meatless monday: veggie chili

I’ve been trying to enjoy my Spring Break as much as possible, but it doesn’t quite feel like spring out here in St. Louis.  Ya know, 4 inches of snow on Saturday and another 2 inches expected tomorrow… doesn’t feel much like spring, does it?

However, I feel kind of blessed with the weather for a few reasons.  First of all, I have a ton of stuff I want to get done around the house this week while I’m off.  I would feel terrible if I wasn’t outside enjoying beautiful weather, but cold + snowy just gives me the excuse to stay inside and get things done.

And second, I also had the excuse to make chili this weekend.  I don’t know why, but chili is one of my all-time favorite foods.  I think it has something to do with being born in October – the weather is just made for chili!  Plus, it’s one of the easiest meals to pull together:  just throw everything in a pot, bring it up to a boil, and let it simmer for an hour or so.  And it’s even better the next day when the flavors have had a chance to develop throughout.

    

Last night was deemed the perfect night to make chili.  I still really haven’t developed my own recipe for chili yet, just simply because I have been loving other people’s recipes.  I decided to go with Ashley over at The Edible Perspective’s recipe for veggie chili, which I believe she based her’s off of Kath’s (Kath Eats Real Food) recipe, which is equally delicious, especially for okra lovers like myself.

So, instead of giving you the recipe here, I’m going to force you to head on over to The Edible Perspective and gawk at her beautiful photography and her delicious recipes.  The only change I made was omitting the onions (I happen to love onions, but Matt’s not a big onion fan) and cajun spice (simply because I didn’t have any).  Instead, I added in a teaspoon for red pepper flakes to amp up the heat.

This is a deliciously spicy recipe, so just be prepared for that.  We absolutely love spice, so the more, the better.  But, if you want to take an edge off the heat a bit, I would suggest omitting the jalapeno along with some of the cajun spice or red pepper flakes.

Or just top it with a bit of sour cream and that should take the heat off a little bit.

So.freaking.good.  Enjoyed with a slice of Great Harvest Honey Flax bread with peanut butter.  Anyone else love the combination of peanut butter + chili?  No?  Just me?  They always served a PB sandwich with chili at my grade school, and ever since, I’ve been hooked.  Plus, a drizzle of cheese on top to amp up the protein content.

The way chili should be eaten – on top of the PB sandwich.  Yum…

Enjoy!