Easy Vegetarian Chili (Crock Pot Recipe)

This will be the third year in a row that my fiance and I will celebrate Thanksgiving minus the Turkey. Instead of opting for Tofurkey -- the word alone often induces scrunched up noses and queasy stomachs) -- we're making one of our famous dishes: Vegetarian chili. The great thing about vegetarian chili is that you can customize it to your liking and it's nearly impossible to mess up. Keep that in mind if cooking stresses you out. I promise this is one recipe that will be famous at your Thanksgiving table this year, for the meat eaters and herbivores alike!

Yields: Approximately 5 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 [15 oz] cans butter beans [drained]

1 [15 oz] can kidney beans [drained]

1 [15 oz] can garbanzo beans [drained]

1 [15 oz] can/bag of yellow corn [drained]

3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 green bell peppers, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, chopped finely

Seasoning (add to taste)

10 oz vegetable broth (most broths will come in larger sizes, you only need about 10 oz though)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon salt

1/4 cup chili powder

Directions:

1. First, chop your carrots into bite-size pieces and boil these in water. They take longer than the other vegetables to soften so pre-soften them while you are chopping the other veggies.

2. Now that the carrots are boiling, clean and cut your other fresh vegetables (onion, celery, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers). Put these into the crock pot.

3. Drain all of your canned vegetables (beans, corn, tomatoes) and add those to the chopped vegetables.

4. Add approximately 10 oz. of the vegetable broth to your vegetables. Add water so that there all of the vegetables are submerged and not peaking out. Keep in mind that the liquid will evaporate so if you like watery chili, add more water/broth. If you like your chili thick, reduce the amount of liquid.

5. Drain your carrots and add them to the rest of the vegetables.

6. In a separate bowl, mix all of your seasoning agents. After they are mixed, add them to your vegetables/broth.

7. Set your crockpot to medium temperature. It will take 2-3 hours until it is finished. If you want to cook it faster, set the temperature to high.

8. Make sure to check on your chili occasionally. Taste it to see if it's missing any flavor and add salt/cumin/chili pepper/etc. according to your taste.

9. Serve it up hot. Don't forget to add some cheese and sour cream garnish if you please!

*This recipe will also work if you want to cook over the stove. Follow the above directions but only cook for 20-30 minutes. The advantage of a crockpot is that the flavors will be more enhanced/even.