Vegetarian Chili

Cathy?s Revamped Chili

1/4 pound kidney beans, washed and soaked*
1/4 pound great northern beans, washed and soaked*
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon southwest seasoning, optional
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup hot picanté sauce (you can also use spicy bloody mary mix)
2 cups water

*You can sub these beans with canned ones if you wish. I like cooking my own because of the high salt content found in most canned beans.



Start by sorting through your beans?.you want to make sure there are no little stones for anyone to lose a tooth on!

Then follow the directions for soaking and cooking them. Generally, this means putting the sorted beans in a large saucepan, covering them with water, and bringing the whole thing to a boil.


Then, simply cover the pot and let the beans soak in the hot water for at least an hour, drain and set aside.



Put the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium/high heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and green pepper and sauté them for about 5 minutes or until softened.


Add the tomatoes, the spices, the picanté sauce, the water and the beans (wait until after the chili has cooked if you are using canned beans). At this point, you can add some salt, but I believe there is plenty of salt in the canned tomatoes. Bring it all to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer, cover and let it cook for 60 to 90 minutes.



Finally, top it with a dollop of light sour cream, a sprinkle of sharp cheddar cheese, and enjoy!