Vegetable, not vegetarian, chili

I first had this at a friends house for dinner, where the evening started with the question, "Do you like chili?"

The answer was, "No."

Try as I might, I just don't like most beans and legumes. (And, yes, I know that authentic chili doesn't have beans in it, and that kind of chili I do like.)

I like my mom's baked beans, on the rare occasion when she makes them. But I can't stand anything involving kidney beans, even if you pick them out, the flavor lingers and I don't like it.

And I'm probably the least picky of my family, when it comes to beans.

Notice, however, the beans in the picture of this chili? Aren't that many, are there? Now, see all the yummy vegetables?

This chili actually qualifies as a 30 minute meal, start to finish, because it uses a convenience food (or two): canned baked beans in tomato sauce, and white corn and black bean salsa sauce (President's Choice brand.)

So, the recipe:

1 - 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped (I like red)
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 broccoli, cut into florettes
1/2 cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
a bunch of carrots, cut into bite sized pieces
any other vegetable you want in your chili. (I wanted red or yellow pepper but the kids won't eat them, so didn't bother.)
1 jar President's Choice White Corn and Black bean salsa
1 can baked beans in tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
sprinkling Italian seasoning, chili powder, salt and pepper

Brown ground beef in a large pot - don't bother draining, you'll want the fat to saute the vegetables. Add chopped onion and carrot pieces, cook a few minutes before adding in the rest of the vegetables and continuing to cook over medium heat. Sprinkle in the spices of your choice. (I didn't have any Italian seasoning and was in too much of a hurry to pull out the basil, oregano, and thyme to make my own, so skipped it - and never noticed the lack of flavor from omitting them.)
Add in jar of salsa, beans and tomato paste. Fill tomato paste can with water and add into the chili. Or for a more grown up version, use red wine instead. Once mixed, turn heat to low, put lid on the pot and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Serve with toppings of choice and dippers, see list below. I've marked our required toppings with a *.

Topping suggestions:

shredded cheese*
sour cream*
green onion
cilantro
avacado
garlic bread
tortilla chips

So the next time someone asks me if I like chili, I won't answer no right away. I'll wait to see how many beans are in it first.