Vegetarian / Vegan Chili Easy Peasy

Sunday morning, end of April and it is cold, grey and altogether uninviting outside. Perfect day to make some bright fragrant colourful chili. No real recipe, I just use what I have on hand. I use shortcuts with the beans, cans are fine. I drain and rinse them first. So here we go.... First chop two large onions and saute them in a heavy pot.( I dry saute them with no oil, when they start to stick I add a tiny splash of water or veggie broth). Add 3 cloves of minced garlic or more....

The story behind the two spoons is this... the small one is a regular sized spoon, the large one was from the set of The Shipping News, a movie with Kevin Spacey that was shot here. A friend of mine was the food stylist and gave it to me after the shoot. It was super sized and I just keep it for fun in my spoon jar on the kitchen counter...

Next add the chopped veggies you've assembled beforehand. I've got zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, peppers, celery, canned corn kernels drained and rinsed, bit of broccoli and some tomatoes.

 Dump them into the pot and stir for a bit.

 Add the spice. I used 3 tablespoons chili powder, 1 Tbsp cumin, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp of oregano and 1 tsp basil. I like my chili really seasoned. Use what you like and adjust for your own taste.

 Throw in the beans. I used red kidney and a can of mixed beans.
Next up add  a 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes and I had a smaller one of seasoned tomatoes so I added that too, as well as 2 cups of veggie broth. Preferably you add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste but I didn't have any. I like it just as well either way. Stir it all together. Cover and simmer away for about an hour or so. Stir occasionally.

Eh voila! I've topped it here with shredded spinach. You can eat it over rice or mashed potatoes and top with chopped avocado and shredded cheese or sour cream or whatever floats your boat. Easy peasy and very good:) Enjoy!