We usually do the vegetarian chili thing on cold wintery nights, but when Rebecca mentioned it the other day, how could we not make it?  And while it hasn’t exactly been spring here in good ol’ New Jersey, it’s not winter either.  We’ve been stuck in 40-50 degree weather for these last few weeks with the exception of a random 85ish day thrown in there.

I know when people hear vegetarian they, more than likely, think of something bland; this chili recipe is far from bland.  I think even if I did the meat thing, I’d prefer this chili.  The recipe is from The Way the Cookie Crumbles and it is one of the few recipes that I haven’t really put my own spin on (with the exception of adding a different vegetable or two).  It’s that damn good.

So here we go, the ingredients.

And in list format:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
• ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ? teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon butter (optional)
• Some garnishes: cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, cilantro, etc.

First up, you’re going to combine the oil, peppers, onions, garlic and dry spices together in a large pot.  Saute this mixture on medium heat for a good 10-15 minutes.  We typically like our peppers a bit on the firm side, so I usually stay around the 10 minute mark.

Eventually this mixture will be somewhat brown from the cooking, the onions sweating and the spices.  Once brown, throw in the rest of your ingredients with the exception of the butter — tomatoes, beans and soy sauce.

We had some leftover peas in the freezer so I decided to throw them in the mix.  Honestly?  They didn’t do much for the chili — didn’t make it taste better nor did it taste worse.  At times, I’ve also added frozen corn to the mix.

Once you have everything together, turn up the heat to about medium-high.  You’ll want to bring this to a boil and once there, turn down the heat to low.  Cover and cook for a solid hour; stirring occasionally.

The butter?  Throw it in the mix right before serving.  It gives it a bit more of a richness flavor.  This time around, I didn’t use the butter as I felt the chili wasn’t lacking any richness.

That picture above?  Yeah, not mine.  I’m guessing my memory card wasn’t sitting right in the camera as I was snapping away.  Oops.  So the final product above is courtesy of The Way the Cookie Crumbles (thanks!).

As usual, we’re linking this up to What I Ate Wednesday at Peas and Crayons!