Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

I bought myself a slow cooker, aka crockpot, for the first time and have been experimenting with quite a few recipes. The first ones I tried came from an older cookbook and quite frankly they weren't all that great, making me wonder whether I'd made a mistake investing money and precious storage space on yet another small kitchen appliance.

Then I picked up a copy of Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. After trying several recipes, I was so confident about the quality of their work, I made their Vegetarian Chili for the first time for a dinner party. It was a big success with several requests for the recipe. Even for our family of five, I usually double the recipe below so there's enough for leftovers the next day.

Bulgur gives the chili a nice "meaty" texture, but you could easily substitute cracked wheat, buckwheat or whole wheat couscous. If you prefer a milder chili, as I do, use roasted, diced green chiles in place of the jalapenos. When I don't have bell peppers, I replace them with carrots and celery. So don't be afraid to adapt this recipe depending on your taste and what you have on hand.

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili 
Adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann
Serves 4
Cooker: Medium or large round or oval
Settings and Cook Times: HIGH for 1 hour, then LOW for 4 to 6 hours

Put in slow cooker and let stand for 15 minutes:
1/3 cup bulgur wheat
2/3 cup boiling water (or replace some of the water with juice drained off the diced tomatoes)

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a large skillet and saute 5 - 10 min, until softened:
2 med-size yellow onions, chopped
1 med-size green, red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

Transfer sautéed vegetables into cooker. Add to the cooker:
1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 - 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 - 15 oz cans red kidney or pinto or black beans or combo, rinsed and drained
2 tbs chopped canned jalapeno or roasted green chiles
2 tbs chili powder or pure New Mexican chile powder, or to taste
1 1/2 tbs ground cumin
2 tbs light or dark brown sugar
2 tsp dried oregano or marjoram
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Pinch of ground allspice

Stir to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Turn the cooker to LOW and cook for 4 to 6 hours. During the last hour, season with salt.

Serve the chili in bowls topped with:
grated Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses
sliced ripe California black olives
sliced avocado
chopped fresh cilantro
sour cream

You can also serve the chili over hot brown rice, accompanied with warm cornbread and a big green salad.

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