Vegetarian Chili

I usually love my chili packed with chicken or ground turkey, but sometimes you just need vegetables and I'm having one of those moments. I've packed this chili with over 5 delicious fresh veggies and of course beans. To get the best flavor possible, I use a vegetable bouillon cube as broth and top off the chili with a bit of cocoa powder, because chocolate makes everything better. 

Makes: 8 servings           Prep time: 20 minutes           Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 3/4 cup tomatoes, chopped
• 1 3/4 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 2 cups of water
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can of corn (you can also use frozen or fresh, depending on what's available)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Pinch of paprika
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Step 1: Mix together the salt, cocoa powder, oregano, basil, cayenne pepper and paprika and set aside.

Step 2: Chop the onion, red pepper, celery, tomatoes and carrots. 

Step 3: Add the olive oil to a large pot over medium heat along with the chopped onion. Let cook for two minutes, then add in 1 cup of water and the vegetable bouillon cube. Stir until dissolved.

Step 4: Add in the chopped red pepper, celery, tomatoes and carrots and stir. Let simmer for 30 minutes.

Step 4: Add in the spice mix, garbanzo beans, kidney beans and black beans and the remaining cup of water and stir. Let simmer for 30 more minutes.

Step 5: Add in the corn (if it's fresh make sure it's cooked already) and parsley and stir together. Let simmer for 15 more minutes, the remove from heat. 

Step 6: Serve warm topped with sour cream and grated cheese. You can keep this in the fridge in an air tight container for up to a week.