vegetarian chili

My first recipe is adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vegetarian-chili/detail.aspx.  I love to use allrecipes.com because there are so many reviews on each recipe that make great suggestions to make the dish even better.  All the reviews for this recipe were positive and it has a 4 1/2 star rating.  Here's my new, improved version:

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package frozen burger-style crumbles (I used Boca brand)
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can light red kidney beans, drained
• 1 can of sweet corn (drained)
• 2 yellow or red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 sweet onions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 

Directions 

• In a large pot heat extra virgin olive oil over medium heat, add onion and bell peppers.  Cook about 10 minutes stirring often.
•  In a large pot, combine black beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
• Bring to a simmer and cover. Let the chili simmer for at least 1 hour before serving.   The longer it cooks, the better it tastes.  15 minutes before serving, add ground crumbles (if you add them sooner, they get too chewy).
• Serve alone or with shredded cheese and crackers.

Overall
This was my first time cooking with the Boca veggie crumbles so I was a little apprehensive.  I thought it was a good chili that's even better the next day.  When I make it again, I will maybe throw in some sliced Italian zucchini for more veggie goodness.  I forgot to add the salt and pepper and when added, it tasted much better.  

Frugality
I went on a shopping trip to Fry's prior to cooking this meal.  The Boca crumbles were on sale for $2.99, the cans of beans and corn were all Kroger brand and cost about $0.70 (6 cans), the onions were about $1.50 (though you could go cheaper and get yellow onions and it would taste pretty good still), the diced tomato and tomato sauce was about $3 and the spices and olive oil I had on hand.  The grand total for this big pot of chili is less than $12.  Delicious!  

Look Forward To.... 
September is National Honey Month and a friend of mine is hosting a "Honey" party.  Each of the guests are bringing a honey infused recipe...not sure what mine will be yet.  (As of now I'm leaning toward a lemon honey cookie recipe I found.)

I just pre-ordered my produce basket from http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/.  Its a food coop that brings me a great variety  of delicious local produce from around my area for $15 a basket.  I'm excited to see what I get this week and try out some new recipes.