Andrews Family Vegetarian Chili

If I had to name one dish as the staple in the Andrews Family larder, this would be it: Andrews Family Vegetarian Chili. We make this in a 12 quart stock pot, and freeze it into individual size containers for a quick, healthy, tasty meal. It starts like most of our vegetable dishes do...with lots of chopping. The proportions below are for a 12 quart pot. 

Ingredients

• Diced:
• Red Pepper (3-4)
• Green Pepper (2-3)
• Onion (1)
• Minced: 
• Garlic Cloves (2-3)
• Jalapeño (2)
• Chopped
• Zucchini (2 small) 
• Yellow Squash (2 small)
• Baked, Mashed Sweet Potato (1 large)
• Chopped Cilantro (1 entire bunch, washed)
• 5 cans black beans, drained
• 5 cans red kidney beans, drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes, or 1.5 cups your favorite tomato sauce (I use my homemade sauce)
• Spices:
• Cumin
• Cayenne
• Chili Powder
• Oregano
• Sea Salt
• Black Pepper

Directions

• Chop, mince, dice, bake, mash, and drain all ingredients as listed above. 
• In stock pot, add olive oil to cover the bottom of the pot
• Add onions, peppers and garlic
• Saute over medium/high heat until onions are translucent
• Add first round of spices, about 1 tsp of Chili powder, cayenne, oregano, cumin, a sprinkle of salt and a pepper
• Add diced tomatos / tomato sauce, and reduce heat to medium
• Add zucchini, yellow squash, sweet potato and cilantro, stirring well to mix thoroughly
• This is a good time to add more spices to taste
• Add beans, one can at a time, stirring each time to mix thoroughly
• Once all ingredients are in the pot, reduce heat to low
• Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally and adding spices to taste, until vegetables are cooked through.
• This dish benefits from a long, slow cooking cycle, giving the spices and flavors a chance to age. 
• This can be served with sour cream, diced avocado, and cilantro garnish. 

Spicy culprits: Chili Powder, Cayenne, Oregano and Cumin

Yummy Goodness:

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