3rd Annual Chili Contest: Entry #4 – Veggie Chili {Meatless Monday}

Mr. Prevention and I were in Chicago over the weekend…just through Saturday evening. I had planned the trip to get my photo taken with a photographer in preparation of the cookbook (I posted one photo of Mr. P and I)…and  its quickly approaching deadline. (AH!!) As it would end up, we had the pleasure of sharing this chili with my family, and the lesserpleasure of watching the Illini lose…badly.

Let’s just say I’m glad we have a bye week next week. I’m more than ever looking forward to basketball season. And, THANK GOODNESS the chili contest has produced great entries to make football Saturdays something to look forward to.

My father-in-law made mention that he has never been asked to enter HIS chili recipe into the contest. I had to let him know that fair is fair and that he has to submit his recipe to me during the entry period.But since he’s family… here is a public notice that next year, one chili contest entry will be reserved for my father-in-law.

He swears that his venison chili recipe is the best. And seeing as he shot 3 does his first day out…there will be plenty of venison to go around!

I followed the recipe exactly and while I thought the 1 hour of simmering may yield a too-thick chili, it cooked perfectly and the veggies released their natural juices and the consistency was great. The entries thus far have been rather light on beans, so I was happy to not only see a vegetarian chili recipe, but a recipe chock-full of beans.

I promise, you won’t miss the meat in this one!

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Veggie Chili submitted and crated by Lauren of A Seat at the Table

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large zucchini, diced
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 bag (12 oz) frozen veggie “beef” crumbles
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
2 (28 oz) cans no salt added diced tomatoes with juice
2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:

In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Once hot, saute the onion, garlic, zucchini, and bell pepper until tender. Add the spices and mix well.

Stir in the “beef” crumbles and frozen corn. Add tomatoes and beans. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for about one hour.

Yield: 12 servings (1 1/2 cups each)

Nutrition Information (per serving): 278 calories; 4.3 g. fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 509 mg. sodium; 43 g. carbohydrate; 13.9 g. fiber; 19.5 g. protein

Result: This chili got a thumbs up from myself, Mr. P, my mom, dad, and brother, and brother’s girlfriend. I added 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne in case it was too hot for some. In retrospect, a full teaspoon would’ve been good for our spicy-loving family. The “beef” crumbles fooled everyone and only my brother felt slightly jaded about the whole situation, but he admitted that he didn’t know the difference. We loved the corn and all the beans…it’s very filling and hearty! A keeper, for sure!

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 The weekend went FAST! Back to the grind. It’s a busy work day ahead and a hockey game tonight!

Be well,