chili for skinny girls

I wish I could eat anything I want, all the time. Unfortunately, if I want to stay healthy, I can't. Over time I have began to modify some of my recipes, and change some all together to make them healthier. This way, I can maintain flavorful food that's nutritious most of the time, while being able to indulge once and a while.

Chili is one of my favorite dishes. I usually make it with ground beef, but I have vegetarian option that is rather tasty. I like to serve it over brown rice.

Ingredients

• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 3/4 cup chopped carrots
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 tbs chili powder
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped 
• 1 (19oz) can kidney beans with liquid
• 1 (11oz) can whole kernel corn, undrained
• 1 tbs ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp dry oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp dry basil

Directions

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, and garlic until tender. Stir in green pepper, red pepper, celery and chili powder. Cook until vegetables are tender (6-8 minutes).
• Stir in mushrooms, tomatoes, kidney beans, and corn. Season with cumin, oregano and basil.  
• Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Depending on how thick or liquidy you want the chili, you may need to add a tablespoon or two of water. For added flavor, you could add low sodium vegetable stock.

ENJOY!