Southwestern Chili with Corn

I found this recipe in a Real Simple cookbook and it lives up to the name. It's simple, fast and really tasty.  It was originally a beef chili, but I tweaked it to make it meatless.  I'll include the meaty directions so you can decide how you want to make it.

1 T olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
{1/2 pound ground beef, omit kidney beans}
2 T tomato paste*
2 cans black beans, drained & rinsed
1 T chili powder
3 cups vegetable or beef broth {or water}
kosher salt & black pepper
1/2 cup corn kernels

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over meduim-high heat.  Add the carrots, onion, and peppers and cook, stirring, for three minutes.  {Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.}  Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it is slightly darkened, 1 minute.  Stir in the beans, chili powder, broth {or water}, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.  Stir in the corn.  Serve, {topping with shredded cheese and diced scallions.}  We love this with Pancheri cornbread.


*I used to hate using only a few tablespoons of tomato paste, because I usually ended up throwing the leftovers away. It finally dawned on me that I could freeze the extra in silicone ice cube trays.  I do that until they're solid, then throw them in a freezer bag in the freezer.  It works perfectly to throw into soups later. I just wanted to pass along my a-ha! moment*

Quick Chili

This isn't my favorite chili recipe, but it only takes about 15 minutes and I always have the ingredients on hand.

browned ground beef
1-2 cans kidney beans
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
diced onion
chili powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Mix, heat and eat.

Cherry Chipolte Chili: Gluten Free and Vegetarian

My friend Lori had a cooking night the other night where she made some fabulous recipes for us. This one sounds strange but was oh so yummy! She is mainly vegetarian and gluten free.

Ingredients:
2 c vegetable broth
1 c dried cherries (our grocery has them by the raisins)
1 T olive oil
1 c chopped onion
1 T crushed fresh garlic
1 bottle roasted red pepper chopped, or one fresh red pepper chopped
4 t chili powder
1 1/2 t cumin
1 t ground coriander
1 t dried oregano
4 c petite canned chopped tomatoes
1 16 oz can black beans
1/4 c chopped cilantro
avacado to taste

For chips:
Spelt Flour tortillas
Coconut oil

Directions:

Heat 1 cup of broth in microwave. Place cherries in small bowl and add hot broth and set aside.Heat olive oil in a 4 quart sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion (and red bell pepper if not using bottled roasted bell pepper); sauté about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add chopped bottled red pepper (if not using fresh), chili powder, cumin, coriander, and oregano. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and remaining broth, bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered about 5 minutes. Stir in beans, cilantro, and cherry mixture. Continue cooking until thoroughly heated. I cut one tortilla into wedges and fry in coconut oil and stick the triangles in one side of the bowl and then chop a half of avocado and put on top of the chili. If you can find spelt tortillas, they don't have gluten, have only 100 calories and are yummy.

Southwest Chicken Chili

I found this recipe on Picky Palate and was excited to make it because it requires NO dairy! Matt's not a fan of spicy food so I dialed down the heat, but it was still excellent and way easy to make.

4 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large bell pepper, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 14-oz cans chicken broth
1 can black beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can cannelini beans, drained
1 14-oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 T Tabasco {I just did a few drops}
1 T fresh lime juice
2 T chili powder {I used about half}
2 T cumin
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion and bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and shredded chicken; cook for 1 minute then stir in rest of ingredients. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes then reduce heat to low and simmer until ready to serve. You can top with cheese, sour cream, or whatever else you like. Serve with Pancheri Cornbread.

Italian Chicken Chili With Pancetta Croutons

SOOO GOOD!!

· 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
· 1/3 pound pancetta, sliced 1/8 inch thick and finely chopped {italian bacon, if you can't find that, use regular bacon - that's all I've ever used}
· 3 pounds ground chicken
· 2 onions, chopped
· 2 carrots, peeled and grated
· 6 large cloves garlic, 3 grated and 3 crushed, divided
· Salt and freshly ground black pepper
· 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
· 1 bay leaf
· 4 jarred roasted red peppers, drained
· 1 quart chicken broth
· 4 to 5 sprigs thyme
· 2 tablespoons (a couple palmfuls) chili powder
· 2 teaspoons (2/3 palmful) sweet, smoked paprika
· 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (eyeball it)
· 3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
· 1 loaf crusty bread (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch squares
· 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place a large, heavy pot over high heat with 2 tablespoons EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the pancetta and cook until brown and crispy, 3-5 minutes. Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve.

Add ground chicken to the pot with the pancetta drippings and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, breaking it up into pieces with a wooden spoon.

Add the onions, carrots, grated garlic and bay leaf to the pot and cook until browned, about 8 minutes more. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, then stir in the balsamic vinegar, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot.

While the veggies are browning, puree the roasted peppers in a food processor. Stir the puree into the pot then add the chicken broth, thyme sprigs, chili powder, paprika and allspice, and season with salt and pepper. Bring up to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the fat from the surface, if desired.

While the chili is simmering, place a small skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, butter and crushed garlic cloves, and cook 2-3 minutes.

Place bread in a large bowl. Pour the garlic butter evenly over the bread. Sprinkle the reserved pancetta, Pecorino, rosemary and lots of pepper over the bread and toss to coat. Place the cubes on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, until golden and crunchy, tossing occasionally. Remove from oven and let cool.

To serve, remove bay leaf and thyme springs from the pot. Ladle chili bowls and top with a handful of the pancetta croutons.

Yields: 6 servings {I needed to serve more, so I added 4 more cups of chicken broth to the above ingredients and it still came out perfect! seasonings and all...}
Rachael Ray

Hearty Vegetarian Chili

I found this recipe in a magazine and made a few little alterations to better suit our tastes. It really is fabulous -- and if you don't tell people it's meatless, I doubt they'd notice!

1 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium zucchini, peeled and finely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 tablespoons cornmeal
1-2 tablespoons chili powder
1-2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

In a large heavy pot, saute onion, green pepper, and garlic until tender. Stir in zucchini and carrots; add cornmeal, chili powder, paprika, sugar, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 35-45 minutes.

Top with sour cream, chopped green onions, and chopped fresh cilantro.