The Fawn's Quick & Easy Chili

I'm a big fan of meals that can be put together without a terribly specific set of ingredients. Chili is totally one of these foods. I almost always have enough ingredients to at least fabricate some sort of chili like dish.

Fake it til you make it, baby.

Anyhow, the other day I made up a batch and actually remember to take a pic, so now I thought I'd share my basic recipe.

Looks good, right? I'm also convinced that stirring food with a wooden spoon makes it taste better.

I generally made this a vegetarian meal, mostly because it's easier that way and mighty tasty. Sometimes, though, I'll cook up some spicy sausage and toss it in near the end for an extra kick.

The Fawn's Quick & Easy Chili

2-3 cans of beans (kidney, chickpea, whatever you'd like... just be sure to rinse them really well)
1-2 peppers, chopped (green, yellow, something colourful)
Big handful of mushrooms, quartered
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp (or more) chili powder
1/2 tsp (or more) cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder, garlic powder (or not, I just use what I like)
salt/pepper, a dash, a sprinkle
1 big can of diced tomatoes
1 big can of tomato sauce
1-2 packs of ground round (ie. soy ground beef, totally optional)

If I have a lot of time (like all day) I'll put this in my crockpot. First sauté up the onion and ground round in a pan with some oil til the onions are all nice and cooked, then toss that into the crock, along with everything else and let cook on high for 5-8 hours. Really, I think about 6 hours is great, but the longer it cooks, the tastier it gets.

If I don't have a lot of time then I'll do this on the stove. Same process again, sauté onions and ground round, but in a big pot this time, with a little oil, then add everything else. Bring to almost a boil, then let simmer for a while, usually 1/2 hour or so, depending on the size of your concoction.

Also, sometimes if I feel like the chili is to watery when it's finished, I'll toss in a handful of rice and let it simmer another 20-30 minutes or until the rice is nice and cooked. It uses up some liquid and adds another yummy element!

All this chili talk is really reminding my tummy that I've just been snacking on Eggies and Arizona Green Tea tonight and little else. Oops. Apparently one shouldn't blog on an empty stomach...

Do you have a favourite chili recipe to share? Any tricks of the trade?