It doesn’t seem logical to make an untried recipe to serve at a party. It would make a lot more sense to use one that you know is tried-and-true. Nonetheless, I seem to have a sense of timing that is such that often I end up bringing a new recipe to these events. Most of the time it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. This time it was really good. A happy start to the New Year!

We had several people come who, for various health reasons, are eating a vegetarian diet. This worked out great for me, because now that we are back in the U.S. it’s a lot easier to eat vegetarian and we (my family) can cut back our “meat footprint”. Here is the recipe, which I adjusted from one in the Green Smoothie Girl program. I actually made it close to the way she wrote it, but for a smaller family size and ease of preparation, I have reduced the proportions and altered a few ingredients and shortened the cooking method.

Vegetarian Chili

2 cans of beans rinsed well

1 cup cooked brown rice

4 cups of water

1 chopped onion

1 can tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes (or 3 fresh, chopped)

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cumin

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

1 bay leaf

1 chopped bell pepper

1 can diced chili peppers

Combine everything and simmer together until the flavors are well combined, about ½ hour to an hour.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! We used the leftovers the next day to make tostadas. They were delicious too!

winner-winner, chicken dinner 🙂