It's Chili Yall.

With the weather dropping, sorta depending where you live, I think most of us want something warm and simple to come home to. And if you are like me, with all this holiday insanity, you need something that doesn't take a lot of time. Soups and Chili are the perfect fix. With only a little chopping you throw everything into a pot and cook it until the flavors meld, which gives you just enough time to open the wine and snuggle up to a book. 

This recipe is a meld of a few different vegetarian chili dishes I found. You can add all sort of other vegetables such as zucchini, sweet potatoes, peppers, etc but I was looking for something with almost no chopping needed. My kitchen had been usurped by my roommate all day so it was 9pm before I could start dinner. Given the circumstance, I needed dinner to be quick so did not add a ton of vegetables. As I said, there a million variations, but this is a great basic chili to add on as you see fit. The flavors are rich and it's healthy to boot! You could also play with beans, using pinto or white northern beans, along with the classic black bean for a variation. As I said chili is fairly versatile, but knowing what spices to use helps your chili stand out.
Most of us will be eating fairly gourmet this weekend, but next week I urge you to make this simple, healthy chili. Make it on Monday and have lunch for the rest of the week :)

Vegetarian Chili
Based on "Vegetarian Pleasures" Black Bean Chili

The Goods: Makes a big ole pot of Chili, serves 4-6

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil 

2 medium onions, diced

6 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms, stemmed, wiped clean and cubed

2 cups fresh corn kernels (frozen is fine) 

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes in their juices

3 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups vegetable stock or water

2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (more if you want a spicy chili)

Suggested toppings: 

Sour cream and chives

Sliced Avocado

Shredded Cheddar

Fresh Cilantro

The Deal: 

1. Heat oil on medium high heat in a large stock pot. Add onions and garlic, cooking until soft, about 3 minutes. Add corn and mushrooms and cook until soft and browned around the edges, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chili powder, soy sauce, cumin, oregano, ginger, cinnamon, salt and cayenne, stirring constantly and cooking until fragrant about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, black beans, and vegetable stock and mix well while bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, keeping a good simmer until thickened, but not pasty, about 30 minutes. Taste and add seasonings if desired. 

Serve warm over brown rice. This also reheats beautifully, add a bit of water if too thick when reheating in a pot.