Easy Vegetarian Chili & Cornbread

While chile isn't the most glamorous of meals, it certainly is satisfying... and nutritious... and super quick & easy. 

And the beauty of chili is that almost everything comes from your pantry, which is perfect for a winter's night when you've been too lazy to go to the grocery store in weeks.

There are a million chili recipes out there. Mine is a bit different every time I make it. But the basic recipe is the same, and it's always delicious....


Easy Vegetarian Chili

1 onion, chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
1 green pepper
1 carrot, halved and sliced.
1 stalk celery, diced.
1 Tbs chile powder
2 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp paprika
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can corn
2 tsp salt, more to taste
black or cayenne pepper, to taste

optional ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced quite small.... added early on in the process, so it has time to cook. I love sweet potato in my chili.
• 1 oz bittersweet chocolate... this adds a nice flavour complexity to the chili, and a very deep, rich colour.
• a tsp of cinnamon is good too.
• juice from half a lime... I love the flavour of lime. I add it to everything. If I accidentally add too much, I then add a spoonful of brown sugar too.
• Serve with grated cheese, fresh coriander, sour cream, avocado, green onion... and of course, cornbread.

Instructions:
Saute the onion in oil until softened. Then add the green pepper, carrot, celery, sweet potato (if using), and spices, and mix well. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes. Then add in the can of tomatoes (including the juices). Then I basically just add in everything else... the canned beans, the corn and any other seasoning I desire. 

Then let the chili simmer on medium-low for about 30 minutes, or until the veggies are at the desired doneness... or until you're ready to eat it! This is usually the point where I whip up a quick batch of corn bread.

Cornbread

butter/margarine for the pan

1 cup fine cornmeal

1 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup plain yogurt (or buttermilk)

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar (I like my cornbread to have a sweet bite, but feel free to add less, the recipe will still work).

3 tablespoons melted butter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8-9inch pan/pie plate or cast iron frying pan. Combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another. Then gently mix the two until combined. Pour into the baking dish and bake for approx 25 minutes (until an inserted cake tester comes out clean).

This also works great in muffin tins, just takes a little less time.