Rainy Weather Food

It's been raining all week here. And some foods just lend themselves to cold, rainy days. Chili is one of those foods. Here's my favorite veggie Chili recipe. It comes from the American Wholefoods Cuisine cookbook. Just an FYI, I have never used the nutritional yeast the recipe calls for and my chili always thickens up nicely.

Enjoy and stay dry.

Chili
2 tablesppons oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups tomatoes, either drained canned or fresh chopped
4 cups cooked kidney or pinto beans, drained
1 teaspoon salt (less if beans are pre-salted)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)

Heat oil in a 3-quart pot and saute garlic for 1 minute until it begins to color. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes until softened. Add seasonings and green pepper and cook for 1 minute longer.

Add remaining ingredients, adjusting salt as needed. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat for 20-30 mintues until thickened. For a hearty taste, we recommend stirring in nutritional yeast just before serving: this will add good flavor and thicken the chili slightly.

Serves 4 generously; 6 if served in taco shells rather than bowls.

Note: this recipe produces a hot but not fiery chili; increase or decrease cayenne according to your own taste.