Hot and Spicy Summer

Summer is a hot time, and not the time most people think of chili or soup. However, it is one of my favorite times to think of soup and chili. I suppose, for me, growing up, all the veggies were coming off in the garden during the heat of summer. One of my favorite summer meals was Vegetable Beef Soup, and in fact, still is. Likewise, chili uses many garden staples, and so tonight for supper, Shane and I combatted the heat of summer with some epicurean heat of our own. We took our bowl of spicy veggie chili out to the yard and sat at the patio table with a slight breeze, glasses of water, and slices of cornbread. Who says summer is not the time for chili?

Veggie Chili

1 cup dried pinto beans
1 cup dried kidney beans
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, pressed or chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped (with leaves)
1 cayenne pepper, ribbed and seeded (or leave in ribs and seeds for additional heat)
2 jalapeno peppers, ribbed and seeded (or leave in for more heat)
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup shredded yellow squash
1 cup shredded carrot
2 cans diced tomatoes*
1 can tomato sauce*
*You can use fresh garden tomatoes, but unfortunately ours are all gone for now.
2 pkts of chili seasoning or loose chili powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste.

Wash, soak and cook beans. Chop and drop everything else into large pot, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until desired doneness.

This is a medium heat chili with no meat, and tons of veggies. And if you think squash and carrots are strange ingredients for chili, you should really try it!!!!!!!!