Housewarming Vegetarian Chile

Housewarming Vegetarian Chili

By CONNIE SCHULTZ

You’ll notice that this recipe calls for 1/4 cup of chili powder, or to taste. Make sure you’re using chili powder, not chile powder. Chili powder is a blend of spices, usually including cumin, paprika, garlic powder and cayenne. Chile powder, on the other hand, is simply dried, powdered chile peppers, such as cayenne—a very spicy product! For this recipe, you need chili powder, because pure chile powder will make the finished dish too hot. However, because each brand of chili powder uses a slightly different blend of spices, some will be rather hot and some will be quite mild. So taste a pinch of your chili powder before using it, and then add it to your family’s taste. 

INGREDIENTS

·         4 cups no-salt-added tomato juice, divided

·         ¾ cup bulgur wheat

·         1 Tbsp olive oil

·         4–6 cloves garlic, minced

·         1½ cups chopped onion

·         1½ chopped green bell pepper

·         1 cup chopped celery

·         1¼ cups chopped carrot

·         2 (14½-oz) cans diced tomatoes, drained

·         ¼ cup chili powder, or to taste (not chile powder)

·         1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

·         1 tsp dried basil

·         1 tsp dried oregano

·         1 tsp ground cumin

·         Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

·         1 (15-oz) can red kidney beans, drained

·         1 (15-oz) can cannellini beans, drained

·         1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, drained

·         Corn bread, grated cheddar, diced onion, cilantro, and sour cream, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1.    Bring 1 cup tomato juice to a boil in a pan. Add bulgur, stir, and remove from heat. Let stand.

2.    Meanwhile, warm oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrot. Sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes, chili powder, lemon juice, basil, oregano, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer; cook 2 minutes. Add beans, remaining tomato juice, and bulgur mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered 30 minutes, stirring ­occasionally. Serve with corn bread and toppings, if desired.

NOTES: I made this and it was the first vegetarian chili worthy of even being a starting point, probably due to the bulgur, and the bean combination. Next time I would omit the carrot, and substitute the green pepper with a combination  of more exotic peppers (pasilla, red jalapeno, Anaheim), diced much smaller. The large chunks of green pepper were pedestrian and unappetizing, and the carrot seemed out of place in a chili.