Slow-Cooker Veggie Chili

This is a recipe my mother sent me out of Southern Living. Now, I realize that I made chili a couple weeks ago, but this chili is prepared basically as opposite as possible from that turkey chili. And anyway, it's healthy and good for you so shut up. A note before we get started: I don't own a lot of fancy kitchen equipment, but I've had a "slow-cooker" a.k.a. "crock pot" since college. They're great. You put your ingredients in, turn it on, walk away, and come back eight-odd hours later.

So yeah, the differences between this chili and vegetable soup are, well, minor. I suppose vegetable soup is generally made with ground beef and veggie chili is... not. Anyway, just grab a whole bunch of your favorite, most flavorful vegetables, chop or dice them, sauté them a little bit, and then dump them in the crock pot. I included most of what the recipe requested (aside from what I either couldn't find or simply forgot): carrot, celery, onion, squash, and mushrooms. Season with chili powder (duh), dried basil, and pepper (I used fresh ground red pepper). I halved all the ingredients for this recipe since my mother said it made enough to feed her entire town.

In the crock pot, combined these veggies with the tomato sauce, juice, and a can of diced tomatoes (jalapeño for me, please). Add a couple cans of your beans of choice (I chose pinto and black beans) and corn if you don't forget like I did. I added a liberal dash of Tabasco because it's chili and chili's supposed to be hot. Set the crock pot on low, play Rock Band for eight hours, eat dinner, ???, profit!

Slow-Cooker Veggie Chili