I also try to sneak some extra veggies into my chili (as well as my lasagna sauce) No one notices pureed celery, carrot, zucchini or basically any veg. Love my Magic Bullet!! Corn and any small amounts of leftover salsa, ketchup or pasta sauce from the fridge, have also been known to show up in a batch. I will do a double or even triple batch, simmer most of the day and portion into single serve containers for the freezer. Quick and easy on a busy (or lazy) night. Just pull out as many serves as you need and gently reheat. I do use beans--well rinsed canned red and white kidney beans--no salt added when I can find them, because I believe they are more tender. Spices depend on the day but always include cumin and some of my homemade cajun seasoning.
I shall try Watson's trick and puree at least some of the beaans. I've often done it with soup for a thickener--don't know why I didn't think of doing the same for chili.