Three Bean Chili

The cooler weather does a funny thing to my food cravings. As summer continued to wane, I found myself longing to cook a big pot of chili. It’s a great comfort food and I find cooking it highly therapeutic (I think it’s all the slow simmering involved).

There are endless recipes for chili depending on your preference. Some like it simple: loads of beef and kidney beans. But, I’m not that carnivorous and am a fan of diversity in my chili: lots of veggies and an array of beans. Also, limiting the amount of beef in the chili also makes it a tad healthier. If that suits your fancy, I highly recommend the following recipe.

Cooking Time – 2 hours

Level of Difficulty – Easy-Medium

Ingredients -

1 ½ pounds ground extra lean ground beef  (less or more depending on preference)

1 large Spanish onion, chopped

2 red peppers, chopped

1 green peppers, chopped

2 zucchinis, chopped into rounds, then halved

1 container of white mushrooms, chopped thick

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

2 cans kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can baked beans (non-Maybe flavoured)

1 tablespoon chili powder (adjusted to preference)

1 tablespoon cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions -

1. Cook/brown ground beef on medium-high heat, drain the fat

       2. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper, stir and let cook for 1 minute

       3. Throw in onion and peppers, stir and let cook for 1 minute

       4. Add zucchini and mushrooms, stir and let cook for 5 minutes

       5. Add cans of diced tomatoes and tomato paste, stir well

       6. Turn down heat to low and let simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally

       7. Add kidney, black and baked beans and continue to simmer for 30 minutes

Serve as is, or with sprinkled cheddar cheese on top, or with a dollop of sour cream, cheese and diced         green onion

- Jess