute to make sure the veggies are well seasoned.

3. While one is stirring the vegetables in the skillet, the other needs to be opening the cans of beans and sauces. Drain and rinse all the beans.

4. In a large pot, mix together the chopped, cooked vegetables with the can of diced tomatoes,corn, beans, tomato sauce, can of water, tomato paste, cilantro, bay leaf, and spices. Save some of the chopped onion to use as topping.

5. Cover and cook on the low heat setting about one hour. I like to let chili simmer for hours because the longer it sits the better it tastes. But the flavors should be well mingled after an hour or so.

I have amended this recipe from one I found online, in hopes to recreate the Delicious vegan chili they make at Evos, which is a healthy fast food place in St. Pete Florida that offers really great fast food options for people who want to eat well for a good price and it tastes amazing. I added the potato because I have seen it in chili recipes before and have been unsure about adding it in, but I am experimenting with this recipe so I though why not add my favorite Yukon gold potato, and my newly discovered sweet potato. Well new to me, I had no idea they could be used in savory applications.

I also really wanted to try this recipe because Mike and I have been trying to eat vegan or vegetarian every other night or as much as possible. Its really hard to give up meat all together even though I know its better for people to eat less meat and its a hell of a lot better for the environment. It also keeps me in my skinny jeans. And my oven is broken so I could not make the veggie pizzas I made in an earlier post http://anondairylife.blogspot.com/2010/04/pizza-night.html