Recipe: Vegetarian Chili with Bulgur

I fell in love during a recent trip to my favorite restaurant in Milwaukee, Beans and Barley (their website is www.beansandbarley.com). The object of my affection is their chili. I'm pretty sure what sealed the deal for me was their use of chili to create a meaty texture. After putting recipe requests on two livejournal communities for vegetarians for a similar recipe, I got a response with what looked like something similar. I made a big pot of it last night and was very happy with the result! It's easy to make, though it does take a fair amount of preparation (the hardest part for me was opening the jar of salsa). I did forget to add the onion in until it was too late, but I didn't miss it (I'm not a huge fan of onions, anyway).


Ingredients:
1 tbsp Pure Canola Oil
2 cups Onions
1 medium Green bell Pepper
1 medium Red Bell Pepper
3 Garlic Clove
2 cups Mushrooms-sliced
19 oz Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
19 oz Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup Bulgur Wheat
28 oz Crushed Tomatoes
1 cup Salsa
1/2 cup Tap Water
2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp Dried Basil
1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tbsp Cocoa
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin

Directions:
Heat oil in a large pot. Saute onions, pepper and garlic for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté 5 minutes longer. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer, covered for 25 to 30 minutes.

I ate this last night with shredded cheese, and it was incredible. I brought some for lunch today, along with tortilla chips.