Chili with Veggies and Beer

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 package white mushrooms – sliced
• 2 peppers – red, green, or yellow – chopped
• 1 medium onion – chopped
• 2 cloves garlic – minced
• 2 (28 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes with diced green chilies
• 2 (16 ounce) cans red kidney beans – rinsed and drained
• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans – rinsed and drained
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle of your favorite beer
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano – chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil – chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

Directions

In a large 4 quart saucepan, cook the ground beef in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until cooked – breaking up with a spoon , about 5 minutes, and drain fat.

In the same pan, add the remaining olive oil to the beef along with the mushrooms, peppers, onions, and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the peppers are tender.

Then add the remaining ingredients, and bring the saucepan contents up to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves before serving.

***This recipe makes a lot of chili, and I freeze most of it for future meals. I find that the thawed leftovers have an extra heat kick which makes it even tastier the next time around.