Chili

Chili is an easy thing to make vegan, and so satisfying. This is the way I like to make it:


Chili

splash of olive oil
one chopped onion
chili powder, 1 T or to taste
cumin to taste
bell pepper, either a whole one chopped, or a couple of handfuls of frozen
minced garlic, as much as you like (a whole head is not too much for me)
tomatoes, boxed or canned-- I use a big 28-oz can of chopped tomatoes
vegetable broth or bouillon cube
1/2 pound dry beans, cooked; or four cans of beans: pinto, red kidney, black, or a mix (I like a mix)
half a bag of frozen corn, or to taste
1/4 cup of red wine, or 1 T of red wine vinegar or other vinegar
1 - 3 t cocoa powder
smoked paprika, and/or a little bit of canned chipotle (start with a teeny bit--it's hot!)

(Pretty much all of these ingredients are optional, except the beans, onion, corn and tomatoes.)

Possible toppings:
You can use some, all or none of these:
chopped avocado with salt and lemon (or lime! yum!)
crumbled tortilla chips
salsa
hot sauce
green onions
chopped tomato


Heat olive oil. Sautee onions until soft. Add chili powder and cumin. Stir until fragrant. Add bell pepper, cook a couple of min. Add garlic, cook a minute. Add everything else and cook as long as you like, at least until everything is heated through. I usually simmer about 20 minutes. If cooking for a long time, add the wine or vinegar in the last 10 or 15 minutes.

If you want to add a texture similar to crumbled meat, you can add a handful of bulgur wheat while it's cooking. This will take about 20 minutes to get cooked in the tomato sauce/broth. Or you can pour boiling water over it ahead of time, let it sit 20 min, then add to the chili. Bulgur wheat can often be found in the store near the other dry grains, like rice and barley.