Sweet potato chili

Preliminary tastes have suggested this will be a blend of sweet and spicy.

- About 1/2 large can peeled italian plum tomatoes mashed

- garlic powder

- cumin

- tons of chili powder

- paprika

- about 1/4 cup lemon juice

Bring to boil

Add

- 40 ounces sweet potatoes in syrup, mashed

- about one cup no salt white great northern beans

- two 15.5 ounce cans reduced sodium black beans

Simmer until dinner

Sausage chili

I got the last few coconut flour cornbread muffins out of the freezer and wondered what I could make to go with them. I had ground Italian sausage in the fridge, so I thought a chili with sausage might work.

I lightly browned the sausage in my big ol' Le Creuset skillet, with a little bit of coconut oil. I added a can of petite diced tomatoes (and yes I've read how now canned tomatoes are on the no-no list for many wholesome eaters, not only are they probably GMO but the cans are treated with... What is it? BHA? If I grow enough to can my own, I won't have to worry about it...)

Anyway, the tomatoes and meat are simmering away... I start tossing spices in, totally willy nilly as I've often seen Rachael Ray do. A lot of chili powder, some garlic, a few shakes of cumin, a few shakes of oregano, a little four color peppercorn, a pinch of paprika, and a good dump of cocoa. This is an operation done by smell. You want it very aromatic, because the beans will dilute it.

I added some water so it wouldn't stick and believe or not I piled about two cups frozen baby carrots on top. Stirred all that in. Then after 45 minutes or so of simmering on medium-low, I transferred it to the crock pot on high. I added one more cup water, 2 cans dark red kidney beans (reduced sodium, rinsed and drains), and the leftover black beans AND the leftover corn from the fridge.

I put it on high for an hour and then reduced the heat to warm for the rest of the afternoon.

Super veggie vegan chili

Old Mother Hubbard's cupboards are certainly getting very bare.

So, I started chili.

My chili is always bland or five-alarm delicious. Maybe if I followed a recipe, this wouldn't happen.

Today's batch:

In my Le Creuset pot I boiled and then simmered for one hour:
- one can petit diced tomatoes
- one can sliced carrots
- about 1/2 a big can of pineapple chunks ( and the juice)
- about 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- way more cocoa than I intended (about 1/4 cup)
- similar amounts of chili powder
- 1 teaspoon hot indian chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- about 1 cup frozen spinach

Stir every 15 minutes.

Add:
- 1 can reduced sodium black beans (rinsed, drained)
- 1 can reduced sodium red kidney beans (rinsed, drained)
- the equivalent of 2 cans mysterious beans from the freezer (pinto? Not labeled. Don't remember)
- 1 cup water.

Boil. Pour into crockpot. High for an hour. Low for the rest of the day. Add water if needed.

Chicken white chili in the crock pot

I adapted this from a recipe on food.com.

The original:
http://www.food.com/recipe/amazing-crock-pot-white-chili-w-chicken-194585

In the crock pot, on high, about four hours:
- one can chicken noodle soup
- three cans water
- one box Archer Farms butternut squash soup
(I didn't have chicken stock)
- about 2 cups diced leftover chicken
- 2 really big cloves garlic, minced
- 3 peppers from my garden, diced (one green, one jalapeño, and one spicy green)
- about 45 ounces white beans
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons parsley
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano from my garden
- 1/2 teaspoon country herb seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

At 2:30 (about 80 minutes after I set the crockpot up), I tasted the broth and found the peppers had kick but the broth was a tad plain and runny and I saw way more chicken than beans.

So I went into my freezer and added another bag of beans. Each bag is roughly 15 ounces/1 can. Then I added maybe a 1/2-3/4 teaspoon more cumin and about 1/2 teaspoon chili powder.

Then I still wasn't happy so I added a can of creamed corn for more body. Might add fresh broccoli later.

Almost vegan chili

A batch of chili is something that can never be the same twice. Not in my house.

