Vegetarian Chili

So it has been awhile. During my absence, I've decided to eat less meat. Long story that I'll share sometime. I've tried all kinds of wonderful vegetarian recipes and I've loved focusing on nutritious tasty vegetables now that I don't have to think about meat. It really is freeing, and I was surprised to find I don't miss meat at all.

Last week I got a craving for a vegetarian chili. Don't search for a recipe online. There are approximately 19 bizillion so it is virtually impossible to figure out which would be the tastiest. After reading about 6 of the 19 bizillion recipes, and using what I had around, this is what I came up with. Simple to throw together, surprisingly tasty.

1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 small zucchini, diced
8 cloves of garlic, diced
1 28oz can stewed tomatoes
2 15 oz cans black beans
1 15 oz can refried beans (weird, yes, but I ran out of other canned beans and actually it helped to thicken the chili)
1 heaping T chopped chipotles in adobo (I freeze the rest of the can to use in other recipes)
2 t chili powder
1 t cumin
1/2 t coriander
1/4 t ginger (I couldn't taste this, but a few different recipes called for it so maybe next time I should add more and/or use fresh to see what this ginger-in-chili business is all about)
cilantro

In a large stockpot with a little olive oil, saute the vegetables until soft. Add them in order since the onions need more time than the zucchini. Add everything else with some water if needed and simmer for 30 minutes. (That is how long it takes to whip up some cornbread---mmmm.) Top with some chopped cilantro.

Something I've discovered now that I don't eat as much meat is getting the right spices or flavorings can make or break any recipe. If you don't have meat to add flavor, you will end up with something boring and unsatisfying unless you replace it with something else interesting. In this chili, I'm pretty sure it is the adobo. I can't handle too much heat, but this had a little kick with a nice smoky flavor. Isn't it great that you can eliminate meat with just a tablespoon of the right flavors? Even if you like eating meat you have to admit that preparing and handling raw meat isn't in your top ten of favorite things to do.