Chili was something my mother never made, it was something I only discovered in college.  Since I was vegetarian, it was vegetarian chilis from the start.  I later came upon Cincinnati chili, but vegetarian chilis are my favorites.  This one uses summer’s bounty of zucchini and squash (sadly, not from my garden), and both red and green peppers.

It is a black bean chili, which gets topped with cheddar, fresh tomatoes and avocados – yum!

This is a quick-cooking chili, but as with most chilis, it improves with age. So it is even better the second day!

Vegetarian Chili

adaptedfrom Family Circle Magazine

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 red or yellow onion, chopped

4 large cloves garlic, minced (from the garden)

3 Tbsp chili powder

1 medium green pepper, diced (from the garden)

1 medium red pepper, diced

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 medium yellow squash, diced

1/2 tsp dried oregano (from the garden)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 14.5-oz can stewed tomatoes

1 cup frozen corn 

1 15.5-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 tsp Kosher salt

Toppings:

shredded cheddar cheese

chopped avocado

chopped tomatoes (from the garden)

pickled serranos 

Directions

Heat oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic and chili powder, saute for 5 minutes

Add green and red peppers, saute 5 minutes. Add zucchini, squash, oregano and cayenne, saute for 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, cook 10 minutes. Stir in corn, black beans and salt, cook 5 minutes.

Serve with toppings and a good bread or tortilla chips.  Enjoy!

Serves 6-8