Spicy Vegetarian Chili

Super Bowl Sunday? Super Bowl of Vegetarian Chili! This recipe was the cover recipe of January's Food Network Magazine. It's spicy and has 1/3 the fat of it's meaty counterpart.  It takes a little while to make, lots of chopping and 1.5 hours of simmering.

This recipe called for 1/2 cup of coffee. I do not like coffee. I LOVE the smell, but I do not like the taste. It's bitter and gross. But, I deferred to the chefs at Food Network Magazine and trusted them. Boy, was that a mistake. The first taste of chili was very bitter. I highly recommend eliminating the coffee and adding more tomato something (soup, sauce, paste, etc.) Even my mom, who should really have an IV for direct coffee injection into her bloodstream, wasn't a fan of the coffee taste. The aftertaste, however, is sweet, sweet spiciness ( I mean sweet in the "awesome" sense, not the actual "sweet" sense." Chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, chipotle chili peppers?  Yes, please.

I'd absolutely make this chili again, just minus the coffee. Hopefully next year I'll be eating it while watching the Bears win the Superbowl!


Ingredients
2 T EVOO
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 medium carrots, finely chopped
Kosher salt
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
2 t. ground coriander
2 t. dried oregano
1/2-1 chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1 T tomato paste
2 corn tortillas, torn into pieces
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 15 oz cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 head cauliflower
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Toppings: Cilantro, sliced scallions, reduced fat cheddar cheese, or plain low fat Greek yogurt

Directions


1. Heat the EVOO in a large saucepan or Dutch oven or medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, carrots and 1/2 t. salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots begin to soften, 8 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, chipotle, tomato paste and tortillas and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste is brick red, about 4 minutes (add water if the mixture begins to stick.)

3. Add the coffee and simmer until almost completely reduced, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, cocoa powder, beans and 2 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook stirring occasionally until the chili thickens slightly, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, trim the large stems off the cauliflower and coarsely grate the florets. About 10 minutes before the chili is done cooking, stir in the grated cauliflower. Cook 10 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in the  the chopped cilantro and season with salt. Add some water if the chili is too thick. Ladle in to bowls and add whatever toppings you like.


Katie's Notes: I recommend a chunk of French bread to accompany the chili. I'm not a big fan of tomato chunks, so I didn't put in the plum tomatoes.  I also didn't use cilantro. I also accidentally forgot to add the other 15 oz can of beans. Whoops. This is why I'm not a professional chef.