White Bean Chili

White Bean Chili
This is a great recipe I got from my friend Kristin Scott and doctored a little to make vegetarian and kick up the heat level.  You can tone down the heat by omitting the jalapeño and cayenne pepper.  It is a nice change from the traditional tomato based chili.  You can also add shredded chicken to it when you add the beans if you have any die hard meat eaters coming to dinner.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 red pepper, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
24-ounces vegetable broth
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 (16-ounce) cans white beans, rinsed, drained, and divided in half
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chilies
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 can corn
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Optional Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, tortilla chips, crusty bread

Preparation

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion, carrot, garlic, red pepper and jalapeño, and sauté 10 minutes. 

Stir in broth, cumin and cayenne pepper.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. Stir in 1.5 cans of beans, the green chilies, corn and continue simmering.

Mash the remaining 1.5 cans of beans in a small bowl. Whisk together corn starch in a bit of water, and stir into beans. 

Gradually add bean mixture to the soup (see above), and thoroughly mix it into the soup until well incorporated. Cook 10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat, and stir in lime. 

Serve with desired toppings and enjoy!