Meatless Chili Recipe and the 2013 Presidential Inauguration

My family lives just outside of Washington, DC, and around here, we get very excited about Presidential Inaugurations.  Its probably sort of like living near Hollywood during Oscar season or near Indianapolis during the last Super Bowl. Some people in the DC area attend Inaugural Balls, or have parties celebrating the inauguration.  The really brave and motivated ones bundle up and go downtown to witness the Procession and swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. Unless you are a member of Congress or a VIP, attending the inauguration day festivities on January 21st means standing outside in the cold for many hours to try to get a spot to see the Presidents and Vice Presidents Procession from the White House to the Capitol for the Swearing-In. The average temperature in Washington, DC in January is about 36 degrees, so after a few hours of standing outside, you are bound to have cold fingers and toes even if you wore a hat, gloves and a warm coat. When my husband Andrew and our son Solomon went to the Inauguration in 2009, they were chilled to the bone when they got home. Even if you arent attending the 57th Presidential Inauguration on January 21st, I hope you will watch it on TV and witness the ritual that has remained pretty consistent for over 200 years. Afterwards, we can celebrate our democracy and warm up with some hot chocolate or a bowl of warm chili. I picked a chili recipe for the inauguration post not only because its a healthy and warming winter meal, but also because President Obama loves chili. Also,  First Lady Michelle Obama has been a vocal advocate for families to eat healthier food, and this chili recipe has lots of healthy vegetables and half your daily needs for fiber. The Obamas even have their own family chili recipe, which you can see here. Because the inauguration falls on Meatless Monday, I am sharing a meatless chili recipe, however I dont think the official inauguration luncheon will be meatless. But who knows, maybe it will someday if we have our first vegetarian president! You can learn more about the history of presidential inaugurations here. I also found a menu from the 2009 inauguration, so you can see what the new President had for lunch. This vegetarian chili is sweet, chunky and just a little spicy.  If your kids wont eat these foods mixed together, remove a couple of spoonfuls of the beans and corn and set some extra carrots aside for them (but encourage them to have a taste of the combined chili, too).