I started with a Le Creuset cassoulet with a tablespoon or two of canola oil and a pinch of minced garlic. I added the following spices, while the pot heated over medium-high:
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Indian chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa

Added:
- one 15 or so ounce can of Italian seasoned tomatoes

Heated to boiling.

Added 2 grated carrots.

Boiled.

Added about 20 ounces of Pacific Foods organic Homestyle tomato soup. And about 1/4 cup diced pineapple in juice. (a single serving cup I got on clearance on Target)

Boiled, covered, simmer for an hour.

Now, I'm adding three varieties of beans: 1 pound red kidney, about 10 ounces black and 10 or so ounces of white. I made all of these from dry beans, which is why I added the soup for liquid. The Betty Crocker recipe suggests using the sludge from canned beans.

Makeshift Chili Feast

Using the recipe from the last time as a guide (without pineapple as I had none and substituted a can of corn instead), I made chili.
http://angelfoodcooking.blogspot.com/2010/03/another-batch-of-chili.html

I served a side of greens (daughter selected raw broccoli and carrots instead) and a multigrain biscuit (from the freezer) drizzled with real maple syrup. And, of course, I shot of juice so that vitamin C can help my iron absorption.

I suggested making more biscuits after dinner and my daughter announces that she wants chili and fresh biscuits for breakfast tomorrow and biscuits with butter and jelly for dessert tonight. Sounds backwards to me, but that sounds fine.

I was just thinking about it, and everything in our meal tonight, down to the salad dressing was vegan.

Another batch of chili

So... It's raining. I'm making a batch of chili.

I started with one idea and due to my mistakes ended up with quite another.

I started with a partial teaspoon of olive oil, some garlic powder and some diced tomatoes. I added four color pepper, Italian seasoning, a pinch of cumin, a teaspoon of chili powder, and I meant to add a pinch of Indian chili seasoning but I ended up with closer to a teaspoon. Oops!

So I added almost two teaspoons of cocoa powder and another can of diced tomatoes, this one Italian style, and more garlic. Then I added a 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple. I boiled it for about 15 minutes, then simmered it for an hour and added two cans of no salt added dark red kidney beans, one can light kidney beans, and one can black beans.

I made the cornbread dumplings to go with the chili, and I didn't have enough milk, so I reduced the amount of milk, added some water (do-it-yourself skim milk) and a little extra canola oil.

VERDICT: The chili wasn't spicy and because I cooked the pineapple and tomatoes together for a couple hours, everything more or less melted into one flavor. And the flavor was very rich and despite the lack of spice still had taste.

Now the dumplings took over the pot, but they were yummy, even if it was hard to find the chili underneath.

Perhaps my best batch of chili ever.

Said to my husband, I probably won't be able to replicate it, but then he said I probably wouldn't try...

This is the link to only the three recipes I usually blend to make my chili:
http://angelfoodcooking.blogspot.com/2008/12/five-alarm-chili.html

All my chili-related recipes:
http://angelfoodcooking.blogspot.com/search/label/chili

Starting chili

We got about a foot of snow... okay, it's probably more like eight or so inches. But that makes me want something hot and stew-like. Beef bourgogne would be fabulous, but working with what I have on hand, it looks like chili. And if I can gather the ingredients, I'd like to make the kind with cornbread dumplings...

If this link works, it should take you to my previous chili recipes:
http://angelfoodcooking.blogspot.com/search/label/chili
If not the link in the labels below for chili should help...

But let's see today...

• about a tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• about one and a half cups browned hamburger crumbles from the freezer
• one clove garlic coarsely chopped
• about 3/4 teaspoon Indian chili powder
• about one teaspoon pizza and pasta seasoning
  

That's sizzling in the pan. I added:

• almost two cups Wegmans vegetable stock

As I wait for that to boil, I'm debating between Hunts Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes or the cheap Italian style from Aldi... I'm thinking fire-roasted.

