Vegetarian chili with red kale and whole grains

I don't know whether this crazy recipe really qualifies as "chili", but somehow it works. It's also fast, easy to make, and chock full of nutrition. Heck, I just had a bowl for supper and I feel healthier already! Two bowls and you're guaranteed to extend your lifespan by one year!! (Okay, maybe it'll just seem longer.)

If you leave the whole grains slightly undercooked, the al dente grains and kale will add some nice texture to the dish.

Vegetarian chili with red kale and whole grains

1 jumbo onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 can romano beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 c tomato juice + water (to desired consistency)
1 bunch red kale, torn
2 c cooked whole grains*
miscellaneous tweaks: liquid smoke, tabasco sauce, Jamaican blacking, sherry vinegar, agave nectar, cinnamon... and possibly something else
Daiya shredded faux cheddar**
cilantro

Saute the onion in olive oil until translucent; add garlic and yellow pepper and saute a few more minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, seasonings, and liquids. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes. At this point I started to tweak the seasoning to bring some depth to the dish. (As you can see from the list of ingredients, I went a little free-form jazz hands here...) Anyway, once the seasoning seems about right, add the kale and cooked grains. Bring to a simmer and turn off heat (you just need to wilt the kale). Serve topped with faux cheddar and cilantro.

* The whole grain mixture that I used resembles birdseed more than anything else. Here's the ingredient list: whole oats, red rice, rye berries, s.g. brown rice, hull-less barley, black/purple barley, black china/japonica rice, brown sweet rice, carnaroli, beluga lentil, l.g. red rice, and green rice.

** Yes, Daiya has arrived in Calgary! When I was camping in Texas I tried the mozzarella variant on top of a hastily thrown together vegetarian chili, and the resulting slop was pretty tasty. Of course I was awfully hungry at the time. And may have been suffering from heatstroke...