Hit me with your best veg chili recipe, please?

How spicy do you like it?

Very.

My kind of girl. Sweat down some onions and peppers in some butter and vegtable oil. The choice of peppers is up to your taste. Add some garlic as the onions get translucent. Add some crushed tomatoes and simmer for a bit. Add salt, pepper and chili powder and simmer a little more. Throw in a can of kidney beans and white beans (or two depending on the size of the batch) and simmer. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Hot sauce is also a nice addition. I like Amos and Andys. A little vegtable base also kicks up the flavor. Just keep messing with the flavors and the seasoning until it gets to where you want it.

I do pretty much what @Adirondackwannabe does, I just use black beans instead, and some cumin (to taste). Oh, and chili powder (again, to taste). Now I want some, too. Thinking a trip to the store is in my near future!

How can it be before 9:30 AM and I’m drooling thinking of chili? I like the black beans too.

It’s August and before 9:30 AM and we’re drooling for chili!

Oh, and @Jude, make up some cornbread with chopped up chilies in. The perfect addition to that meal.

Oops, almost forgot. You can throw some shredded cheese on top of the servings, and it also goes well with taco chips.

“Vegetarian Chili” is an oxymoron.

However, if making chili beans, I generally do waht @Adirondackwannabe recommends, although I put in equal amount kidney beans, pinto beans, and black beans. And I take three whole canned Ortega chili peppers, cut them into slices and add to the mix so that there is some alternative crunch to the beans and tomatoes.

Thanks, all.

I found a good one at allrecipes.com.

Allrecipes

@zenvelo Yes, it is an oxymoron from the point of view that Chili is short for Chili peppers with meat. Hence, the meat element is implied and to have chili w/o meat woudn’t be chili but something else.

However, from another angle, the word chili is the American English pronunciation of the Mexican word* chile which is hot pepper. So, from that angle you can use vegetables plus hot peppers (chilis) to make soups and stews.

I don’t have a recipe to share because we don’t eat that where I am. But I love it and I always follow the recipe tha comes in the back of the canned kidney beans and add lots of chopped celeries and a can of sliced mushrooms undrained, water and all).

*In other parts of Latin America chiles are called ají

I made a huge batch of chili last night but it had turkey in it.
You could probably make something very similar. I started with olive oil, lots of garlic, shallots, onions, shredded carrots that I chopped up in my food processor & some scallions. I then added the turkey (so omit this part). Then some beer and ½ a vegan bouillon cube (I’m addicted to Rapunzel brand vegan with sea salt & herbs – you can get them on Amazon or in certain (awesome) small markets). I let that all cook, added some hot sauce – I used green Tabasco and a chili pepper sauce from Trader Joe’s.
I then added 2 cans of black beans, 1 can of white, 1 can of red, some leftover refried kidney beans with lime and chilis, 1 huge can of diced tomatoes (with juice), about 2 T. of tomato paste and roughly 1 t. of all the following:
cinnamon, coriander, cayenne pepper, white pepper, paprika, chili powder, cumin (lots), a little bit of vanilla extract, and bay leaves. Plus, some more hot sauce.
And more beer.
I kinda just let this all sit for a while on a low heat. It came out pretty good – a little spicy. Lots of topping options too – sour cream, Mexican cheese blend, onions, avocado, tortilla chips, etc…

The beauty of chili, aside from the fact that it freezes very well and is delicious, is that you can get rid of leftovers in the house by throwing them in. Any veggies (fresh, frozen, on their way out), or canned goods. Chili is easy to make with what’s laying around the house.

Not for the faint of heart.

Ingredients
• 1 lb dried black beans, rinsed and picked over
• 6 dried ancho chiles
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayanne (or more to taste)
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons cornmeal
• ½ teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
• 2 large onions, roughly chopped
• 1 poblano chile, roughly chopped
• 2–4 chipotle chilis, roughly chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons molasses
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 bottle lager
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups thawed frozen corn (or kernels from 2–3 ears fresh)
• 2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and chopped
• Several tablespoons vegetable oil
• Limes

Instructions
1. Tear apart ancho chiles into rough chunks, removing seeds. Toast in a dry skillet for 4–6 minutes over medium heat until very fragrant. Dump into a food processor and let cool slightly. Add cayanne, cumin, cocoa, oregano, cornmeal, and ½ teaspoon salt to food processor and process until finely ground, several minutes. With processor running, slowly add about ½ cup vegetable broth until a smooth paste forms. Scrape paste into a bowl (do not wash out food processor).

2. Process onion in food processor until finely chopped, a few pulses. Add chipotles and poblano and process until it looks like a salsa, a few more pulses.

3. In a large dutch oven, heat a few tablespoons vegetable oil until shimmering over medium-high heat. Add onion/chile mixture and saute until liquid evaporates and vegetables are softened, about 7–10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and cook until paste darkens, 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add reserved ancho chile paste, soy sauce, and molasses and stir to combine. Add lager, scraping bottom of pot for any browned bits. Finally, add beans and vegetable broth and bring to a boil (if broth doesn’t cover beans, add water to cover—or add some of the diced tomatoes and their juice).

4. Simmer beans for one hour, skimming any foam that comes to the surface. Add diced tomatoes with juice and continue simmering for another hour and a half until beans are very tender (taste several beans as they cook unevenly). NOTE: you can put the whole dutch oven in a 325-degree oven and let it simmer in there, for more even cooking; just make sure your pot is oven-safe.

5. Meanwhile, place chopped zucchini in a large colander or strainer and sprinkle with about a ½ teaspoon of salt, toss to combine. Let rest 30 minutes over a bowl; the salt should draw out some of the zucchini’s liquid. Pat dry with paper towels.

6. Heat a tablespoon or so of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Add zucchini and sauté until browned on several sides, about 5–8 minutes. Add corn and continue sautéing until corn begins to brown, a few more minutes. Add zucchini and corn to the pot of beans.

7. Taste for seasoning, add more salt or cayanne if necessary. Ladle into bowls, squeeze lime juice to taste (lime juice is NOT OPTIONAL), and serve, ideally with cornbread.

Thanks for the dinner idea, I made vegetarian chili yesterday and it was pretty good. What’s more, it was extremely cheap and easy, so I’ve another recipe in my arsenal of perfect student meals.