Trader Joe's Tuesday

It's cozy rainy weather in Los Angeles these days so I was in the mood to make chili. Since I'm vegetarian, I made a scrumptious sans-meat chili. Surprisingly, it was so good that I actually took it to the Super Bowl party we went to because I thought even meat-eaters would like it and they did!

And, all the ingredients can be found at Trader Joe's!


Sautee the following in just a little olive oil:

• Soy Chorizo
• Mirepoix Mix (chopped celery, onions and carrots)
• White Mushrooms (pre-sliced)

Add to this mix some garlic salt, red pepper flakes, one bay leaf, etc. -- in other words, your favorite spices!

Once it's all browned and mixed in add:

• 2 15 oz cans of pinto beans (drained of most of the liquid)
• 1 15 oz can of black beans (drained of most of the liquid)
• 2 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
• 1 can chopped jalapeno peppers

Let it simmer as long as you can...all the juicy wonderfulness steeps the flavor in!

Set up several condiment bowls around the big pot of chili when serving. Fill with the following from the refrigerator section and veggie section:

• sour cream
• shredded cheddar cheese
• salsa (my favorite is the roasted chili salsa, but they have several yummy varieties!)
• chopped cilantro
• chopped chives

I also do a mixture of chopped green onions and flat parsley because I like these flavors sprinkled over my chili, and prefer chives to raw onion..and I love the crunch of fresh flat parsley.

Seriously, the meat eaters didn't miss the meat. It was very flavorful, but you can definitely put meat sausage in instead. This vegetarian version of the chili has so very little fat. I only put enough olive oil in the pan to have everything sautee easily. And, that was it for fat!

Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!