Vegetarian Chili

This morning I decided to attempt to make a vegetarian chili. I've never made one without some sort of meat before so I searched the net for a recipe.  Well, all the recipes I found had listed ingredients I didn't have on hand. So I just decided to wing it and here is what I cam up with...

Vegetarian Chili

Olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
4 red peppers, seeded and chopped (could use 2 red and 2 green)
1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed (540 ml)
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed (540 ml)
2 cans chili-style diced tomatoes (540 ml)
1 can diced tomatoes (796 ml /28 fl oz)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tb Italian seasoning (would have just used oregano if I had that)
2 tsp ground cumin
good sized pinch of cayenne pepper (would have used about 3 tsp chili powder if I had it)
2 TB white vinegar
water

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until they start to become soft. Add the red peppers and garlic; cook and stir until vegetables are lightly browned and tender.

2. Add the beans and the tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne, Italian seasoning, vinegar and water (as much or as little as you like, I don't like chili soupy but not super thick either). Stir gently and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20-30 minutes.

Vegetarian Chili

Classic Banana Bread

Yesterday I started craving banana bread. Mostly the smell of it baking but also kept thinking about having a slice with a hot cuppa Chai Tea.  Yeah, -24 weather with do that to ya. I thought about making my usual banana bread - the one I've made for hmm 5 or 6 years easy, but decided to surf around some other bakers blogs and see what they baking with bananas.  I found Recipe Girl's Best Banana Bread and decided that this would be the one I would try.  Well, after I decided that I looked a little closer at the recipe and decided I would have to make 2.5 modifications. Even with those modifications this bread turned out fantastic! They are absolutely the most beautiful loaves of banana bread I have made to date. And they taste just as good as they look.  So if you have bananas ready for baking I definitely recommend this recipe.

Classic Banana Bread
Adapted from Recipe Girl's Best Banana Bread

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 cups mashed bananas
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9×5″ loaf pans.
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter. Beat eggs slightly, and mix into the creamed mixture with the bananas. Mix in sifted ingredients until just combined. Stir in milk and vanilla.
Spread batter into prepared loaf pans, and bake for 75 minutes.

yum yum - go make some! 

Classic Banana Bread