Three Bean Veggie Chili With Whole Wheat Cornbread

Oh yes, I not only bring you one recipe but TWO today. OK, so the chili today isn't really chili in the traditional sense but it has beans and a tomato-ey base, so it's good enough for me. Also, one can't really eat chili without some cornbread to dunk in it. Both recipes are oh-so-yummy and oh-so-vegan. Try to buy canned stuff that has either reduced sodium or no-salt-added labels. If you want a milder chili, deseed the jalapeño pepper before dicing or omit it altogether. This dinner will fill you up and leave a stupid grin on your face.

Three Bean Veggie Chili:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 large onion, finely diced
1/2 large green bell pepper, finely diced
1 jalapeño, finely diced
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 12-ounce can roasted red pepper, drained and diced
1 15-ounce can corn, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup vegetarian baked beans (with sauce)
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery salt

Saute the garlic, onions, green bell pepper, chili powder, cumin and oregano in the vegetable oil in a large pot on medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add everything else and give it a good stir. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Yield: 8 servings

Whole Wheat Cornbread:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/4 cup agave nectar (or honey)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan. Combine all the dry ingredients (cornmeal through salt) into a large bowl. Stir in all the remaining wet ingredients. Pour the mixture into the pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Alternatively, you could bake in a muffin pan for about 20 minutes. Yield: 8 large "pie slices" or 12 muffins