Smokeshow chili

Would it be overkill to call this an award winning chili if it came in second place at my company's chili cookoff?!? Well, maybe so, but I'm going to anyways. 

I'm not a huge chili fan in general, and I haven't made any tried-and-true competition worthy recipes, so I didn't have a shoo-in entry for our chili cookoff. My goal was just to make a delicious vegetarian chili (technically vegan!) that anyone who doesn't eat meat could enjoy. And then I ended up making a chili that I absolutely LOVED, and apparently others did as well.

The competition was stiff!

While the chili was delicious on its own, this is one of those instances where adding all the extras took the dish from great to fan-freaking-tabulous! So DO NOT forget to serve the chili with cilantro, onions, avocado, sour cream, and some tortilla chips.

Chili with all the fixins (including rice)! Hand modeling by my coworker Faith.

Every competition chili needs a competition name

This recipe is basically a hybrid of three vegetarian chili recipes (pulling heavily from two). To come up with my Frankenstein chili, I literally wrote down all the ingredients used across the recipes, and then circled each one I wanted to add to my chili. Making my version extra loaded with veggies, beans, and spices. 

It was a bit of a gamble, but I had a hunch all the flavors and ingredients would play together nicely... and they did!

Have I made this recipe dozens of times to claim it as the most perfect vegetarian chili? Nope! This was a one and done deal, so feel free to play around with the spices to suite your taste buds. But I loved how complex and smoky the chili ended up without an ounce of meat. And as an added bonus, it takes a fraction of the time to cook compared to a regular chili! 

Yours in serving up chili, and all the looks...
Jacqueline

Smokeshow Chili, Frankensteined from Cookie+Kate, Bowl of Delicious, and Simply Recipes

The best part of this recipe is that there's no wrong way to adjust it to your liking! Add or remove spices as you see fit. Throw in some corn if you'd like, or use different kinds of beans. Use all diced or crushed tomatoes, whatever you have on hand. Lots of people commented on the texture of the mushrooms being key, so I'd highly recommend keeping them in the recipe, but nobody is forcing you to use ingredients you don't like.

Ingredients

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-to-large onion, chopped (I used yellow, but red would work)
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
16 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 tsp Diamond kosher salt
5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1.5 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP cocoa powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cinnamon (I may have used a touch more accidentally)
1/4 tsp cayenne
15 oz can diced tomatoes (fire roasted if you can find them)
15 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth or water (I used broth)
3 cans beans, rinsed and drained (I used one can each black, dark red kidney, and pinto)
1 TBSP brown sugar (or honey)
1 tsp liquid smoke
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tsp lime juice (or vinegar), optional

Garnish: cilantro, avocado, sour cream, red onion, cheese, tortilla chips, rice, lime wedges

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, bell pepper, carrot, celery, and half the salt. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are starting to soften. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring regularly, until the mushrooms are softened and all the liquid has evaporated.
2. While the veggies are cooking, combine the spices (chili powder, cocoa, cumin, coriander, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, cinnamon, and cayenne) in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Once the veggies are ready, add minced garlic and spices to the pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until deeply colored and fragrant. (Don't worry if your spices are starting to stick to your pan and darken in color, this is a good thing!)
4. Add canned tomatoes, broth, beans, brown sugar, liquid smoke, bay leaves, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt to your pot. Stir to combine, making sure to scrape up any bits that may be stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally; adjust heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes, or a little longer if you'd like the veggies softened further. 
5. Discard the bay leaves. If you'd like to thicken the chili a bit more, transfer 1 ½ cups of chili to a blender and blend until smooth, then pour the mixture back in the pot. (I didn't do this, but I did "mash" my chili up a little bit with my wooden spoon to mimic this step.)
6. Once your chili is done, add in the chopped cilantro and lime juice, and stir to combine. Add salt to taste. 
7. Serve with as many garnishes as you can think of and enjoy!