How to Make Vegetarian Chili

A hot bowl of chili on a cold winters night; what could be better when the weather starts to become cold? Vegetable chili is an easy to prepare meal any time of year of course and If you don't eat meat you can still enjoy a hearty bowl of vegetarian chili. It is just as filling and in my opinion tastes better than its meaty counterpart. Meat eaters will love it too!

There is so much confusing information about what is healthy to eat these days. Fad diets and recommendations come and go. Foods that we once thought were good for us suddenly are not. There is one item that remains consistent and that is is vegetables.

I have never heard of or read anywhere a discovery that a vegetable is not good for you or should be eaten in moderation. The vegetable family is the only food group that you can be sure is consistently promoted as a food you can eat in unlimited quantities. We need more vegetables in our diet and this recipe is one way of getting those extra veggies.

My daughter recently made the decision to become vegetarian and she has managed to stick to a vegetarian diet but it gets complicated especially in this meat eaters world. Trying to support her decision has not been easy. It really opened my eyes to how our meals are dominated by the inclusion of beef, chicken and other meat by products. I am now continually seeking out vegetarian recipes. Vegetarian chili is a good dinner time option as it is a substantial and filling meal.

How do you make vegetarian chili? It's really quite easy and doesn't take too long at all. Let's go through the steps to making a delicious meal of chili with no meat.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: depends on cook method

Serves: 6

Don't have a slow cooker? No worries! Below is an great recipe for a quick stove top veggie chili.

Ingredients

• 1 small yellow onion chopped
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 1 large carrot chopped
• 1 medium green pepper chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 19 oz can diced tomato
• 1 19 oz can kidney beans, undrained
• herbamare, or sea salt
• pepper
• dried oregano leaves
• chili powder
• balsamic vinegar
• cooking oil
• Tortilla chips (optional)

Instructions:

1. Saute onion, celery, carrot and green pepper in oil in a large skillet
2. Sprinkle with herbamare (or sea salt), pepper and oregano leaves to taste
3. Saute for about 5 minutes over medium heat
4. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, chili powder (to taste) and a few splashes of balsamic vinegar
5. Bring to a boil and then lower to simmer and cover for 10 to 15 minutes until veggies are tender
6. Serve with tortilla chips if you wish and enjoy!

They can make you sick!

Raw kidney beans contain a toxin that can make you ill. The consumption of as little as three raw beans is enough to ingest the toxin and cause sickness.

However, most of us do not eat raw kidney beans but did you know that to render the raw bean safe they must be boiled for at least 10 minutes. Kidney beans that are cooked to a temperature of 75 to 80 degrees are five times as toxic as raw beans! The slow cooker will only bring a raw bean to this temperature.

Please be safe and boil your raw beans for 10 minutes or use canned beans. Do not just dump raw beans in your slow cooker!

This chili has a little twist to it - it contains poached eggs! This is certainly a great way to get your extra protein if you are vegetarian.

A comfort food recipe perfect for the winter months. Check out The Smitten Kitchen to learn how to make it. Yum!

"Eat your vegetables". This has been been the mantra of mothers everywhere for generations. There is one thing about nutrition that is consistent and that is the mighty vegetable. However, it is also not the tastiest of food choices. We have become accustomed to consuming meats and sugars that our taste preferences have changed but you can certainly changed them back! Preparing vegetables in delicious ways helps us to consume them more often. There are a myriad of recipes on the internet to help you find the taste sensations that work for you and your family.

We must monitor our intake of pretty much everything other than the vegetable because too much of a good thing can turn into a bad thing quickly. Fruit is good for you but because it has a higher sugar concentration we are always encouraged to moderate our intake.

Vegetables are always the exception to this rule. Have you ever heard that we should eat less vegetables or eat them in moderation? Most people struggle with their vegetable intake. It is a simple premise to eat more vegetables however it is not easy.

Vegetables just aren't considered a fun food but they can be if prepared properly. Try hiding your vegetables in a tasty recipe like a vegetarian chili. Chili is the perfect muse!