Chili anyone?

Running low on ideas?  Want to use up some of that stuff in your pantry, freezer or veggie drawer?  Chili is the perfect meal for you.  I make this at least once per month and I never use a recipe or make it the same way twice.  This is another one of those very forgiving meals where a variety of ingredients not only work, but enhance the flavor and texture.

Of course the chili that I make is always vegetarian, but omnivores can certainly throw in whatever meat they like.  Before going veg I used ground chicken or turkey a lot.  Nowadays I use TVP (texturized vegetable protein).  This granulated veggie protein is found on the shelf in most grocery stores' health food sections.  Once reconstituted with hot water, it has basically the same consistency as a ground meat.  I use it for things like tacos and chili.  My meat-eating hubby gobbles it down with no complaints.

On to the main course...  I always begin by heating a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot (medium heat).  To that I add a pile of onion (at least one large diced and often more).  While this is cooking I dice some bell pepper.  Any color will do, but I prefer red and orange for their health benefits.  After adding this to the pot, I give it a stir then dig into my veggie drawer to see what needs to be used up.  Almost always I have some carrots that I can peel, dice and toss in.  I love to add green onion if I have it on hand.  Diced zucchini works great as well. If I have corn (frozen or fresh) I like to add that.  As my veggies are sauteeing I mince garlic.  This goes in last as it can burn easily.  If you've read any of my previous recipes you know I love garlic and use massive amounts of it.  Chili is no exception.  Go nuts with it.

At this point you may be wondering about quantities, but that's the beauty of chili, for the most part, the exact quantity doesn't really matter much.  If you have one carrot, cool, use that.  Have two?  Great toss them both in.  I'm just careful not to have an abundance of any one veggie, with the exception of tomatoes or onions.  I've never been able to add too much of either.

To the sauteed veggies and garlic I like to add my first round of spices.  The three main ones are cumin, chili powder and oregano.  I would start by adding at least a tablespoon of cumin, 2t of chili powder and 1t oregano.  I also grind lots of fresh black pepper as the oils intensify with cooking.  Usually I sprinkle in some red pepper flakes.  Do this to your liking.  You can add more of any spice later on along with salt. 

Now for the tomatoes.  Once again I use what I have.  The last time I made this I dumped in a large pan of fresh roasted tomatoes.  For good measure I added a full can of tomato paste.  Sometimes I use jars of tomato puree or canned tomatoes.  I've even used tomato juice or V8.  The great thing about this is no matter if you use fresh, jarred, whole, diced, roasted or pasted tomatoes they all work great.  Use what's in your garden or pantry.  How much depends upon the amount of veggies and beans you are using.  Add enough tomato to have the consistency you desire.

Once you have the tomatoes, veggies and spices gently simmering (probably need to turn down the heat on your stove now) you can add the beans.  Once again, I use whatever I have on hand.  Last time I used a mixture of black and pinto.  I've used every kind of bean there is and they all work fine (kidney, navy, garbanzo, whatever).  I even toss in lentils sometimes.  In my opinion the more the merrier.  You can use canned beans or dried.  If you use canned, rinse them very well first.  If you use dried you must first cook them.  This is also when I would add my TVP.  If you plan on using meat, I would recommend browning it in the beginning with the onions.

This is the point where I check my liquid level.  Sometimes I add too many beans, so I need to add more tomatoes, tomato juice, V8 or sauce.  Last time I had a few cans of organic minestrone soup because I wanted it out of the pantry.  Worked out great. 

After simmering for 10-15 minutes it's time to check the flavor.  Often at this point I need to add more of the spices I listed above.  I like mine flavorful, so I tend to add a lot.  I would recommend adding a little of each at a time until you reach the desired flavor. 

You can eat this right away or leave it to gently simmer for hours (be sure to stir).  It's also great in a crockpot.  I like to serve topped with plain sour yogurt (my version of sour cream), chopped scallions or chives, a sprinkling of cheddar and some corn bread.  Sometimes I even combine all of these ingredients into a casserole.  Do whatever floats your boat :-)

Let me know what you think.  Happy cooking!