Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Vegetarian Crockpot Chili

It's been a busy week so there has been a lot of crockpot action going on in my kitchen.  Yesterday the fella threw this chili together for about the millionth time and I couldn't believe I hadn't written about it yet.  It's tasty and a great low fat/high protein meal. 

Aside from the basic seasoning and the inclusion of beans you could add whatever you have in the kitchen to this recipe to create whatever chili you're in the mood for that particular day.  It's a very forgiving recipe and beans hold up great in the crockpot so you really can't go wrong.  If you don't like spice you could skip the chipotles or go for a milder jalapeno.  Feel free to use whatever combination of beans you have around.  We used kidney and cannellini beans since we had a bunch left over from the pottage earlier in the week (I'm terrible at estimating how many dry beans to cook in order to get the amount of beans I need for a recipe.)   But we're also fond of a combination of black beans and chickpeas.

I like to top this with a little sour cream or yogurt and cilantro to add a little something extra to it while still sticking to the vaguely southwestern theme.  But if you wanted to be naughty some melted cheddar cheese on top would be amazing.  So go crazy and treat yourself to a meal  that cooks while you're at work.


Vegetarian Crockpot Chili

2 tablespoons oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cumin 
2 tablespoon chili powder 

2 teaspoons oregano
2 tablespoons soy sauce 
1 28-ounce can tomatoes (or about 1 pound fresh tomatoes chopped) 
2 cups vegetable broth
1 6-ounce can tomato paste 
2 chipotles with some of their sauce, chopped
2 14-ounce cans black beans, drained
2 14-ounce cans red kidney beans, drained
salt and  pepper, to taste 

sour cream or yogurt, as topping
cilantro, as topping

    Sautee the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until the onion is soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook for two more minutes. 

    Place the onions along with all the remaining ingredients, except sour cream and cilantro in the crock pot, stirring to combine.  Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

    Top with sour cream and cilantro just before serving.

    Recipe made much more interesting from boring original over at  About.com

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