Kitchen

[SharkE]

Funny story: originally from Ind. of course you put beans in chili. We moved to Tx. down here they ask you "you want beans in your chili"?

well, like , duh.....meat rules the roost down here. I can get a chili roll, plain jane and just mix it with 1/4 cup of water, boil it down and throw crackers in it and that's good for me LOL Only do that when I'm alone. LOL

[kcladyz]

Also I sometimes add honey to my chili esp if I make it too hot

[IamMrsG]

Here is an unusual chili, a vegetarian version. Mainly due to the black beans, the look of it may put you off at first, but the flavor will win you over.

Black Bean Chili

4 cups dried black beans, rinsed and drained (do not substitute canned beans)

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika

1 tablespoon cumin

2 cups chopped onion

3 large cloves garlic, minced

4 medium-to-large fresh jalapeno chiles, seeded and chopped

1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, chopped (with juice)

2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

TOPPINGS

shredded cheddar cheese (or Jack cheese)

chopped green onions

sour cream

chopped cilantro

Alternatives: salsa, rice (in bottom of bowl)

Place beans in a large pot. Cover with several inches of water. Cover and either allow to sit overnight or, for faster method, bring to a boil and allow to sit 1 hour.

Drain beans and return to rinsed pot. Cover with fresh water again. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer about 2 hours, or until tender but not falling apart. (Add extra water during the cooking time, if needed.) Drain, reserving 2 cups liquid.

Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Stir in cayenne, paprika, and cumin. Cook, stirring, 1 minute or until very aromatic.* (Do not allow to burn.) Add onions and sauté, stirring, for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and chilies, cooking for 2 more minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and herbs. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.

Add beans and bean liquid. Cook, covered, 10 minutes longer. Season with salt. To serve: ladle chili into a bowl and top with toppings of choice. Makes 10 to 12 servings

Notes:

* Just a minute in the hot oil will toast the spices and enhance their pungency–essential for seasoning this chili. Watch these spices carefully, as they burn quickly.

This is one of those dishes that benefit from making ahead—like on a weekend for later in the workweek.

[lork]

Ground beef, tomato juice - home canned with peppers & onions liquified (no whole tomatoes!), pinto beans (just 1 can, drained), chili powder, cumin, a couple chopped hot peppers, and a can of tomato soup. Sometimes I like to top my chili off with chopped onion & jalapeno peppers, grated colby cheese, sour cream, corn chips or soda crackers. I've never eaten cornbread with chili, although it's a family favorite with other menus. It was probably because of school lunches. . .I always think chili should be served with dill pickles, a vegetable relish plate and homemade cinnamon rolls. When our kids were at home we started eating chili the night of the first high school home football game. We would eat before/after every home game for the remainder of the season. Considering we had 3 boys (and a darling girl!) we ate a lot of chili!

[SharkE]

Gives my husband gas don't want to make it that much. ROFL

[beckyb1012]

beans, hottest spices that can be found, cheese, tons of onions, ground beef, any kind of tomato sauce/paste/whatever. Eat with or without rice, cornbread, Fritos, crackers, or even Cincinnati style with spaghetti. Been known just to have a bowl with no bread or chips. Love it Love it!! But keep the sour cream far far away.

[kcladyz]

On 1/9/2015 beckyb1012 said:

beans, hottest spices that can be found, cheese, tons of onions, ground beef, any kind of tomato sauce/paste/whatever. Eat with or without rice, cornbread, Fritos, crackers, or even Cincinnati style with spaghetti. Been known just to have a bowl with no bread or chips. Love it Love it!! But keep the sour cream far far away.

You must be my twin! Love onions.

sometimes I will use black beans or white beans. usually kidney lots of onions

I think this weekend I am making chili with jasmine rice

[pupwhipped]

Oh dear me, this is my third night out of four eating chili and I'm about over it.

Hubby has been gone, but will be back home tomorrow. I'm craving steaks and we will be having them in the next few days come snow, ice, heck or high water. And I'm going to try my hand at mashed cauliflower in place of our typical potato side dish. We'll see how it goes.

[AuntG]

On 1/9/2015 pupwhipped said:

I'm going to try my hand at mashed cauliflower in place of our typical potato side dish. We'll see how it goes.

I'd like to hear back on how your DH like the mashed cauliflower. Mine definitely wants a baked potato with his steak.

[JustJules]

On 1/8/2015 soonersis said:

I made some in my slow cooker this morning we will have for supper tonight. I diced a large onion, about 8 cloves of garlic, and sautéed it with a pound each ground beef and ground pork. I usually use all ground beef but didn't have 2 pounds of that. I added diced tomatoes and a can of pinto beans, then chili powder, cumin, paprika, turmeric, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and a touch of stevia powder for just a hint of sweetness to counter all of the spicy.

I'll eat mine with a little grated cheese on top, but my husband just likes his plain.

I made chili a couple nights ago and that's what I did too. I only had 1 lb of ground beef so I added 1 lb of Jimmy Dean pork sausage with sage. Normally I use only ground beef but it was very tasty with the pork too. I used both dark, red kidney beans and Anasazi beans (like pinto beans), added both a can of tomato sauce and a can of Ro-Tel, plus all those spices. The only thing I didn't use is the cocoa powder and cinnamon, will have to try that next time. I did add a tablespoon of brown sugar for sweetness. There were plenty of leftovers to freeze so I know what I'll be having on some of these bitter cold winter days.