Vegetarian chili
During the cold months of winter, there is nothing better than returning home to find dinner warm and ready to eat. This week’s recipe is simple, highly nutritious, and guaranteed to heat up any cool winter day. This recipe is also a great way to use up any vegetables left nearing the end of the week, if they haven’t been used up already.
The simplest way to do this is to use a slow cooker or a crock-pot, that way all of the ingredients can be prepared beforehand and thrown in whenever the time presents itself. The first step is washing and chopping up the following ingredients: cooking onion, garlic, peppers (green, red, yellow, orange – whatever is in the fridge), zucchini, mushrooms, jalapeno (leave the seeds in if you like it spicy), and spinach.
Add all of these to the crock-pot and then rinse the chosen beans – try black beans, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas or any others enjoyed. It is easiest (and most inexpensive) to buy a can of black beans, kidney beans, and a six-bean blend. Depending on how much chili is wanted, more beans can be added to the mix. Also, make sure to purchase or search the pantry for a few cans of diced tomatoes with no salt added.
Add both the beans and the diced tomatoes to the crock-pot, along with all of the veggies. Add salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and chili powder to the crock-pot and stir. Place the crock-pot on low heat for 8 hours, or on high for 6 hours, and be prepared to smell the goodness when arriving home after a long day. Choose to serve on its own, with shredded cheese, or with slices of avocado on top. This meal is enjoyed by all and is a comforting choice during the cooler months of the year. During a busy workweek, or a semester filled with classes, it is a welcomed meal that requires little preparation and is filled with so much goodness and nutritional value for such a small price. This chili freezes well and could be used as a topping on a vegetarian taco salad. As always, here is the grocery list. Enjoy!
– 3 to 4 bell peppers (any colour)
– Cooking onion (1 large, or 2 small/medium)
– Garlic (at least 3-4 cloves)
– Jalapeño (optional, recommended 1 or 2)
– Black beans
– Kidney beans
– Chickpeas/six-bean blend
– Spinach
– Mushrooms
– Salt
– Black pepper
– Cayenne pepper
– Chili powder