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Healthy Vegetarian Chili with Red Wine and Garlic
Vegetarian chili recipes can be every bit as tasty and rich as meaty ones. You just need to know what to put into them. The following recipe is hearty and flavorful. The green pepper, onion, tomatoes, beans, celery and garlic go well together and the wine, chili, herbs, and spices give the dish plenty of taste. If you do not want to use red wine, you could use water in this vegetarian chili recipe in its place.
This chili recipe can be frozen if you like. If you want to freeze it, leave off the sour cream. Let the chili cool completely, then cover it and freeze it for up to two months. When you want to eat it, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, and then heat it in a big pot over a medium heat, stirring it every ten minutes. Cook it very slowly for about half an hour, and then serve it with sour cream. Chili recipes normally taste even better when they are reheated actually; the flavors are more intense and more blended.
Feel free to alter the following chili recipe if you want to use other vegetables. Traditionally a "chili con carne" just contained meat and chilies, and perhaps some beans, but this dish now usually contains ground beef, tomatoes, beans, chilies and more. Chili can be served with rice or by itself. Cornbread muffins go nicely too and these serving ideas apply to vegetarian chili recipes just as much as meat ones.
Hearty Vegetarian Chili
Ingredients -
2 cans diced tomatoes, not drained, 14 ½ oz each
1 de-seeded, chopped green bell pepper
1 chopped onion
¾ cup dry red wine
¾ cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 teaspoons vegetable bouillon granules
¼ cup tomato paste
1 ½ cups water
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
3 finely chopped cloves garlic
2 cans pinto beans or kidney beans, rinsed and drained, 15 oz each
Sour cream, to serve (optional)
Fresh parsley or cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Preparation:
Mix the celery, wine, onion, bell pepper and garlic in a pot and cook this mixture over a moderate to high heat for 6 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring it occasionally.
Add the tomatoes and their juice, the tomato paste, water, cilantro, cumin, chili powder and bouillon and stir.
Stir in the beans and bring the vegetarian chili to a boil.
Cover the pot and turn the heat down to low.
Simmer the soup, stirring it occasionally, for about 45 minutes.
Serve with sour cream and fresh parsley or cilantro if you like.
(Serves 6)
Photo Description:
This tasty chili is ideal if you fancy a change from meat chilies or if you are catering for somebody who is a vegetarian. As long as you use vegetables with different textures, the chili will be interesting and tasty. Celery and onion are great for crunch and bell pepper gives lots of flavor too. The beans are a classic chili ingredient and the other ingredients in this great vegetarian chili recipe help to spice it up and give it that authentic chili flavor which you would expect from such a dish.
