Lisa's Veggie Chili

Do you have a recipe you've made dozens of times? I got this recipe 12 years ago from a former boss when I lived in Philadelphia. Lisa is vegetarian and I got a copy of the recipe after having it at her house and loving it so much. Until the past year I'd always added 1 lb of ground beef to the recipe and not used the bulgur wheat. Now I do 1/2 bulgur wheat and 1/2 ground beef, but I'd honestly be just as happy with this recipe with all bulgur and no beef! So, here's the recipe with my current 'version' of 1/2 and 1/2. If you decide to make it, you can just adapt it by doubling one or the other and taking the other out of the recipe. The mix of spices is perfect in this and has turned out great with the recipe doubled as well!

Lisa's Veggie Chili

Ingredients:
1 TB oil
1 large yellow onion diced
1 green pepper diced
1 red pepper diced
1 cup sliced celery
2 cloves minced garlic
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
15 oz can red kidney beans, drained
15 oz can stewed tomatoes, diced
3 to 4 tsp chili powder
1 TB oregano
2.5 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 to 2 tsp bottled hot sauce (I use Sirachi because I think Tabasco is too vinegar-y)
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup bulgur wheat

Directions:
Brown ground beef in a nonstick frypan, drain and set aside
Place 1/2 cup bulgur wheat in a small pot, add 1/2 cup boiling water, cover and let sit for 20 minutes, fluff with fork.
Heat oil in a large pot
Add onions, peppers, celery & garlic
Saute about 8 minutes
Stir in tomatoes, beans and seasonings
Add in cooked ground beef and bulgur wheat
Bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered over low heat for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

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A side note about bulgur wheat -

Cooking Light published a comparison of bulgur wheat and brown rice - which we already know is great - and bulgur wheat is even better for you! They're about equal when it comes to protein, calcium and sodium, but bulgur wheat has fewer calories, less fat and more than twice the fiber, and 4x as much folate.

I found all kinds of interesting facts about bulgur wheat on the Sunnyland Mills website - including articles about Bulgur Wheat in politics and at Woodstock!