the five-alarm chilli of my soul

09.07.01

This is a recipe that I first made with bits and pieces of leftovers, but it's quick to make and easy to prepare, and a great vegetarian stand-in for chilli. Measurements are in Australian standard units.

Tomato and Rice Vegetarian Chilli

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

one small to medium white onion, finely chopped

three quarters of a large stick of celery, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons chilli powder

four small jalepeno peppers (preserved in a jar is fine) one whole, three finely chopped

one litre of tomato and herb soup (I used four sachets of individual serve low-fat tomato and herb soup to one litre of boiling water)

3 cups of cooked white rice

4 tablespoons tomato paste in 3 cups of water

410g can of whole tomatoes

1 teaspoon cornflour

430g can 3-bean mix, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon oregano

Method

Saute onion and celery in 1/2 teaspoon of oil and 1 teaspoon chilli powder until slightly softened and chilli is fragrant. Add litre of soup and one whole pepper, bring to boil. Reduce heat and add chopped peppers and 2 cups of cooked rice. Add tomato paste and water mix with 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder to pot. Simmer on a low heat for about five to ten minutes.

Drain can of tomatoes and reserve liquid. Blend liquid with corn flour and chop tomatoes roughly. Add both to pot, bring to boil briefly. Then add beans, the last cup of rice and 1 tablespoon of oregano, and heat through.

Serve hot with toast - nice cold or reheated the next day.

Serves 4 - 6. Fat content, if serving four: 2.3g; if serving six, 1.5g.

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