Steve's Vegetarian Chili

My wife is a vegetarian and I hated that she missed out on the fun at the annual Super Bowl party. This is a vegetarian version of the recipe I've been using for years. I use Texas Pete bottled hot sauce. Cholula is a reasonable substitute. For the hamburger substitute, I use Morningstar Farms Crumblers. This chili really benefits from allowing time for the flavors to mix. You can prepare it a day ahead of time and put it in the refrigerator. A couple of hours before you're ready to eat, put it in a crock pot and heat through. We garnish it with cheese and sour cream (or Mexican crema if it is available).

• Ready In: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 6-10

Ingredients

• 1  lb dried pinto bean
• 6  cups water
• 6  roma tomatoes
• 6 -8  garlic cloves
• 1  large  white onion
• 1 -3  fresh jalapeno pepper
• 1  medium bell pepper
• 1  tablespoon Mexican oregano
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 3  tablespoons chili powder
• 1  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 2  teaspoons  bottled  hot sauce
• 3 -6  corn tortillas, crumbled
• 1  lb  textured vegetable protein

Directions

1. Soak the pinto beans overnight in plenty of water.
2. Peel and dice the tomatoes.
3. Peel and mince the garlic.
4. Peel and chop the onion.
5. Seed and mince jalapeño peppers. The amount will depend on your desired heat and the heat of the jalapeños. Wear gloves while handling the peppers.
6. Seed and dice the bell pepper into 1/2 inch squares.
7. In a large stew pot, saute the onions, garlic, jalapeños, bell peppers, and oregano in olive oil just until the onions are soft.
8. Add tomatoes, 1 tsp salt, water, and pinto beans to the pot. Bring to a boil.
9. Add chili powder, cumin, red pepper, hot sauce, and reduce heat to simmer.
10. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the pinto beans are tender and the tomatoes are completely cooked, 60 - 90 minutes.
11. Finely crumble one corn tortilla into the chili and simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Repeat until the desired consistency is reached. This chili is meant to be thick.
12. Add the rest of the salt to taste and stir.
13. Add the Crumblers and stir to heat through.