Vegetarian Three-Bean Chili

An all-time favorite.

Vegetarian Three-Bean Chili
the 'tweaked' version

1 T veggie (or olive) oil
1 large yellow or sweet onion, chopped
1 medium green or red pepper, chopped
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1 cup dried common brown lentils
3 cups water (or veggie broth)
2 28 oz. cans of stewed tomatoes
2 T chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp Spicy Mrs. Dash
1 can white beans
1 can kidney (or chili) beans
1 cup white mushrooms, sliced (or canned)
jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)

In soup pot saute onion, green pepper and garlic in oil about 3-5 minutes. Stir in lentils and water/broth, continue cooking until it comes to a boil. Stir in remaining ingredients except beans. Simmer 15-20 minutes to blend flavors, making sure lentils are soft. Stir in (drained and rinsed) beans and simmer 5 more minutes or so, until beans are heated.

Serve with shredded cheese and chips, or my favorite cornbread, if desired.

The un-tweaked recipe said it serves 8 people. However, I just can't leave well enough alone, and end up adding my own additions (mushrooms and extra spicy heat!). I always choose to use veggie broth as opposed to water to give more depth of flavor, as well as adding more beans (black is fun), just because it stretches farther. I always opt for Rotel instead of plain stewed tomatoes, as well, and usually more than is called for. One last optional item you can add is ground or shredded meat - which would change the name of this chili for sure!

Definitely double this to put in a large crockpot and transport to a potluck on a dreary day.
Perfect.