Chili

Everyone has a version of chili. Mine tends to vary and evolve, and recently, a few teachers I cooked for asked for the recipe. This is hard to do as it is ever-changing, but I am making it now, so thought I would snap a few photos and give it a shot!

Beans (I start with dried beans. Soaked overnight and cooked in a rice cooker. I usually eye the amount, but probably about 2 cups dried, cover with water, soak, rinse, add to pot or rice cooker with a piece of Kombu, cover with water about an inch above beans and cook until tender. The rice cooker is amazing as it just shuts off when done. I use all sorts for my chili- adzuki are the ones in this recipe, but have used northern, black, pinto, etc and sometimes mix. I use 1/2 of the beans cooked for another recipe during the week, usually beans and rice)

1 lb. grass-fed ground beef (optional could keep veggie, or do ground turkey, buffalo or even diced chicken would be delicious)
4 carrots peeled and chopped
1 large onion largely diced
1 red pepper diced
Left over cauliflower (You can use ANY vegetable, I have added broccoli, diced kale, already cooked, edamame, peas, anything that I have left in the fridge. In fact, as I was writing this I decided to add a bag of organic frozen peas and carrots!)
1 large can organic diced tomatoes (with juice, could need two cans depending on how many veggies/meat and your own preference)
4 cloves garlic, chopped (amount up to you)
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro (optional, I had on hand. I try to add some sort of fresh herb if I have. Usually more in the summer than the winter. I chop almost the whole stem with leaves. Saves time. Stem is edible!)

I toss the meat into a slow cooker. Then layer the rest. Top with herbs and seasoning. I use organic chili powder and cumin most of the time. Cook on high for 5 or 6 hours, or low on 8 or so. Sometimes I will leave on high while home, and switch to low for the rest of the day while I am out running around. If you do not have a slow cooker, brown meat, if using, first, then add all things together in large pot and cook on med/low for an hour or two. Check to see what flavors and textures of vegetables you like. I like putting the veggies in raw (except if I use kale, or anything left over of course) because they stay crunchy and add texture.

This chili can be your own. The cauliflower is new today for me and last time I added left over quinoa, which folks seemed to love. Today we have left over brown rice. I usually serve chili over this, but because of the taste of the quinoa mixed in last time, I may just add it right to it.

When cooking the beans I always use some for another recipe. Cook once, eat twice. If you make the chili and the other recipe in a few days of one another, you can freeze 1/2 of the chili (as long as meat was on frozen). The beans I used today were frozen from another week that I was unable to use them, so I will not be able to freeze. We will have this twice this week and also for lunches at school and husband’s work

For more on beans click here

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