Daily Recipe: Wicked Healthy Veggie Chili

OK, so it's been raining here for about a month and I've been making all sorts of soups to help mentally deal with the weather. The thing about nasty weather is that I tend to nest which is code for eat. So, to counterbalance the 3 Reeces Peanut Butter Cups I had after lunch yesterday, I decided to make something healthy for dinner. This chili is super easy to prepare and you can add any veggies that make you happy. I use Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes because the guy with the weird name who wrote Eat This, Not That told me that they were the healthiest on the market and since I believe everything I read, I bought them. They are tasty.

Wicked Healthy Veggie Chili - Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 28 oz. can Muir Glen fire roasted crushed tomatoes


• 2 14 oz. cans Muir Glen fire roasted diced tomatoes


• 1 14 oz can of garbanzo beans


• 1 can of corn


• 1 zucchini, diced


• 1 big white onion, diced


• 1 red pepper, diced (large pieces)


• 1 yellow pepper, diced (large pieces)


• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and finely minced (more if you like it spicy)


• 3 tablespoons chili powder (or more to taste)


• 3 tablespoons cumin (or more to taste)


• 1 tablespoon kosher salt (or more to taste)


• 1 tablespoon garlic powder


• black pepper


• Garnishes: shredded jack cheese, cilantro, diced green onions, sour cream

Preparation:

In a large pot, heat a little olive oil over high heat. Add the onions and saute until they are translucent. Add in the peppers and saute until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add in the garbanzo beans, corn, and all of the tomatoes and give it a nice stir. Finally, start to season. Add in all the cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder. Taste the seasonings. You might want it spicier. If so, add in more of what you like. Some folks add in hot sauce or more jalapenos. Go nuts. Once you have the seasoning where you like it, plop the lid on the pot, turn it down to simmer, and let it cook for 3o minutes. Finally, put some in a bowl and garnish it. I like to dump on liberal amounts of sour cream, cheese, cilantro, and green onions. Frankly, the garnish makes this dish sort of unhealthy but whatever, it tastes good. If you are a total neurotic, do low-fat sour cream and cheese. But remember, if you get hit by a bus tomorrow and you didn't eat the full-fat dairy, you might be sorry. I'm just sayin....