Chilly Weather Calls for Chili

One of my all-time favorite foods to make is chili. It's so easy and delicious and can be really healthy! It can also be really high in sodium and fat. One more reason to cook at home...you control the fat and the salt. Tonight's chili is vegetarian, but sometimes I make it with ground turkey or soy crumbles and it's delicious that way too. Here's my basic recipe for chili, but I never make it the same way twice:

• 1-2 cans kidney beans (more if I'm cooking for a crowd!), drained and rinsed
  
• 1 can chili beans
• 1 can chili-ready tomatoes
• 1 can low sodium diced tomatoes
  
• 1# turkey chili or the equivalent in soy crumbles (I like Morningstar)
• 1 Tablespoon canola oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• 1 teaspoon smoked hot paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper (more if you like it hotter)
  
• salt and pepper to taste

If using turkey, brown the meat in a small amount of oil and then set aside to drain. Saute the onion, garlic, carrots and celery in the oil for 3-5 minutes until soft, but not browned. Add the beans and tomatoes. To this add either the cooked turkey or the soy crumbles. Next, add all of the spices. Stir until combined and then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer covered 20 minutes to 1 hour - the longer the better!

Sometimes I like to use multiple types of beans to make it colorful and interesting - especially if I'm making it totally vegetarian. Tonight, I used my immersion blender to blend just a little of the beans to thicken and add texture to my vegetarian chili. Serve with jalapeno cornbread or over chips, with a yummy green salad and a good dark beer! Enjoy!