Perfect, Elise! This looks divine and the recipe comes at an opportune time as I'm making a big pot of chilli for my friends next weekend. Need a vegetarian alternative and am really not very keen on the soya-mince versions I keep coming across.
Many thanks.

Wow! Once I figure out something to use in place of eggplant, we'll give it a go. Any ideas?

I might just have to give this a shot minus the eggplant. (A taste I'm afraid I've never acquired.) Other than that, this looks like something that my wife and I might really enjoy.

Oh I love ur blog, all the recipes you post are simple and delicious. I have been looks for veg-chilli for such a long time and finally you posted it. Perfect for these cold nights. I will let you know once I try it.

If I have it in my pantry, I'll substitute Mexican oregano in this recipe, because it has such great affinity for beans. I often have a hard time selling vegetarian chili as a main dish in my house, but if it's spicy enough, nobody misses the meat.

Would this chili dish freeze well?

I need more recipes for vegetarian main dishes and this one looks excellent! The picture shows off how colorful this chili is. What a great list of ingredients :)

This sounds wonderful, though I could see having a nice little grilled steak on the side. : )

I think you just talked me into giving eggplant another go in the garden next year. The first year I grew it from seed I ended up with a bumper crop--and made more caponata than I knew what to do with. If I hadn't picked all those eggplants myself, I never would have believed they would grow here in Missouri. That was a dozen years ago, and I don't think I've harvested a single one since! Eggplants sure are beautiful, aren't they? It almost seems a shame to cut them up sometimes. : )

Hmmm... This recipe should get a number of people in Texas up in arms who will argue that it is not chili. Chili with no beef? Chili with tomatoes? Chili with beans? Blasphemy!

As a chili lover I'll be glad to try this 'Spicy Vegetable Stew'! And it would probably be a great as a side to a well grilled steak.

;-)

I bet that chunked and grilled or roasted portobella mushrooms would be a good substitution for, or addition to, the eggplant. They pick up flavors so nicely and have a meaty, contrasting texture to the beans...

Ohhh, this is right up my alley! I knew I should have heeded the call of the gorgeous eggplant in the supermarket today...

*Now* you and your father have done it, Elise! A few days ago, I bought all the makings for ratatouille at the Farmers' Market (eggplant, squash, peppers, etc.); after reading this recipe, however, I'm afraid the ratatouille will have to wait!!

Thanks for the inspiration . . .

Xan.

That looks really good, but can you suggest a substitution for the red peppers? I dislike the taste of cooked red peppers, and I also don't like the way that taste gets into everything else that the peppers are cooked with.

Adina, maybe you could substitute yellow peppers for the red peppers. They're sweet and mild with a less intense flavor.

You must be very proud of your dad, setting aside his carnivorous ways to make such a delicious dish.
I will be trying this soon.
Thanks.

I made this today! It's on my blog.

http://thestudentstomach.blogspot.com/2007/10/its-slightly-chili-outside-today.html

How about corn to replace the eggplant?

Lou

I must agree with Gary in Massena, as delicious as this recipe sounds, I must cry foul with it being branded "chili". While I appreciate that not everyone enjoys meat (leaves more for the rest of us as far as I'm concerned), beef is an integral ingredient in a true chili. Also, every "chili-head" knows that tomatoes and beans are a strict no-no. The Chili Appreciation Society International, Inc (CASI) which oversees the annual Terlingua cookoff (the crown jewel of chili cookoffs) expressly forbids beans of any kind and disqualifies any entry containing beans.

Please don't take my comments negatively. I think this "stew" sounds great and you can bet I'll be making it as our weather is starting to turn cool. I just take issue with the chili label. I'll go easy this time since you're not from Texas. If you were, you would have realized your mistake right away. :-)

I think our 36th President, Lyndon Johnson, put it best:

"Chili concocted outside of Texas is usually a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing. One of the first things I do when I get home to Texas is to have a bowl of red. There is simply nothing better."

You had me at eggplant. =)

All you Texans should avoid Cincinnati like the plague, then, because what they call chili is a meat sauce spiced with everything from cinnamon to chocolate ((!)depending on the source) and served on a bed of spaghetti(!) and topped with cheese (if it's a "three-way") or cheese, onions, and beans (if it's a "five-way").

Point being, "chili" is a name applied to all kinds of crazy stuff all over this wonderful land of ours. Ah, the beauty of regional specialties and variations...

p.s. This looks delish, and looks like a great candidate for freezing. Thanks, Elise!

