Vegetarian Chili

It's Superbowl weekend and even though I am not a football fan, I do like getting together with friends and eating! In honor of the big game, I made a pot of vegetarian (vegan) chili. The most challenging part of this blog so far, has been writing out the recipes. I don't usually measure anything when I'm cooking, especially chili. I change the ingredients around depending on what I have at hand. I kept notes today so I'd have some idea of exactly what I put in the pot and how much! I like spicy food, but if you don't, you may want to tweak this recipe to suit your own taste. GO EAGLES! (I know they're not playing....just messin' with ya)

Vegetarian/Vegan Chili

3 C dried beans (I used Red Kidney, Navy and Pinto) soaked overnight in water and drained

1 Green Bell Pepper, diced

1 Red Bell Pepper, diced

1 Jalapeno Pepper, diced

1 Yellow onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, diced

3 Carrots, quartered and diced

1 28oz can of Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes

1 6oz can of tomato paste

2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce

1 or 2 8oz pkgs of Chorizo Seitan

4 C water

3 tsp Chili Powder

3 tsp Paprika

2 tsp Cumin

3 Bay Leaves

Salt, Pepper and Olive Oil

Garnish: Cheddar Cheese, Green Onions, Bread, Tortilla Chips, etc

In a 6 qt stock pot, saute the onions, garlic, carrots and peppers in a few tablespoons of olive oil. When the onions are translucent, add the beans, tomatoes, water and spices. (Not the salt!) Turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer for 2 hours. Crumble the seitan and add to the chili. Add salt to taste and simmer another 15-20 minutes. Remove Bay Leaves before serving. Makes about 4 qts of chili.

NOTES: Adding salt too soon prevents the beans from getting soft. Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce can be found in the Mexican section of your market. They come in a small can and pack a big punch. Don't even think about adding the entire can! Upton's Naturals makes a non-GMO Chorizo flavored Seitan. If your market carries it, it's probably in the refrigerator section where the tofu is located. Using a pressure cooker will reduce cooking time. I allowed mine to simmer for 5 hours, but it's not necessary.