subject: An Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Vegetarian Chili Recipe [print this page] An Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Vegetarian Chili Recipe
Last week, I saw that Jackie, who writes the amazing blog Jackie's Kitchen, posted a terrific looking vegetarian chili recipe with black beans and sweet potatoes. It got me thinking that it had been too long since I made a really delicious simple chili recipe. The only problem was that I didn't have nearly enough of the ingredients handy to make Jackie's vegetarian chili recipe, so I made my own dish. Okay, well to be honest this easy chili recipe doesn't resemble Jackie's chili in the slightest. However, she did inspire me to make a chili, so that's got to count for something, right?
I call this an everything but the kitchen sink chili because, well, it seemed like I threw in the most random ingredients I could. Truthfully, that's more or less how this vegetarian chili recipe came to be. I had a few staple items in my kitchen and I decided to be bold with them. I remember as a kid going to restaurants and seeing everything-but-the-kitchen-sink burgers on the menu. I was always disgusted by the combos they came up with, but I was intrigued by the idea. From the seemingly chaotic array of ingredients comes a deliciously simple chili recipe that is perfect for a cold winter day.
An Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Vegetarian Chili Recipe
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
1 large can crushed tomatoes
2 cans diced tomatoes, with liquid
Vegetable broth or stock, as needed (optional)
1 cup barley (use brown rice or buckwheat if on a gluten-free diet)
1 can kidney beans, drained and well rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and well rinsed
1 large onion, diced
1-2 green peppers, de-seeded and sliced
1/4 cup black olives, finely diced
1/2 cup broccoli, chopped
2-4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2-4 tablespoons chili powder
1-2 tablespoons cumin
1-2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder, or more to taste
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste (optional)
Black pepper, freshly cracked
Instructions:
Add the crushed tomato can and the diced tomato cans to a large pot. Place over high heat until boiling, and then turn to a simmer. Add barley.
After about 10-15 minutes, add the beans, onion and green pepper. Stir to combine. If the chili is too thick for you, then add as much veggie stock as needed.
Once the barley begins to soften, stir in the olives and broccoli. Once the barley is cooked, stir in all of the spices. Let sit over a low heat for another 5 minutes, and then serve and enjoy.
See, I told you how easy this vegetarian chili recipe is! It's definitely an "anything goes" recipe as I included what I happened to have to hand at the time. Olives were by far the most unusual addition, but they added depth and a little saltiness to the chili. I'm not sure I've seen broccoli in any other basic chili recipe, but I will definitely be adding it to chili from now on. It adds some nice crunch and a welcome bit of green to this recipe. I love broccoli, but you can leave it out if you want. The idea to add cocoa powder to this chili originally came from Jackie's recipe for White Bean and Chicken Chili, but oddly enough Katie from the blog Making Food and Other Stuff also has a chili recipe that includes cocoa powder. Clearly there's something to this ingredient addition. I think it adds a little bitter sweet touch to the dish that helps mellow out some of the strong flavors. You can leave it out if you want, but think more about a Mexican-style mole sauce than a Hershey bar for the flavor.
Note: Due to their high sodium content and potential BPA contamination, I generally try to avoid canned goods when possible. Clearly I did not do that here. Unfortunately not everyone has time to crush their own tomatoes or to soak their own dry beans. Ultimately it's a personal decision what you feel comfortable using for ingredients.
Your Turn: What is your Favorite Food Item to add to chili?
