French Pastry Chili (Vegetarian)

N. made this chili for our first meal swap and I absolutely loved the flavor so I decided to make up another batch tonight.  I doubled the recipe as I remembered the big portions that N. had made for us all (and it was when we coined the term "slab" and "half slab" to refer to the portions of chili that we consumed given it's enormous size, especially when frozen flat in a Ziploc bag!)
I made it vegetarian as my family gobbled it up and didn't seem to notice the missing meat, so I thought I'd try it again!

Ingredients:
2 onions - chopped        
4 stalks celery - chopped          
1 red pepper - chopped               
8 whole mushrooms                  
1 shredded carrot                     
1 can tomato soup                    
1 bottle chili sauce                    
3/4 cup ketchup                        
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
 2 (19 oz) brown beans in tomato sauce
 2 tbsp vinegar
 4 tbsp molasses
 1 tsp chili powder
 1/2 tsp red/cayenne pepper
 1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes

Fry onion, celery, mushroom, red pepper together until onions are transparent.  Add all other ingredients and cook on low heat for two hours.  Add in additional ingredients, such as chick peas, to suit preferences.  1 lb of ground beef can be added as well.

What I really liked about this chili is the sweet and spicy combination.  I generally like hot foods and this has enough spice to make it interesting, but the sweet taste really compliments the flavors.  I am not sure why it calls for whole mushrooms and tomatoes though - they seem a little big to me, might chop them up next time!  And I must confess, I was too lazy to grate a carrot so I left it out.  I didn't figure it would have a big impact on taste anyway!

Rockin' Moroccan Stew

This was originally made by T in one of our first meal swaps and I have been craving to make it ever since.  My family is harder to please when it comes to vegetarian meals, so I packaged this into lunch size ziplocs so I can enjoy it myself on those days when I don't have anything else prepared for lunch.  I ate two bowls today and can't wait to eat some more tomorrow!  This is yet another recipe from Looneyspoons Collection.

2 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup each diced celery and chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable stock
3 cups peeled, cubed sweet potatoes
1 can (19 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp each ground cumin, curry powder, ground coriander, and chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup raisins
2 tsp each peanut butter and chopped, fresh cilantro

Heat olive oil in large saucepan or pot over med-high heat. Add onions, celery, green pepper, and garlic. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
Add all remaining ingredients, except raisins, peanut butter and cilantro. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes.
Stir in raisins, peanut butter and cilantro. Mix well. Simmer for 5 more minutes.