Recipe: Vegetarian Chili

Hey everyone! This recipe is brought to us by the awesome Meagan Thompson. Ever since I became a vegetarian a couple of months ago, I've had some trouble figuring out what to eat besides salads and carbs. Meagan is super inspiring because she's adapted a lot of her and her family's previous recipes to be vegetarian friendly. When I asked her to do this post and she said she was making vegetarian chili I was all over it. I don't post any recipes on my blog without trying them first and I absolutely love this chili. Plus, it's not too overwhelming and I could actually make it on my own. A big thanks to Meagan for sharing! Enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili

 Ingredients 

• 1 can of black beans 
• 1 can of kidney beans 
• 1 can of white kidney beans 
• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes 
• 2-3 large carrots, peeled and chopped 
• 1 small onion, chopped 
• 1 jalapeño, chopped (keep seeds if you want it spicier) 
• 1 anaheim pepper, chopped 
• 1 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange), chopped 
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed 
• 4 cloves garlic, minced 
• 3 tbs. olive oil 
• 1 tbs. pepper
• 1 tbs. salt 
• 1 tbs. chili powder 
• 1/2 tbs. garlic powder 
• 1-2 tsp. cayenne powder (depending on how spicy you would like it) 

 Directions 

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil to heat up (when you flick some water in and it sizzles, it's ready). 

2. To the oil, add onion, garlic, peppers, and carrots. Sweat the vegetables for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Stir occasionally.  

3. While the vegetables cook, open the cans of beans, and rinse and drain them. Add them to the vegetables when the onions are translucent, along with the corn. Stir everything together.

4. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, and stir.

5. Add all the spices, adjusting depending on your tastes. (I like more pepper and less salt, and a heaping tsp. of cayenne.) 

6. Let everything simmer for 20-30 minutes, giving the beans time to cook. Stir occasionally.

Serve with a spoonful of sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and fresh chopped chives. Cornbread is optional.