(http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/15/Award_Winning_Chili53289.shtml) Despite what people in Ohio claim, cinnamon does not belong in chili. Follow the link for an award winning recipe.

I used to be a veggie and my favourite chilli ingredients were peppers, courgettes (zucchini in American!), sweetcorn, chickpeas, mushrooms and tomatoes. Plus lots of cayenne pepper!!

Use black beans Beside your peppers, onions, garlic & tomatoes try a variant of the "Caribbean fruit curry"!!Dice in chunks papayas, seedless water melon, and apples. Plus a banana finely dice. Fry the onions, garlic and peppers add seasoning & spices add a drop of white wine & reduce it add the tomato and reduce the fire add the beans add the papaya, banana and apples and soft them a bit add the water melon and let it cook for no more than 4 minutes as that is going to be your meat bites! Serve with rice & Garnish with avocado, a few small raisins and Chop parsley. Enjoy!! :)

I'm not a chili fan, but I would guess that you could just make it how its usually made with beans and onions and whatever is in there, just don't add meat.

Maybe good old RayRay can provide some ideas. Her recipes tend to be uncomplicated, although this one looks a little more involved. I would suggest perusing the ingredients lists of various Vege chili recipes and combining the ones that appeal to you most. Or rather, that would help you win :) http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_18690,00.html

There are many vegetarian chili recipies on the internet. Just study several of them, and then decide how you would alter it to make it better. Hint: some people like theirs sweeter; wine, beer, or fruit preserves work. I put chocolate and peanuts in mine and label it "If you have any allergies, ask for list of ingredients".

Beef and beans.

Sorry this may be to late..It may sound weird but get some Mcormicks pot roast seasoning chunk up some top sirloin, simmer it in au jus mix with some jalapenos and serranos along with the pot roast seasoning..add it to the beans,and some diced or whole stewed tomatoes, simmer...beyond yummy..buttered french bread or ortega bread or whatever your bread choice nice comfort meal...I'm jealous

There are excellent vegetarian chili recipes..basically you want garlic, onion, tomatoes, beans and a variety of spices..chili, cumin, spicy curry, cilantro..the sky is the limit. You could also incorporate soy protein..there are some very good meat alternatives..I've even used one that comes in crumbled cooked hamburger form. Good luck! Sounds like fun! :)

I make about 10 different kinds of chili. Keep it simple. To get a meaty flavor use Mushrooms. To add a richness use either fresh roasted or canned green chilis. Use a little corn flour to thicken. Sauté onions, roast the cumin to bring out the oils. Half canned diced tomatoes and red chili sauce. You can get these things in cans(green chopped and red chili sauce). Make a few practice ones. A little of this and that meaning Mexican seasonings like Cilantro, fresh of course. The basic sauce would be half red chili & half diced tomatoes. Add a little cilantro and the diced roasted green chili's. Sauté onions and add that. Sauté the mushrooms and add the cumin to that with a little red chili powder. Do not use the stuff with silicon get the fresh stuff online. Look up Mexican food and order the real stuff. You can also use Zucchini and potatoes if you want to, but brown them first so they become a little meaty so it chews like meat. Even cashews can be made to chew like meat. You need to experiment a bit. Add beans, black, pinto, kidney, red.....even white, mix them if you want to. Drain them before you add them. To add more heat add some cayenne pepper, black pepper or any pepper sauce. Make it a little hot not burning hot. It's all about the flavor of the red chilis that come out and the chewiness of the ingredients, plus the cumin and tomato. DO NOT USE GARLIC!!!!!!!! You can also add a little beer and some coffee, just a little. The beer adds richness and the coffee adds and element of earthiness. Do that early in the base sauce so they cook off. Do not add everything and the kitchen sink. keep it simple and let the flavors come through the heat. Richness of the chilis and earthiness of the cumin. Most people have no clue how to make real chili. It's not sloppy joe's. No garlic or red or green peppers, you use chili peppers....makes sense right. I don't think I missed anything. I guess you can use Tofu also, but I never did so I cannot explain it. You can also use a little smoke in a bottle to the tofu or vegiies to make it meaty flavored. Add a little salt to taste.

There are so many different variations, I'm sure you'll have a lot of ideas to give her here. I like meat and beans in mine. I used to make it with really lean ground beef, but lately I've been making it with lean ground turkey. I also add Rotel (or another similar canned tomatoes & green chilis), a chopped onion, a few cloves of minced garlic, and I have been using 3 kinds of beens...black, red beans, dark red kidneys and even a can of light beer! It's a hit at my house!

Congratulations!!! What was your recipe? Chili is about taste so if it looked like dog food no problem....LOL.

Congrats on winning! I am also a vegetarian and I love chili. There are many wonderful vegetarian chili recipes out there. I've never been brave enough to enter mine in a contest, but my friends and family sure do love it.