Recipe of the Week ~ The Best Vegetarian Chili in the World

When I made this chili, I didn't expect there to be so much! I also didn't expect it to be so yummy! It's a little spicy, so if you don't like spice too much, I would lay off the jalapeno peppers, or maybe even cut it down to 1 pepper.

I found the recipe and photo here.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.

2. Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

Prep Time: 15 MinCook Time: 1 Hr Ready In: 1 Hr 15 Min
Servings: 8
Calories per Serving: 342
Total Fat per Serving: 7.7 g
Cholesterol per Serving: 0 mg

My Notes:

- I wasn't able to find Garbanzo beans so I got a can of mixed beans. That worked out really well.

- I couldn't find chili peppers either, so I put in some chili flakes.

- Warning: this chili is a little spicy!

- Some of the ingredients can be purchased fresh instead of canned (recommended). Just be aware of the additonal prep time.

- When reheating, you may need to add a tiny amount of water. Add to desired consistency.

- I used TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein). I'm not sure if it the same as the Vegetarian Burger Crumbles mentioned in the recipe, but it works amazingly well. My dinner guest thought he was eating chili with ground beef!

- I served this with garlic bread (toasted with olive mixed with crushed garlic). It can also be served with crackers, but the bread was extra yummy.