Simple Vegetarian Three Bean Chili

We love chili. Before we became Vegetarians, I would use only two cans of beans and one pound of ground beef cow in this recipe. I prefer beans to ground beef, so to me, this is the perfect chili.
Kidney beans are a fantastic meat replacer as far as protein and iron are concerned, and they have the added benefit of being packed with fiber, which helps reduce LDL cholesterol. Read here to learn about why kidney beans are so good for you.

Simple Three Bean Chili

Ingredients:

1 bell pepper, chopped
1 poblano pepper, diced, to taste
1 jalapeno pepper, minced, to taste
1 brown onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
14.5 oz diced tomatoes
3-6 ounces can tomato paste
1 packet McCormick Chili seasoning, mild or hot
4 cans of your favorite chili beans
Heat the oil in your chili pot over medium high heat and add your onion and garlic. Saute until the onion is soft and golden brown.

While the onion and garlic are cooking, prepare your peppers. It is up to you to determine how much jalapeno you want to add. One word of caution: the seeds are HOT. Be careful not to add them unless you want fire hot chili! This is the amount of each pepper I used:

about a third of the jalapeno, half of the poblano and one whole bell.

Add to the onion and garlic mixture.

Then, add the diced tomatoes and stir well.

Add your chili seasoning.

And stir it all up.

Now it's time to add the beans! I used one can of white kidney beans (AKA Cannellini), one can of light red kidney beans and 2 cans of dark red kidney beans. I added the whole can, liquid and all.

It's up to you to decide when you add the tomato paste, if at all.  I added 1/2 the can of paste just before serving to take the edge off because ours came out pretty spicy for my taste. It also added a subtle hint of sweet tomato flavor and thickened it up a bit. If you're not sure whether you want to add it or not, wait until just before serving and do a taste test. Adjust accordingly!

After adding the beans, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 45 minutes, the longer the better.

You can keep it Vegan by enjoying it as is. I will admit that in a former stage of life, I would add a dollop of Daisy and a handful or two of cheese, but this way is much healthier and you actually taste the flavor of the chili, not the added dairy. Give it a try and see what you think!

Serve with Blue Ribbon Cornbread and enjoy!