All-Day Veggie Chili

My grandma was an amazing cook.  She loved making good food, and there are tons of cookbooks and food magazines that she collected throughout the years and kept buying even when she didn't cook anymore.  We spent a recent weekend at their summerhouse, and my mom and I decided to dig up some of the cookbooks for a little fun reading on a Saturday afternoon.  I chose KCTS Cooks: Comfort Food, and one of the recipes that caught my eye was this veggie chili.  I copied it down and brought it home, but I didn't think about it until this Saturday morning, when I had to decide on something to make for dinner.  Kelsey was coming for dinner, and I wanted to find something, anything to make- the only requirement was that we have all the ingredients on hand. 

The easiest thing about this chili is that after maybe ten minutes of opening cans and chopping a few things, you have nothing to do but wait.  It seemed a little lackluster at first, but hours in a crock pot will do wonders to a mess of vegetables! You can dress it up with more veggies or spices if you want, or even a pound of ground, cooked beef or turkey.  We ate it with green salad and beer bread, followed by a little birthday cake :)

All-Day Veggie Chili

from KCTS Cooks: Comfort Food

2 15-oz cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 28-oz can chopped tomatoes, drained

1 6-oz can tomato paste

1 4-oz chopped chili peppers

1 medium onion chopped

1 1/2 cups celery, chopped (I left this out)

1/2 cup sweet bell pepper, chopped

1 clove minced garlic

2 Tbsp sugar

1 bay leaf

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried marjoram, crushed

optional: 1 lb cooked ground beef or turkey

Combine all ingredients in a large crock pot.  Cover and cook on low heat 8-10 hours.  Remove bay leaf and serve.