Vegetarian Chili

I struggled with what to title this recipe, because I grew up in a world where debate rages if it can be called chili when it includes beans.  Vegetarian chili is certainly not chili, because there's no meat, so how could it be chili?  That being said, this is good.  The perfect food for our cold day with entirely too much time spent outdoors with the car.

The original recipe serves 12+, so I scaled this one down a bit.  It could've used just a bit more heat, imo ... I may have cut down on the chili powder too much.

Vegetarian Chili (from 101 Cookbooks)

Ingredients

2 tbsps olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger, peeled and grated
1 1/2 tbsp ancho chili powder (or you can use regular chili powder)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 chipotle pepper (from can or rehydrate), minced
1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
5 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup black lentils, rinsed and picked over
1/2 cup green lentils, rinsed and picked over
1/3 cup pearled barley (I used a little extra to finish off the bag)
1/3 cup bulgur wheat
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (or to taste)

1. In a large stockpot pot over medium heat add the olive oil and onion.
2. When the onions soften up and get a bit translucent, add the garlic, ginger, chili powder and cumin. Stir well and cook for a minute of so, until everything gets quite fragrant.
3. Stir in the serrano pepper and chipotle pepper, tomatoes, and 4 cups of the broth.
4. Now add the chickpeas, lentils, barley, and bulgur - stirring between each addition.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer. Take a taste of the broth a few minutes into the simmer - you can make adjustments for salt here.
6. Simmer away for about 35- 45 minutes or until the lentils and grains are cooked through. You will likely need to add the rest of the water if the chili thickens up too much.