Fall is here! And vegan options!

Fall is my favorite season of them all! With it comes warm sweaters, changing colors, and amazing seasonal soups! One of my favorite soups to make is pumpkin with bleu cheese crumbles and seeds! Spiked with a little bit of cayenne pepper, it is sure to keep you warm and cosy while watching your favorite movie.

My absolute favorite dish to make of them all though, has got to be chili con carne. I usually just grab whatever peppers and meat I have at my fingertips and it's easy to make your own modified version of a classic that everybody loves! The best part: it's such an easy clean up.

Chili I made a few days ago:
Warning: This may be spicy! Also, it looks like a lot of ingredients but it's super easy to make!


Ingredients:

• One tablespoon EVOO
• One small yellow onion, chopped
• One bell pepper, chopped (use whatever color you like best!)
• Two cloves garlic, minced
• Two small jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
• Two small lemon peppers, left whole
• One large can of peeled whole tomatoes
• One small can tomato paste
• One cup water
• One can black beans, strained and rinsed
• One can chili beans, strained and rinsed
• One can yellow corn, strained and rinsed
• One and a half tablespoons chile powder
• One tablespoon garlic powder
• One teaspoon onion powder
• One tablespoon smoked paprika
• Two teaspoons cayenne (if you dare!)
• Two teaspoons white pepper
• Two teaspoons ground black pepper
• One tablespoon kosher salt (kosher really is better)
• One tablespoon basil
• Two teaspoons fresh rosemary, rinsed and chopped
• Two bay leaves
• Half a cup red wine (merlot or cabernet is fine)
• One pound your choice of red meat (This time I used mild italian sausage, which I took out of the casing and cooked like ground beef. You can also use lean ground beef, or ground turkey! I haven't tried ground chicken yet but if you have let me know!) This is completely OPTIONAL. It's delicious vegetarian style as well, and is already vegan without the meat!

What you're going to get dirty:

• One large pot (the thicker the bottom the better)
• One large wooden/plastic spoon
• One small skillet
• One chef's knife
• One cutting board
• One colander 

Directions:

In pot, over medium heat, add olive oil, onion, peppers, and garlic. Give them a few quick stirs and let cook for about 10 minutes, giving a few stirs to make sure they don't burn (adjust heat if necessary). While this is going on, strain tomatoes over a bowl and chop them to whatever size you like best (I like my chili nice and chunky!). 

Once you're done with this your onion and pepper mixture should be nice and tender. Go ahead and throw the tomatoes in along with peppers and add a little bit of salt and pepper. Stir and let cook for 5 more minutes. Add the strained tomato juice, tomato paste, and cup of water. Make sure to mix well so that there are no chunks of tomato paste floating around in there. Add beans and corn, stir well. Let the rest of the soup warm up before adding anything else.

(Skip this step if you're going without meat) While soup is warming up, in a skillet cook whatever meat you chose to use. Strain any remaining fat off and throw in the soup. Add all of the dry ingredients BUT the salt, which you should add according your to your own tastes. Add wine, mix well, and cover; set heat on lowest setting and leave it alone for at least an hour. Check up on it a few times, adding more salt if necessary. 

Once you get to the point where you can not possibly stand it any longer, invite a few friends over and enjoy! Suggested toppings to set out: shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, Fritos, sour cream, lime wedges, cilantro springs. 

Hope ya'll enjoy!