Winter Veggie Chili

We are huge fans of hearty veggie chilis and love experimenting with different recipes. This is by far the SPICIEST Veggie Chili I have ever made and ate…and possibly the most colorful!  We found this recipe in a recent Food & Wine magazine…it was actually featured on the cover.  This chili is actually really quick and easy to make. If you are a fan of heat, you have to try this recipe. If you want to cool it off a bit, I’d suggest adding less Chili Powder and maybe even avoid the chipotle pepper (oops, we added 2!).  We served this over sticky brown rice (our favorite type of rice) and topped it with avocado (which is not only tasty but also helps to cool it off a bit), cilantro, and crushed blue corn chips. Delicious!

serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used Canola)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, very finely chopped
  • 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 pound carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon chile powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • Salt
  • One 14-ounce can peeled Italian tomatoes
  • 1 canned chipotle in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup canned hominy, drained
  • 1 cup canned red kidney beans, drained
  • Brown rice, chopped red onions, cilantro, sour cream and tortilla chips or bread toasts, for serving

    • Directions

    1. In a medium, heavy enameled cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over high heat, stirring, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the bell pepper, parsnips and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chile powder and cumin and season with salt. Cook for 1 minute.
    2. In a blender, puree the tomatoes and their juices with the chipotle, adobo sauce and water until very smooth. Add the mixture to the casserole along with the hominy and beans and bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer the chili over moderate heat until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt. Serve with rice, red onions, cilantro, sour cream and chips.