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Crock Pot Vegetarian Chili

I love my crock pot.  It does all the things it claims to, and never fails in making a perfect dish.  From pulled pork or chicken, to beef stew, to mulled apple cider with rum.  It's all good. 


This chili recipe takes about 15 minutes of prep time, and then you can ignore it for the rest of the day.  You can even do the prep the night before, put the whole thing in the fridge overnight, and cook it the next day.  As with many of my recipes, you can alter this any way you want by switching up the vegetables or beans to suit your tastes. 

Crock Pot Vegetarian Chili

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 Tablespoons ground cumin
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Teaspoon oregano
1/2 Teaspoon salt
A few grinds black pepper
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 14 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14 oz. can small red beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cups water
Optional toppings: diced red onion, pickled jalapeno, sour cream or plain greek yogurt, shredded cheese

Start by heating the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook for a few minutes.  Add the garlic and peppers and cook a few minutes more. 



Now, I like my food spicy, so I used a decent sized jalapeno and left the seeds in.  If you want a milder heat factor, remove the seeds.  I would also recommend wearing latex gloves or keeping your hand inside a plastic bag when handling the cut jalapeno.  I didn't today, and my skin is still burning!  Also, I'm not sure how I'm going to take my contacts out tonight. 



Add in spice mixture and stir well.



Put vegetable mixture into crock pot, add drained beans, crushed tomatoes and water.  Turn to low and leave it for 8 hours.  So easy! 


I like to serve it with chips or cornbread for dipping and top with sour cream, cheese and diced red onion.


This is a perfect midwinter meal to enjoy in front of a roaring fire while watching old episodes of Friday Night Lights on instant Netflix.  Or maybe that's just me.  

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