Vegan Chili - Easy & Awesome

1-2 tablespoons oil
1 small onion, chopped (I like yellow sweet onions - also called vidalia)
3 cloves garlic or 3 tsp chopped garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, no seeds, chopped
1 pack Light Life beefy stuff plus 1/4 cup water (optional) (not calculated in nutritional info)
4 small tomatoes, chopped
1-2 cups chopped zucchini or other squash
1 cup of chopped bell pepper (pre-chopped frozen is great!)
1 cup "Santa Fe" veggies (frozen corn, black beans, and onion mix)
3 cans of beans, drained (kidney, black, chili/pinto are what we used, but any beans will work. Kidney & black beans are best!)
1 small can of tomato paste
Spices (we used salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and turmeric)

Pour oil into large pot and heat over medium-low. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno. While that's cooking, chop your tomatoes.
Add Light Life ground beef. Stir.
Chop & add tomatoes. Stir.
Chop & add zucchini. Stir.
Add frozen veggies, stir.
Drain beans slightly (or not! up to you!) and add to the pot.
Add tomato paste & stir.
Add spices (about 1/8 tsp salt & pepper, 1-2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp turmeric). If it's going to be spicy, add a teaspoon or two of brown sugar or maple syrup (not calculated into nutritional info).
Keep the lid on when you're not stirring.
Turn the heat up to medium/medium-high. It should cook & bubble a little, but not a full-on boil. Stir every 3-5 minutes while it's cooking, so it doesn't stick to the bottom. Cook 20-30 minutes until everything is hot.

If you're making in a crock pot, dump everything in and cook it on low until you're ready. Skip the oil if you're making it full-on in the crockpot.

When you're ready to serve, feel free to add chopped green onions, sour cream, Daiya, etc.

Serving Size: Makes 10 very hearty servings

Number of Servings: 10

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user MEOWALLIECAT.