Meatless Monday – Vegetarian Chili Recipe

I completely missed writing a post for  Meatless Monday last week.  I hope you at least made an effort to get through the day without eating any meat.  You really won’t wither away to nothing without it, I promise. This week I am sharing my absolute favorite Vegetarian Chili recipe with you. Not only is it easy and delicious, but it’s also perfect for a cold Spring day like the ones we’re currently having here in the Northeast.  

Here’s what you need:

• 3 cans of kidney beans (drained and rinsed) plus 6 cups of water.  If you have the time it’s cheaper to go with dried beans, but I was short on time so opted for canned.
• 1 cup of bulgar wheat
• 1 6 oz. can of tomato paste
• 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 2 medium green peppers, diced
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 2 small stalks celery, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper-halved, seeded, and minced
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 2 teaspoons each: paprika, cumin, coriander
• 1 teaspoon each: dried thyme, basil, and oregano
• 1-2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup minced cilantro
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• salt and pepper

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Add bulgar & tomato paste to kidney beans and water
2. Add bay leaf and cinnamon stick
3. Return to boil, cover and simmer
4. Preheat frying pan on medium-low and add oil
5. Prep veggies
6. Saute minced garlic, ginger and jalapeno on medium heat for 5 minutes
7. Add remaining veggies and saute 5 more minutes
8. Add remaining spices, saute another five minutes
9. Transfer the veggies to the bean and bulgar mix, cook another 30 minutes
10. Add corn, cilantro, and soy sauce to taste
11. Cook for a few more minutes and serve

I have served this a couple of different ways.  We love it served over brown rice, but most recently to make it fun for the kids, I served it in a bowl with tortilla strips standing in the chili.  They used the chips to scoop out the chili.  Fun!  Definitely, do not forget the sour cream because it adds a nice depth of tangy flavor.  Either way, it is delicious and I fed this hungry family of four and had a bunch of leftovers for a couple days’ worth of lunch for my husband to take to work!
On a money-saving note:  I bought all of my herbs and spices from the bulk section of my health food store.  I literally paid pennies for each of them and have plenty for future recipes. 
So, what do you think?  Does this sound yummy, or what?