Chili Recipe (Vegan and Omnivore)

[Char James-Tanny (@CharJTF) and Emma Hamer (@emmahamer) made chili for lunch at the Boston Accessibility Unconference. As promised, here is the recipe.]

We made a LOT of chili for the 2011 event. We've adjusted the amount of the ingredients so that you'll end up with one batch of vegan chili or one batch of meaty chili.

To account for almost all dietary restrictions, we didn't use any butter in either batch of chili. We also restricted the amount of salt used during the initial preparation (more was added when spices were adjusted at the end). (Char's on a low-salt diet, so she routinely uses very little salt when she cooks. Emma's not on a low-salt diet, so she made the final spice adjustments after everything else was done.)

Ingredients:

• 3 yellow onions, peeled and diced small
• 3 green peppers, peeled and diced small
• 1 red pepper, peeled and diced small
• 1 yellow pepper, peeled and diced small
• 1 orange pepper, peeled and diced small
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 portabella mushrooms and 2 zucchini, diced large, OR 2 pounds hamburger (we used 93% lean)
• 2 15-ounce cans of diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 15-ounce can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Spices:
  • Kosher salt
  • Liquid Salado (optional)
  • Ancho chili powder
  • Onion powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Black pepper (ground)
  • Red pepper flakes

1. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat.
2. When the oil is hot, add the diced onions.
3. Add a heavy pinch of kosher salt.
4. Start adding the diced peppers. You want to sauté the peppers and onions until just translucent.
5. In a second sauté pan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
6. When the oil is hot, add the diced mushrooms and zucchini.
7. Add a heavy pinch of kosher salt. You want to sauté the mushrooms and zucchini until they're just fork-tender. OR If you're making meaty chili, omit the mushrooms and zucchini. In a second sauté pan, cook the hamburg with a heavy pinch of kosher salt and some ancho chili pepper.
8. When the veggies (and meat if you're using it) are cooked, add to a large pot and stir. Don't drain the juices from the veggies. (It's your call if you drain the hamburger. Some people like to, some don't.) Note: We actually cooked all the veggies first, then reused the pans to cook the hamburger. We were being really careful to not cross-contaminate the vegan chili with the hamburg.
9. Add the drained diced tomatoes. Stir.
10. Add the crushed tomatoes. Stir.
11. Add the drained and rinsed kidney beans. Stir.
12. Turn up the heat under the pot to medium-high. You need to heat the chili so that all the flavors meld. Don't let it boil. (That is, turn the heat down when it starts to bubble.)
13. Adjust the spices as necessary. This is when Emma added more salt, more ancho chili pepper, black pepper, onion and garlic pepper, and pepper flakes.

The chili we made was a little too spicy for people who like things mild, perfect for people who like things with a bit of heat, and mild for people who like things really spicy.

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