Multi-Bean Chili

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ¹⁄₂ cups chopped onion
1 green bell pepper - cored, seeded and chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper - cored, seeded and chopped
¹⁄₂ lb lean, ground beef (optional)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried oregano
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried basil
Dash cayenne
2 cans (14 ounces each) chicken or vegetable broth
3 Roma tomatoes - seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (15 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Garnish:
chopped Cilantro
grated Cheddar cheese
1 avocado
sour cream
tortilla chips

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven, or other large pot, over medium heat.  Add the onion, bell peppers and garlic. Sauté until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and cayenne and cook 2 minutes longer - stirring constantly to evenly coat the vegetables with the spices.  *Add the ground beef and cook for several minutes until no longer pink - stirring to mix it with all of the vegetables and spices.  Stir in the broth, tomatoes, mustard and Worcestershire and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add the beans and cook until heated through - about 10 minutes longer.  Add garnish and serve.

The chili can be made up to 2 days in advance and slowly reheated before serving.

*The beef we use is lean (16%), grass fed and renders very little fat.  If you need to - cook the beef first, remove the meat, spoon off most of the fat,  cook the vegetables and then add the meat back in.

Recipe adapted from The Junior League of Seattle's Celebrate the Rain.