• One can Hunts Fire Roasted tomatoes

Waiting for that to boil. I'm going to boil it for about 10 minutes to reduce some of the vegetable stock. Then I'll simmer covered for about an hour. I added:

• one tablespoon cocoa powder
• about a half teaspoon four color organic peppercorns

I let it cook for about 30 minutes and seeing how it reduced down, I added:

• 1 cup thai broth (also Wegmans, I had it in the freezer)
  

Perusing my chili recipes, I'm thinking this calls for:

• one can (15.5 ounces) light red kidney beans
• one can dark red kidney beans

(I'm out of black. I love black beans.) I'm still debating whether to add corn and/or pineapple. It all depends on the flavor.

Well, my goal is always to make chili that has a nice flavor but isn't too spicy for the child. I usually only succeed in making either bland chili or five-alarm chili. Today, it seems like this concoction is three-alarm chili. So I added:

• 20 ounces crushed pineapple (minus a couple ounces for the tortoise)

Smells and looks great.

Garden Chili

I wanted to make something a little different for dinner, something we hadn't had in a while and chili seemed right. But we're seriously lacking ingredients, so I had to make do with what I had. So this is what I call "Garden Chili."

Garden Chili
In a big pot, combine:
About three teaspoons fresh oregano
One tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
About 1/4 cup fresh spinach, shredded
About 3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley

Cook until spices are aromatic and tender.

Add:
Two tablespoons tomato sauce (it was leftover, certainly not 'needed')
Two tablespoons garlic powder
Three tablespoons commercial chili seasoning

Cook until well combined.

Add:
14.5 ounce can diced tomatos with basil, oregano and garlic
10 ounces crushed pineapple 1/2 teaspoon Indian chili powder
2 tablespoons cocoa

Mix and bring to a boil on high. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add:
15.5 ounce can black beans
15.5 ounce can dark kidney beans, organic

Return to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Add:
15.5 ounces of sweet yellow corn (Del Monte in this case)
Cook for 15 minutes.

These were literally the only things in my garden and cabinets that would remotely work for chili. We'll be eating at five. I'll edit this post to report in on if it's gross, indifferent or yummy.

And the verdict is: Two bowls each husband and chef, daughter ate all of her bowl and ate well. It was the best bowl of chili I've made in a long time. Not spicy, yet flavorful.

Take Out! Naughty Mommy...

I have a library board meeting today, and although I'm already at the end of my monthly food budget, I opted for takeout. I had a friend who visited until 4:30, and in-laws who popped in unexpectedly, so I used my birthday money lingering in my wallet for food.

We have a neighborhood bar, Shruty's, less than a block away. We ordered a large taco pizza (sour cream, lettuce, tomato, and chip steak as toppings... Tomatoes and lettuce, vegetables, right?)

Chili, it is cold and rainy... Turned out to be enough for all of us.

Breaded cauliflower (greasy indulgence, but a vegetable, right?)

And their homemade peorogies (Which we never had before: incredible)

Total: $21

Plotting the day

It has started out as a good food day. We had French toast from the freezer for breakfast. My husband packed peanut butter and jelly on Ritz-style crackers for lunch, with a side of chopped broccoli and carrots and probably some chips. I haven't given much thought to dinner, so we'll have to see what I whip up after my oral presentation in history and my meeting with my politics professor.

I started hot spinach dip for dinner, which is the last pack of frozen spinach I bought several months ago when Giant had spinach on sale 5/$4. If I'm ambitious, I'll add some carrots to it, but chances are it will be fairly basic.

I also got attacked by the last container of frozen five alarm chili. The container tumbled from the freezer and cracked, so now I'm eating the chili. I swore we eaten all of that batch of chili already.

Now the four-year-old and I are enjoying Wasabi bar mix from Forks mediterranean deli, which despite the fact that it's spicy, my daughter is eating heartily (and drinking lots of water).

Finally, this allows the perfect avenue to mention that despite my attention to what my family eats, I horribly abuse myself. Thus far today I have had two cups of coffee with non-dairy creamer, one Nature Valley almond granola bar and two glasses of water. And it's 2 p.m. Off to eat that chili.

