Veggie slow cooker chili

By kishthecook

A favorite for our Dia de los Muertos party. Our vegetarian friends love it..so do the omnivores! easy to make and let brew in the crock pot until the party after the procession. This version is a bit milder than my usual scorcher style, better for a crowd.. I serve chopped fresh serrano or jalepeno on the side to add in if you are like me!

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 poblano, diced
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 3/4 cup fresh pumpkin, peeled and diced (you can substitute 1 sweet potato, also yummy)
• handfull of mushrooms, sliced
• chopped garlic, as much as you like
• dash of EVO
• 1 can diced tomatoes (or 1 1/2 cup pureed fresh)
• 2 TBS mamacitas mexican seasoning
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 TBS chocolate powder ( TJ's sipping chocolate is nice)
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 1 bottle good beer
• 1/2 cup frozen roasted corn kernals
• optional: chopped serrano or jalepeno to add in for heat as you wish

Preparation

Step 1

heat the olive oil in a heavy pan. Saute the onions until soft. Add the garlic and stir 2 min more. Add the rest of the veggies and saute a few more minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste.

Scoop the veggies into the crockpot. (I had a little too much and was afraid I'd overflow my
4 1/2 qt round crock.. I held back about 1/2 cup just to be safe.) Pour the tomatoes over the veg. Add the cans of beans and seasonings. Give all a big stir to mix. Pour in the beer. If you have room, you can mix the extra veggies back in... or save then for an omlette tomorrow!
Stir again to mix and cover. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low 8-10. I like to stir in some frozen roasted corn at the end and garnish with cilantro and queso fresco.