Rachel Ray is good for one thing

ok..maybe 2. Her garbage bowl and her vegetarian chili recipe. Other than that, the lady annoys the crap out of me. Just the sound of her voice grates on my last cooking nerve. I can't watch her show. She man handles food and groans and ooh and aahs too much for me. Some people love her..this girl hates her. I tried to give her magazine a chance but my arteries clogged and my muffin top grew just reading her recipes. I even emailed the Everday magazine asking for nutritional info on their recipes. Whoever read my email probably snorted and wondered if I knew I was reading Rachel Ray's magazine not Weight Watchers.

But...one hidden gem I did find online...her vegetarian chili recipe. Its one of her only recipes without a tub of butter and a side of cream. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating and confusing her with Paula Deen a bit.

Here's the pot I just made...a little football and raking leaves called for a pot o chili for dinner.

Rachel "Man Hands" Ray's Vegetarian Chili

2 Tbsp EVOO
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup veggie broth or light beer
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp cumin
2 Tbsp chilli powder
1 Tbsp hot sauce
1 tsp sauce
1 can refried beans

Dice veggies. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add veggies and sautee for 3-5 minutes. deglaze pan with the 1 cup of broth or beer. Add crushed tomatoes and black beans and kidney beans.

Cook for 5 minutes. Then, add refried beans.

Just a note--the refried beans go in very chunky..once they heat up, they  blend right in.

Also--I add 1lb lean ground turkey when I need some meat...tonight I needed some and the pic above shows my Meaty Rachel Ray's Vegetarian Chili.

Also--don't skimp on the jalapeno and hot sauce because you don't like hot things..they're more for spice vs. heat.

I love this chili because the refried beans add a very good texture to this. Most chilis are simply tomato based with tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, the refried beans create a thick delicious base for Rachel's Ray's only healthy recipe.

So, while her voice makes my ears bleed, I'll give the girl props for her awesome chili recipe and I'm still jealous that she came up with a stupid simple idea for a garbage bowl and that I was a sucker to buy one and love it.