culinary experiment...without pictures.

Because I have several vegetarian friends, I've been trying out some meatless dishes. I found this recipe online. I was skeptical at first, but it ended up turning out better than our regular chilli recipe. I added a few things and subtracted some others, resulting in this recipe. It is spicy (but not overpowering) and colorful, with an attractive variety of ingredients. The Cheyenne pepper (one of my additions) gives it an excellent flavor, and a hint of hotness.

Vegetarian Chilli

Ingredients:
-1 tablespoon vegetable oil
-1 cup chopped onion
-3/4 cup chopped carrot
-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
-1 cup chopped green bell pepper
-1 cup chopped red bell pepper
-3/4 cup chopped celery
-3/4 tablespoon chilli powder
-1 (5 ounce) can mushrooms
-28 ounces canned tomato, diced
-1 (19 ounce) can red kidney beans (with liquid)
-11 ounces corn
-1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
-1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
-1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
-1/4 teaspoon Cheyenne red pepper

Directions:
1. Heat oil in large pan over medium heat. Sauté onions, carrots, garlic, green pepper, red pepper, and celery. Season with salt, black pepper, and Cheyenne pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender.

2. Stir in the mushrooms and cook about four minutes. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, and corn. Add the cumin, oregano, and basil. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer at least twenty minutes, stirring frequently.