Liz's recipe for vegetarian chili (4/3/09 version)

Ingredients:
-1 red onion, 2 yellow
-3 stalks celery
-2 jalapeno peppers
-1 can corn
-1 15-ounce can black beans, 1 can pinto
-1 30-ounce can tomatoes (get the one with the prettiest label)
-1 cup water
-cumin seeds
-chili powder
-1 shriveled red pepper rescued from the fridge
-2 zucchini, 1 summer squash
-olive oil
-fresh cilantro
-sour cream
-cheddar cheese

Directions:

Have your sous chef chop the onions and celery. Instruct her on knife usage so she feels safe. Heat the olive oil in the bottom of a big soup pot. Saute the onions and celery, but don't saute the (finely-chopped) jalapenos or the capsaicin will get in the air and make you cough. When the onions are soft, add the beans and corn, including the liquid. Add the tomatoes. Mush them if you got whole ones. Make sure the pepper isn't moldy, and chop it. Have the sous chef chop the zucchini. Add these things. Simmer, stir. Add the water--just enough so that the mixture is slightly liquidy. Add spices to taste. Don't salt, because the canned things come already salted. Simmer with lid partially on, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are soft. Eat topped with chopped cilantro, sour cream, and grated cheese. Let your roommate have some, even if he doesn't really help. Yum.