Vegan Crockpot Chili i.e. I smell like garlic all day.

So, if I knew I was going to be stranded on a deserted island and I could only have one kitchen gadget, it would be my crockpot. I love that thing. So much. I don't have any pets, but I assume my relationship with my crockpot is similar to pet ownership - I wake up in the morning to tend to its needs, I make sure it has everything before I head off to work, and it sits there waiting for me expectantly until I get home. When I arrive home, it is there to give me love and comfort. Then I clean it up and do the whole thing over again the next day.

Ok, so all you pet lovers may disagree, but seriously. It's great. Yesterday morning I decided to make some vegan chili. One thing that bothers me about being vegan and vegetarian is that I have a hard time finding a really good chili recipe that has that HEARTY factor. Usually vegetarian/vegan chili is lacking in the hearty area and is more runny and soup-like than chili. Unfortunately, this recipe was still a little soupy, BUT I think that may have been the cook's error, not the recipe.

Here's what I did wrong:

I had a few crises at the grocery store. I got confused and bought refried beans rather than baked beans. I forgot to get a bell pepper. The jalapenos looked nasty so I bought a habanero. I had no idea what the recipe was talking about in terms of the 14 1/2 ounce can chopped tomato puree so I just bought the big can of crushed tomatoes and put them all in. I don't like onion-heavy food so I only used half an onion. And I didn't have any dried parsley.

None of those things seemed to be a deal breaker, so I made it anyways. Like I said, it was a little soupy, but I assume that was from the refried beans. My biggest complaint however was that it was rather bland. I added about a tablespoon of sugar, half tablespoon of salt and a couple four shakes of black pepper. I would recommend for the next time using a black bean soup with flavor rather than the black beans in juice, but I was too stressed at the grocery store to try and read the labels to find a vegan friendly black bean soup.

Let me know if any of you have an AWESOME recipe for chili, because I'm still on the lookout.

Granny's Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili from food.com

1 (11 ounce) can condensed black bean soup (or canned black beans in juice)
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (sometimes I use lentils)
1 (16 ounce) can vegetarian baked beans
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chopped tomato puree (I use large 29 oz. can crushed tomatoes)
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can diced chilies
1 -2 jalapeno, chopped (depending on how much heat you want)
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon cilantro (optional)
Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:
Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 6 1/4 hrs
1 In a saucepan, saute the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and celery for about 5 minutes.
2 In a slow cooker, combine black bean soup, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, baked beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper, zucchini, jalapeno, chilies, and celery.
3 Season with garlic, chili powder, cumin, parsley, oregano, basil (and cilantro if using).
4 Cook for about 6 hours on low.
5 Serve with tortillas, cornbread, rice, or French bread.
6 Enjoy!
7 This freezes well!
8 Leftovers are good on top of nachos!