Spicy Vegetarian Chili

If you come from the same part of the world as me, the heading of this blog post probably doesn't make sense. Why specify "spicy" with "chili"? Traditionally to us, Chili is just this spicy hot pepper that is an essential part of out cooking. Chili, whose actual name comes from Spanish Chili con carne meaning peppers with meat, is a very popular food in America. Usually, meat, tomatoes and beans are the norm with other ingredients being the basis for variation.

Here is a recipe I tried out to create a spicy vegetarian version of Chili. it turned out great, and since I used canned ingredients this first time, it was also real simple. In fact, it was actually so good that I have decided to stick to the canned goods :)

Ingredients:

• 2 Cans of Del Monte diced tomatoes - Zesty Chili style
• 1 Can of Great Value Chili beans (Walmart brand)
• 4 Cloves garlic minced
• 1 Red onion chopped fine
• 1/2 Spanish onion chopped fine
• 1 Cup green, yellow and red bell pepper diced
• 2 Habanero peppers seeded and chopped fine
• 1/2 Cup sweet corn
• 2 Tblsp olive oil
• 2 Tblsp Italian spices
• 3 Tblsp sugar
• 3 Tsp salt
• 1 Tsp cumin powder
• 1 Tsp red chilli powder
• 3 Sprigs of green onion chopped
• 1/4 Cup of cilantro chopped

You begin with a large enough saucepan and start with heating the olive oil on medium heat. Once heated, add the garlic and the Italian seasoning and fry these for about 30 second. Then, add the onions to the mix and cook until you can see the onions begin to lose their color. This should  take around 3-4 minutes; keep the heat on medium all through this.

Now, add the peppers - habanero and the bell peppers, corn and all the spices except sugar. Cook these well until the bell peppers have lost their crunch and yet are not completely squishy - allow for some texture. While the peppers are cooking, puree the tomatoes. This step is optional. Like I have mentioned before, I just dislike chunks of tomatoes in  my food, so I puree them.

Once the peppers are done, add in the tomatoes and mix everything well. Bring the mix to a boil, and then add the sugar. The sugar helps tackle the tomatoes' tangy flavor which can sometimes overpower the other flavors. Simmer this for 8 minues and then add in the beans. Mix well again, and cook for another 5 minutes. At this time, you can taste and adjust spices, if you so wish.

Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro on top.

You can eat a bowl of chili on its own, but we prefer it with Chicago Italian bread slices toasted with olive oil and spices...