Tuesday, March 6, 2012

40 Meatless Meals: Vegetarian Chili

This vegetarian chili harnesses some unlikely ingredients to beef it up without the beef. This probably qualifies as one of the best chili recipes I've made, meat or no.

Serves six to eight.

2 tablespoons oil
1½ cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 to 3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 medium zucchini, stem ends trimmed and cut into small dice
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1½ pounds portobello mushrooms (about 5 large), stemmed, wiped clean and cubed
2 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
1¼ tsp salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 cups cooked black beans (or 2 15-oz cans), rinsed and drained
1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable stock or water

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, and serrano peppers, and cook, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, corn, and mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables give off their liquid and start to brown around the edges, about 6 minutes.

Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, tomato sauce and vegetable stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat, and adjust the seasoning, to taste.

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