Chili Nachos

Hubby took some of the chili out of the freezer tonight and made nachos for us. Messy and delicious. My daughter spent the weekend with her grandmother so husband and I ate a lot of junk... Really, we did. Like one night for dinner we had jalapeno poppers, onion petals and Coke floats.

Chili

I made chili today, and tried not to make it spicy, but failed. I used four types of beans: organic black, organic dark red, organic light red and pinto beans. And corn. And the last loaf of the goofy looking bread that is one of the best-tasting loaves I've made in a while.

Un-Chicken Melts

I made the ugly bean dip for lunch (and today I threw in some of the parsley from last week's beef burgundy) and served with blue tortilla chips (a find at Aldi). For dinner, I wanted Wonton or Italian Wedding Soup on account of my cold and we don't have anything of the sort. We almost ordered out... but couldn't agree on what and grilled cheese kept popping up as an option.

So I mimicked a Friendly's/Perkins/ whatever franchise chicken tender melt. Plus, my husband cut some potatoes into fries and we made our own chili-cheese fries using some more of the five alarm chili I made in December. Only one "vat" of that left in there.

The sandwiches were a bit of an experiment. We started with the store-bought wheat bread we bought for those peanut butter and jelly sandwiches we were craving last week. I buttered them up and added about two teaspoons blue cheese dressing to one side of each sandwich. I sliced some cheddar thin and but some on each side of the sandwich. In between, I added some sliced vegetarian chicken nuggets from Morningstar (and lots of Frank's Red Hot Sauce for me). They came out fairly good. I was looking for comfort food and it fit the bill.

Five Alarm Chili

Yesterday, my family ate leftovers and string beans with ham (blech) from my inlaws. I worked crazy hours so cooking did not happen. For lunch, I thawed a container of my infamous five alarm chili. It was meant to be mild, but I used Indian Chili Powder instead of McCormick. Oops.

I adapt my batches of chili from three recipes. I've listed them below.
Wegmans Slow-Cooked Pineapple Chili
1 lb ground beef (I omit);
8 ounces diced peppers;
8 ounces diced onions;
1.5 cups matchstick or grated carrots;
8 ounces sliced mushrooms;
28 ounces crushed tomatoes with herbs;
31 ounces dark kidney beans, drained;
8 ounces crushed pineapple, drained;
2 tablespoons chili powder;

1. Brown ground beef and remove drippings. (Or skip! Really, this recipe does not need the meat.)

2. Combine everything in a slow cooker and set to high for four hours or low for eight.

Now I present the another classic chili recipe. This came from my vegan cooking course with Eileen Breslin and my husband adores the dumplings.

Chili with cornbread dumplings
2 cans kidney beans;
2 cups corn;
2 cans stewed tomatoes;
2 tablespoons chili powder.
Combine and simmer.

Then, for the dumplings:
1.5 cups cornmeal;
1 teaspoon salt;
1.5 cups flour;
3.5 teaspoons baking powder;
2 tablespoons sugar;
1.5 cups (soy) milk;
1/3 cup oil

Mix dry ingredients. Then add wet. After chili has cooked at least 30 minutes, turn up heat and spoon batter in like dumplings (plop). Do not cover entire surface. Cover chili, reduce heat, and cook another 15 minutes.

But for plain old chili, I make Betty Crocker's recipe vegetarian, mix up the beans with some black beans and I simply add carrots and pineapple. Then I add dumplings if so inclined.

Betty Crocker's Chili Con Carne
1 pound ground beef (I substitute black beans. My family like different colors in their food);
1 cup chopped onion;
2 cloves crushed garlic;
1 tablespoon chili powder;
1/2 teaspoon salt;
1 teaspoon ground cumin;
1 teaspoon dried oregano;
1 teaspoon cocoa;
1/2 teaspoon red pepper sauce;
16 ounces diced tomatoes, undrained;
15.5 ounces kidney beans, undrained

1. Cook ground beef, onion and garlic in 3-quart saucepan, stirring occasionally, until meat is brown. Drain.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients except beans. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat.
3. Cover and simmer one hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in beans. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, at least twenty minutes, stirring occasionally.