Awesome Eats 01 // No Fail Vegetarian Chili

While I would never in a million years try to trick you into thinking that I'm a master in the kitchen, there are just a few super easy, no-fail recipes that stay on steady rotation at our house. Since I get some interest when I instagram them, I thought I would go ahead and share a few here. You should know that I'm not big on handling raw meat so if I take on dinner duty, it's usually of the vegetarian variety. Sorry meat eaters!

My mom introduced us to this chili a month or two back and we just made it for the third time. The words easy and delicious both come to mind. And both are serious understatements! Most of these ingredients are likely hiding in your pantry, just itching to be thrown together for one of the best meals ever!

NO FAIL VEGETARIAN CHILI

You'll need:

- 2 T canola oil
- 2 thinly sliced carrots
- 1 coarsely chopped bell pepper
- 1 diced zucchini
- 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 15oz cans of beans (we use whatever we have on hand; kidney, pinto and black beans all work well)
- 1 15oz can corn with liquid
- 6oz tomato paste
- 4oz chopped green chiles with liquid
- 1 T chili powder (more if you like it hot)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 T ground cumin
- 1 T sugar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- garnish*

Directions (so easy):

1 // Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and bell pepper and saute for 8 minutes.
2 // Add zucchini and saute for another 7 minutes.
3 // Stir in tomatoes, beans, corn, tomato paste, green chiles, chili powder, oregano, cumin, sugar and black pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 45 minutes.
4 // Serve with your choice of garnish.

* It's AMAZING with fresh chopped cilantro if you're a fan. We also like to sprinkle a bit of shredded cheese as evidenced above. Sometimes I like elbow pasta with my chili. And I haven't tried it, but crushed crackers are a sure winner. If you have other garnish suggestions, would love to see them in the comments!