So... normally chili is made with ground meat, but I knew I could make a chili that is just as good even without meat! "What Joey? That is BLASPHEMY! Chili ain't chili without meat!" Well, here is a recipe to make this delicious vegetarian chili that is not only delicious and probably nutritious as well :)
I sort of looked at many recipes and made my own, but if you want a more precise recipe here's a good one: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/good-food-fast-with-family-circle/vegetarian-chili-recipe/index.html
Oh I also want to add, you can pretty much put whatever you want in your chili since it is such a versatile one pot dish!
You will need:
- Bell Peppers
- Mushrooms
- Zucchini
- Tomatoes
- Corn
- Onions
- A bean of your choice (or a mixture! I used black beans)
- Garlic
- Tomato Paste
* in terms of amount, I usually like to free style, so you can put however much or less you like really :)
- about 3 TBSP of Chili Powder
- Cayenne Powder (put as much or as little as you want, depending on how much heat you like!)
- Dried Oregano
- optional: Cumin and Cinnamon... I think I added that (about 1/2 TBSP?)
- Pepper to your taste
- Salt if needed (you probably will, but try to limit the amount of salt as much as possible :) )
- Honey to sweeten it a little, trust me on this! About 2-3 TBSP I think
As you already see, I've already chopped up everything. I used canned beans, so make sure you wash it so you don't get any extra salt. I also drained the canned corn. It's always a good idea to prep before actually doing the cooking process.
I forgot to take pictures of the cooking process because I was THAT into it... but I can briefly explain it.
- heat up the pot with your choice of oil
- once you got some heat going on, throw in the onions and zucchini...the point is to cook the vegetable that takes longer to cook and get the onion flavour out
- add the garlic shortly after, but try not to burn it!
- after about 2 -3 mins, add your bell peppers...then add the mushrooms and tomatoes
- cook until tender, then add the tomato paste, beans and corn. Add water if needed to get about the same texture as regular chili. Do it bit by bit to avoid adding too much water :)
- add your chili powder, cayenne, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, pepper and salt. Taste as you go
- turn the heat to a med-low and stir in the honey. Let it cook for about 30-45 minutes, but with chili, the longer it cooks the better, and tastes even better the next day!
Serve in a bowl and feel free to add a dollop of yoghurt (which is what I used) or sour cream... butI really can't taste the difference between the two, and cheese if you want, I didn't XD Oh and some tabasco wouldn't hurt ;)
It came out fantastic and yummayyy! It had wonderful flavour and texture. And the aroma? Don't even get me started on mentioning smellivision as Emeril would use to say.... or doe he still? I let my friend who is a meat lover and he was shocked at how tasty it was even without meat! It really just goes to show that you don't meat in order to make food good :) Best of luck and try it out!