Deb,

Thanks, but I should have said that I dislike the taste of all cooked peppers. Therefore substituting yellow peppers for red doesn't solve my problem--I need something completely non-pepper to go in there.

I remember when I discovered 'true' chili a couple of years ago. I was looking for a chili made without tomatoes as my wife had developed a tomato allergy. I asked some friends on a BBQ mailing list I am a member of and was pointed to this quote -

"It can only truly be Texas red if it walks the thin line just this side of indigestibility: Damning the mouth that eats it and defying the stomach to digest it, the ingredients are hardly willing to lie in the same pot together."

---- John Thorne, Simple Cooking (http://chile.netrelief.com/)

Of course I am not that much of a food snob. My chili does contain beans (as well as pretty much any other fresh produce that I decide would work in the mix. My only key is garlic and heat.

Best G in M

Hi Elise,

You have to pardon Texas. It was once a nation by itself. We the United States of America finally gave in 1846 to let Texas in. Chili was invented in Baja, CALIFORNIA or in MEXICO in the 1840s to replace pemmican, a tasty dish made of 50 percent dried pulverized meat, 50 percent fat; and maybe some berries thrown in.
I think your Chili is eye pleasing for sure. Sometimes adding meat to a great looking dish is overkill.
I do add beef and beans, kidney and black beans to my chili. I discovered black beans from my days living in California. I still miss California's farmers markets!

Linda

Oh my! The picture looks so good. The recipe seems to be healthy and delicious. This will be so perfect for a cold night. Gotta try this soon. Thanks Elise.

Wow...this looks amazing, so fresh and alive! I'm trying this one for sure!

Gday gday, well I'm an Australian and I think this Chilli (it does contain chilli, yes!?)recipe sounds "pretty darn good", though it may have to wait another 6months once the weather cools down again to make. Eating chilli on a 43c+ day (that's 110+farenhiet) isn't really a good idea, though I imagine it could be cooled down for a light evening meal. Most things tend to taste better the next day anyway!

Made this last night. I thought it was fabulous. My husband thought it was a bit too hot. I did not. I made yellow rice and served the chili over it. I did freeze the leftovers. I hope it reheats and tastes just as good.
I love the idea of roasting the eggplant. Thanks.

I love this recipe but I nee d a substitute for the eggplant and the zuchinni.Anybody?

I collect chili recipes like it's my job. I love the white and red beans in this, and it couldn't be prettier.

About handling peppers --

Sometimes soap and water does not take the hot off your fingers. When you are ready to wash your hands after handling peppers, put a little vinegar in a large mug or small bowl and swish your fingers in the vinegar for 20-30 seconds, then rinse with water.

I tried this on a whim after roasting and peeling a bunch of Hatch, NM green chiles and it worked great.

My husband who will absolutely not eat eggplant, never knew. It was great!

I made the chili for a Halloween party I had last night and it was a hit. Everyone raved about it, though as I blogged, the meaty side dishes were all gone at the end of the night :).

Mine didn't look as pretty as Elise's. Everything looked more "stewed". Fancy photography? California produce? Ah well - it still tasted good.

I washed my hands immediately after cutting the peppers and they still felt like they had been burned. It was pretty painful for about an hour afterwards and they smarted even as I was going to bed, 8 hours later. I'll try the vinegar suggestion next time.

Note from Elise: The best way to handle jalapeno chiles is to wear protective latex (or non-latex) disposable gloves while handling them. We keep a couple of boxes on hand. They actually really come in handy for many things and they are very inexpensive.

I plan on making this the night before and then serving it out of a crock pot the next day for lunch. Should I wait and add the ingredients in step 4 (beans, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and cilantro, salt, freshly ground pepper to taste) at the last minute and "simmer" for 5 minutes in the crock pot right before lunch? Or would it be okay to add those the night before? I think at least the cilantro should wait until the last possible second, right? Thanks for your advice!

Native Texan here. I put BEANS and TOMATOES in my chili. And I still call it chili. Oh well. I don't know what the big deal is. People call it what they want to call it. It doesn't change the flavor! :) This Chili looks amazing and I'm planning on making it tomorrow. I do have one question: What would be a good substitute for red wine? I was thinking maybe a nice rich vegetable stock. Thanks for the great recipes. I'm never disappointed!

