Another delish crockpot recipe: Chili!

I love chili, and I was super psyched to find a vegetarian version for the crockpot. I've made this recipe at least 5 times, and it's still a personal favorite. It's especially great to have in the winter months, and I'll sometimes serve it with cornbread. I truly believe this is just as good as any meat chili - give it a try!

Meatiest Vegetarian Slow Cooker Chili

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

4 onions, chopped

2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14 ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cubed

4 (15.5 ounce) cans black beans, drained

2 (15 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

6 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon liquid hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

Directions:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until they start to become soft. Add the green peppers, red peppers, garlic and tofu; cook and stir until vegetables are lightly browned and tender, the whole process should take about 10 minutes.

• Pour the black beans into the slow cooker and set to Low. Stir in the vegetables and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, vinegar and hot pepper sauce. Stir gently and cover. Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

Notes: Do NOT skip the sauteing veggies step; I skipped it once and the chili wasn't as good as normal. I leave out the tofu as I'm not a huge fan of the texture and there's plenty of protein in this meal from the beans. I also omit the salt.