Vegetarian Chili Recipe

I've tasted and cooked many types of chili and this vegetarian chili is one of my favorites. If you are a meat eater you will still love this chili and you can impress your vegetarian friends. This delicious vegetarian chili with a salad on the side is a whole meal. The chili is nourishing on a cold day and refrigerates well so you can save some for another meal. Leftovers can be served over a fried egg or in tortillas.

What sets this chili recipe apart from standard vegetarian chili recipes is that it is not based on beans. Instead, the main ingredient is bulgur wheat. As you will see, this vegetarian chili has only one can of beans and the rest is bulgur. What's bulgur wheat? It's coarsely ground wheat berries that are parboiled. Bulgur is a staple in the middle eastern diet, it provides lots of vitamins and healthy carbs. Bulgur is not easy to find in a supermarket, you may need to go to a middle eastern store or a health food store. Arrowhead Mills makes an organic bulgur that is delicious but you can also buy bulgur in bulk at stores such as Whole Foods.

I and many other people find digesting a large bowl of bean to be uncomfortable. Most vegetarian chilis are exactly that-a bowl of beans. I much prefer this bulgur recipe, I find it so much easier to digest and the bulgur is an excellent meat substitute. It does not taste like chopped meat but it has a similar texture when cooked, and with all the spices you won't miss the meat.

The recipe

Makes about 5 healthy portions.

2 onions cubes
5 crushed garlic cloves (less or more to your taste)
2 16 ounce (or one 32) cans of shopped tomatoes in their juice
About a tsp or more of ground red hot pepper-I use hot paprika
1 tbsp Paprika
2 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp of salt-you can add more later
About 1/4 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
1 can of Kidney beans rinsed and drained
1 cup of Bulgur
3 tbsp vegetable oil, I add a tsp of virgin olive oil for more flavor
water

Method

Sweat the onions in a pan - meaning put them in alone and shake the pan to keep them from sticking, this gets the water out of the union and improves the flavor. Do this for about a minute and then add the oil quickly so it doesn't spatter-which is unlikely if you keep the pan on low heat. Add the garlic , spices and beans and shake the pan getting the onions and beans coated in the spices. Fry until onions are soft-do not burn the onions, this will only take a few minutes. Add the tomatoes simmer for about 1/2 hour. Now add a cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the bulgur and stir the chili, making sure there is no sticking. If there is, add more water one ounce at a time. Bulgur swells and cooks quickly so in about another 1/2 hour the chili will be ready. Make sure to check it periodically and stir to make sure it doesn't stick. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese on the side if you like.