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I came across this recipe. Finally I had something to do with the white beans kidney beans and two small egglpants and a bag full of red sweet peppers Those dried beans had been sitting in my kitchen for at least a half a year. Every once in a while I would look at them and say to myself that I should really DO something with them. I was already considering sending them off to the garbage heap because I feared they were getting old, even tho' they looked first rate condition. After reading the recipe I ran into the kitchen and threw the beans into water, each type in different containers. I let them soak changing the water now and again. I did that for about one and a half days. I rinsed them yet again and put them up to boil separately with plenty of salt. Then I lowered the heat and patiently tasted the beans every once in a while until they were tender but NOT MUSH. I let them sit in the water and drained them and cooled them and then put them in the refrigerator. By the way, when they were cooling some of the white beans were eaten by my family. I was happy for that because I had too many anyway. (I just used all that was left in the containers for the beans).

The recipe instructions that you gave were superior, and with a little intelligence this recipe can be sucessfully adapted to any taste.

I did make quite a few changes.
I used canola oil instead of olive.
Instead of zucchini I used a big fennel bulb and a small/medium kohlrabi. Instead of fennel seeds I used caraway. I used 4 big red peppers
and also used a very small head of celery that was beginning to look a little limp. I cut off most off the leaves but left some. I was afraid it might get to bitter. Oh yes I drained a can of really good quality sliced mushrooms and added them after I had cooked the red peppers. I added the beans earlier to compromise for the fact that they weren't quite soft as canned beans would be.
I didn't add sugar and I didn't put in any celantro.

Oh. I didn't put in any chili or jalepeno peppers but I will add them later hopefully before it is all gone. I'm sure it will make it much tastier.

It all came out ABSOLUTELY delicious. It is very hard not to try "tasting" it!

The amount I made could feed an army, so I really hope it freezes well. :o) Thanks for adding this delicious and very healthy dish.

Wait a minute!'
I must correct something I wrote. I did use a very good olive oil on the eggplant in the oven, but used canola oil for the onions,garlic,fennel,kohlrabi,red peppers, mushrooms etc.

In the mean time I have frozen in three small containers all that was left. When the university contingent comes home I will defrost and try adding the chili and hot pepper. The vegetables were so pretty and not at all a big mushy mess that I tried so hard and sucessfully avoided creating. I hope I can defrost and keep it just as pretty.

Any recommendations on a brand of chili powder? I've used McCormick's in the past, but I'm not sure if there might be a better brand out there.

This recipe looks delicious and I can't wait to try it! Thanks!

This looks great. I am going to try it soon, thank you!

I have a question regarding the mesurement of canned ingredients you use, Elise: when calling for 1 15-ounce can, do you mean 15 ounces before or after draining? I can buy 400 g-cans of beans over here (which would be abaout 15 ounces), but the drained weight is only 250 g.

Note from Elise: Hi Nina, the size has to do with the size of the can, not the weight of the drained beans.

I just came across your recipe doing a google search. I've just finished making it and.........IT'S DELICIOUS. I usually make a ground beef chili every Saturday, but I much prefer this veggie one. And not only is it tasty but so full of goodness.

Thank you!!!

I just made this over the weekend and it turned out great. I had to admit that I needed to add some meat, but in the spirit of the recipe I opted for turkey, and it was amazing.

Thanks

Note from Elise: The best way to handle jalapeno chiles is to wear protective latex (or non-latex) disposable gloves while handling them.

Or if you're less organized than that, but bought the peppers in a plastic bag, simply turn the bag inside out over your hand and hold the chillis with that.

Great idea! ~Elise

My husband had been telling me about a vegetarian chili his first wife made many years ago, however, she did not remember how it was made. I found this recipe before and thought I would try it. Did not have any of the ingredients and seasonings so had to go out and purchase them all. It is very good and as long as you add the seasonings, it does taste like chili. You can't even tell the eggplant is in there. Of course, if a little bit of something is good, more is even better so I use more seasonings. I even went out and got the fennel. My fellow workers found out I had made the chili over the weekend and one of them shook her fist at me and said I had better bring her a bowl. It does make a lot since there is only 2 of us so we can share some. It is probably one of the healtheast meal you can make.

Very good chili and better the second day. Used pinto beans since it's chili. Worked. Served with Mexican cornbread. And I disagree with my fellow Texans' complaint about calling this chili. It is not chili con carne but it has chilies and it is spicy in a way that the word chili conveys. The name works and so does the recipe.

Hey Elise,

Thanks so much for posting this recipe! My husband is not a big fan of eggplant, so I used acorn squash instead; and I didn't have any red wine, so I used Rolling Rock. I used cayenne pepper instead of the chili pepper and it turned out really great! The squash is rich and sweet and the beer makes it tasty. We're going to finish off the rest with tortillas tomorrow! I'll keep this one handy in the spring-time. Thanks again.