Wicked Vegetarian Recipes

Vegetarian Chili

I have been craving good chili, probably due to the cold weather we've been having. Looked around for a good veg chili recipe, and found a new one that I decided to try (courtesy of Emeril Lagasse). I tweaked it a bit to suit my own tastes, and it turned out great - highly recommended!

Note: If you don't like a lot of spice, drop the number of serranos and amount of chili powder and cayenne.

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 medium)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (1 large)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 to 3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 medium zucchini, stem ends trimmed, quartered and chopped
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms (about 5 large), stemmed, wiped clean and cubed
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespooon ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Cooked brown rice, accompaniment
Sour cream, garnish
Diced avocado, garnish
Chopped green onions, garnish

In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, and serrano peppers, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, corn, and mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until soft and the vegetables give off their liquid and start to brown around the edges, about 6 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Add the beans, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, to taste.

To serve, place 1/4 cup of brown rice in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle the chili into the bowls over the rice. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and spoonful of avocado. Sprinkle with and green onions and serve. Six to eight servings.