Let's Have Beans at Every Meal! Or, How To Please Your Football Loving Meataholic Friends

Recipe: Go Pack! the Vegetables in the Chili

(editor's note: I was supposed to get this post out before the Super Bowl, but due to various technical issues around the house, and working 8 days in a row prior to the Super Bowl I did not. Now our technical issues have been fixed and I figured I'd still post this. Its still a good recipe and you all can get excited for next year's football season.)

If you haven't already guessed from the picture above, I am a Packers fan. I was raised in Wisconsin and most of my Sundays throughout the fall and the winter were spent settled in front of a TV with my mom or my

grandparents watching the Packers. Granted, as a child I hated football and it wasn't until I went to college that I fully realized what all the fuss was about. Especially now, because I don't live there any more, I find myself defending the great state of Wisconsin and the Great Team of Our Time and explaining the general benefits of being a cheesehead. I, in short, have become extremely (disgustingly?) proud of my state and will indulge in a great debate about it with anyone who asks.

If you are holding sports parties in the next few months, but want to stay true to your vegetarian ways, you might want to consider putting together a vegetarian chili. (Like I said before, this was going to be a Super Bowl post, but seeing as it is no longer "current" the generic "sports parties" will have to suffice.) This is also a good dish to throw in the crock pot before you head off to work. It is delicious, easy, and satiating.

Chili is a good dish to "hide" the fact that you've removed the meat. Instead of ground beef, or pork, or chicken, jam pack your dish with vegetables. Bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, kale.... whatever you can think of throw it in. Use garlic, tomatoes, and spices like smoked paprika to deepen the flavor of the dish. Slow cook it in a crock pot or on the stove to soften the beans and thicken the sauce. This dish is so good you'll find yourself licking the bowl. Trust me, I did.

Go Pack! the Vegetables in the Chili

1 onion, small diced

2 TBS garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, minced

1 red bell pepper, small diced

1 green bell pepper, small diced

2 carrots, small diced

4 stalks celery, small diced

1 8 oz can tomato paste

1/2 bottle of beer (use a lager or a porter)

1 1/2 cup vegetable stock

1 (14 oz) can of kidney beans

1 (14oz) can of black beans

1 24 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

2 tsp cayenne

3 TBS chili powder

1 TBS smoked paprika

1 TBS cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sweat the garlic, onion and jalapeños in large pot for 2-3 minutes over low heat. Add bell peppers, carrots, and celery and cook a few minutes more. Add tomato paste and allow to caramelize while constantly stirring, about 5 minutes.

2. Add veggie stock, beer, beans, crushed tomatoes and seasonings and cook for 30-45 minutes or until sauce has thickened and vegetables are tender. Add mushrooms about 10 minutes before you want to eat. If you're cooking it in a crock pot, cook the chili on the high setting for an hour or more.

Enjoy with Scallion Sour Cream and a good slice of corn bread.