Family style Meatless Chili

From Healthy Starts Here

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour (although if you’re in a hurry, it’s ready in 30 minutes- just tastes richer the longer you leave it)
Makes 8 cups l

Ingredients
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (19 oz/540 ml) black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can (19 oz/540 ml) red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can (19 oz/540 ml) lentils, drained & rinsed
1 tbsp canola oil
2onions, diced
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp dried oregano leaves
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried basil leaves
¼ - ½ tsp cracked black peppercorns
1 whole roasted sweet red pepper, seeded & chopped
1 can (28 oz/798 ml) diced,
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Toppings:
2 tbsp fresh cilantro/coriander leaves, chopped (or parsley, if you’re not a cilantro fan)
2 tbsp chopped avocado (optional)
1 tbsp shredded cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the oil and onions. Sauté until the onions are golden brown (about 5 minutes).

2. Add the corn and sauté until the onions turn even darker and the corn is golden too (another 5 minutes). Mairlyn Smith says “This step adds a really fabulous flavor” – I have to agree. Take the time!

3. In the meantime, mix the chili powder, oregano, coriander, cumin, basil & pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

4. Once the onion & corn mixture is the right rich colour, add the red pepper and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the spice mix and sauté for another 30 seconds or just until you get that awesome aroma.

5. Stir in the tomatoes, making sure you scrap up the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot to prevent the chili from burning. Add the beans, lentils and Worcestershire sauce. The chili will be really thick to start, but will become more liquidy as it cooks.

6. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, covered for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. It really does taste better the longer it cooks, so try to let it simmer for at least an hour.

Note: Mairlyn suggests cooling the chili at this point and refrigerating overnight before reheating and serving. We couldn’t wait and it was delicious at the end of the hour’s cooking.

To serve: Hot chili in deep bowls, garnished with chopped cilantro or parsley and avocado & cheese if you like.

Leftovers make amazing quesadillas.

Very Veggie Chili

Very Veggies Chili
Adapted from The South Beach Diet Supercharged

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1-2 tbsp olive oil
2 sweet red bell peppers (the book says to use any color), chopped
1 ½ cup cremini mushrooms, chopped
3 young leeks, white part only, rinsed, dried and chopped (or 1 large onion)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp dried oregano (preferably Greek)
1 tsp ground cumin
2 (15oz/400ml) cans pinto beans with their juice – DO NOT DRAIN
1 (15oz/400ml) can crushed fire roasted tomatoes (or diced tomatoes & juice)

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the peppers, mushrooms, leeks and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables begin to soften (about 5 minutes). Add chili powder, oregano & cumin, stir well and cook for another 5 minutes.

2. Add the beans and tomatoes. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until the chili is fragrant and slightly thickened. (20-25 minutes)

Serve warm

Nigella's Choc Chip Chili

Nigella’s Choc Chip Chili
From Nigella Christmas

Hands-on time: 15-20 minutes
Total Baking time: 3 hours or so (Nigella likes it best the next day)
Serves 12 (freezes well)
Be warned: it is pretty spicy! So spicy in fact, I had to serve it over couscous to absorb some of the heat.

Ingredients:
550g/1lb chorizo sausage (not the salami kind) (usually 10 sausages)
3.5lb/1.5kg boneless shin of beef, cut into 1.5” cubes
1 lb/ 500g onions peeled (about 3 medium)
3 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 fresh red chili, deseeded
4 tbsp vegetable oil
Seeds from 3 cardamom pods
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp dried crushed chilies (I only used ½ tsp and it was still very spicy for us)
4 tbsp tomato puree
4 tbsp tomato ketchup
4 cans 14oz/400g red kidney beans, drained (I actually only used 2 – no room in the pot)
3 cans 14oz/400g chopped tomatoes
¼ cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup water (I didn’t find I needed it as the sauce was thin enough without it)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300°F/150°C.

2. Finely chop or process the onion, garlic & chili

3. Heat the oil in a large, heavy oven proof pan with a lid and sauté the onion, garlic and chili paste until soft over low heat (about 10 minutes). Add the cardamom seeds, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and dried chilies. (Ruth’s note: I really would start with less than you think you’ll need. Remember that the chorizo is very spicy all by itself).

4. Stir the oniony spiced mixture together and then add the chorizo sliced into ½” coins, “letting them ooze their paprika orange oil” I do love how Nigella writes.

5. Drop in the cubes of beef, turning them in the pan with the chorizo and onion mix to brown the meat.

6. Stir in the tomato puree, ketchup, drained kidney beans and chopped tomatoes. Ruth’s note: Nigella adds water at this point, but I’d hold off until later if you really need to). Bring to a boil. Once it boils, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the chili, stir and then cover and bake at low heat for 3 hours.

Nigella’s advice: It’s best left overnight in the fridge to improve the flavors. To heat the next day, tip into a large ovenproof casserole or pan, bring it SLOWLY to a boil on top of the stove and transfer to the oven at 300°F/150°C for an hour.

My Favorite Chili

My Favorite Chili
From Every Kitchen Tells Its Stories

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2-3 hours
Serves 10Freezes well

Ingredients
4 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp oregano (dried)
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1½ lbs ground beef
½ lb/227g ground pork*
¼ cup chili powder (Spice Island Chili con Carne is the best**)
1 can (28 oz/796 ml) tomatoes (do not drain)
3 cans (19 oz/540 ml) red kidney beans (do not drain)
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp cider vinegar
¼ tsp crushed hot red chili peppers

Directions:
1. For a fast way to chop the onions and garlic: drop the garlic cloves through the feeding tube of your food processor with the motor running. Shut off the motor and place peeled and quartered onions in the bowl. Replace the cover and use on/off pulses until the onions are evenly and finely chopped (2 minutes).

2. If you don’t have a food processor, chop by hand.

3. Sauté onions & garlic in oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven or soup pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until translucent. Add oregano, bay leaves and meat and sauté, breaking up the meat***, for about 10 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.

4. Add 2 tbsp of chili powder, tomatoes, 2 cans of kidney beans and simmer, uncovered, over low heat stirring occasionally for 1½ hours.

5. Add the remaining chili powder and kidney beans along with salt, vinegar, and crushed chili peppers. Simmer, stirring now and then for 15-20 minutes
Note: *The pork does make a wonderful difference, but you can use more beef or go with ground turkey or chicken.

**El Paso Taco Seasoning is also delicious if you can’t find Spice Island brand of seasoning. It gives a different background flavor that also works well. The key – experiment with your favorite Tex-Mex seasonings.

***How finely crumbled the meat gets is a personal choice. I like mine well blended into the sauce with few large chunks. Others like it more rustic, with the meat resembling small irregular meat balls. It all tastes great, so it’s up to you.