Chunky Vegetarian Chili

The recipe below is for Chunky Vegetarian Chili...it's so tasty and hearty, that even my meat-eating husband likes this. It's from a 2003 issue of Cooking Light that I sure am glad I saved all of those years ago! But I don't recommend eating it out of a plastic mug as shown here...we all know the dangers in that!

Making this chili takes only 45 minutes with the use of canned beans and can be personalized to your liking: a lot of spice, or hardly any...your choice of peppers....and as thick or as soupy as you like it. It's great to pack for your kids to take to school for lunch...it'll fill them up for the afternoon and is packed with fiber...and it's easy when you're trying to get back into the swing of things after their holiday break! This recipe yields 8 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (16-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender.
   
2. Add sugar and remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.