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CHILI, VEGGIE CHILI

 

The Hippy Gourmet's Quick & Simple Cookbook
Yeehaw, pardner, this is all-American good eating. This makes a whole lot of chili, but it's good the second day. If you don't want just a plain bowl of chili, spoon it over baked potatoes, roasted or baked sweet potatoes, tortilla chips, or corn bread.
Serves 8-10

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup dried pinto beans
• 2/3 cup dried black beans
• 2/3 cup dried kidney beans
• 2/3 cup dried red beans
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 regular-size onion, chopped, plus 1 small onion, chopped, divided
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped, divided
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped, divided
• 3 carrots, cut into chunks
• 3 stalks celery, chopped (including leaves)
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 (14½ ounce) cans plum tomatoes
• 1¼ cups cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas); you can use canned or some left over from another recipe
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Cheddar cheese, to taste, grated
 

Directions

Soak the beans (except the garbanzos) overnight or for about 8 hours. The water should cover the beans with about 2 inches of water on top.

Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium flame. Add half the regular-size onion, half the peppers, and half the garlic. Cook until softened.

Add the soaked beans (except the garbanzos), including their soaking liquid. Cook until softened. The cooking time will depend upon the age of your beans; expect an hour or more. Add water if it appears to be running low.

In another pot, mix the rest of the vegetables and the second half of the regular-size onion with the spices. Break up the tomatoes in the can with your hands and add them, along with their juices, to the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about half an hour. Add a bit of water if the mixture dries out.

When both the bean and the vegetable mixtures are done, take about 4 cups of the bean mixture and pulse in a blender. Put these back into the bean pot and add the vegetable and tomato mixture. Add the garbanzo beans and heat everything together for a few minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve with grated cheese and the rest of the chopped onion.