Chili To Feed The Masses (Or Just You!)

Mmm, chili. I know football season--classic chili time--is over, but screw the seasons. You should eat chili any time you want. Because it's delicious. (Sorry, I've been watching a lot of Parks & Recreation lately so I may be channeling a little Ron Swanson there). So delicious in fact, that when the BF and I hosted a big Mother's Day to-do at our house last weekend, I made this chili (doubling the recipe below to feed all 12 of us). It was a big hit!

This chili is made with ground bison, making it a leaner and lighter option than standard chili. I also add in a ton of veggies, which play dual roles in adding great nutritional value and--more importantly--great flavor. And, making up a big pot of soup means figuring out what to take for lunch is made an easy choice for a few days!

What's the difference between bison and buffalo? On food labels and restaurant menus they appear to be synonymous, but just know that a bison is the bearded creature of the classic American west, whereas the buffalo is his beardless African and Asian cousin.

Bison Two-Bean Chili
--1 lb. ground bison meat
--2 TSP canola
--small onion, diced
--garlic, minced
--oregano
--cumin
--chili powder
--10 oz. frozen corn
--bell pepper, diced
--1 zucchini, quartered and diced
--2 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with juices
--1 chipotle pepper, chopped
--15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
--15 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained (you can use white or red beans, whatever your pleasure, when I'm feeling sassy I add both and make this a three-bean chili. Just sayin'.)
--1 cup water
--2 TBSP tomato paste
--3 oz. shredded cheese

In a dutch oven or large stock pot cook the bison over medium-high heat (add no oil to the pan). Stir to crumble as it cooks and set aside. Drain any fat from the pot and return to the stove.

Add the canola to the same pot and turn the heat down to the medium. Add the onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and oregano and stir well to combine. The spices will distribute themselves around the garlic and onion pieces and give your chili a consistent flavor throughout. Cook for a few minutes, until the mixture is fragrant and the onion is translucent. Add the frozen corn and cook for five minutes, stirring regularly. Add the diced bell pepper and zucchini and cook for 3-5 minutes so the pepper begins to soften. Add the canned tomatoes with their juices and let the mixture bubble (there is no need to adjust temperature).

Add the bison back to the pot and add in the chipotle pepper, tomato paste and beans. Stir to combine and let cook for one minute before adding the water. Bring the pot to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Cook uncovered for two minutes. Then spoon into bowls and top with 1 dollop of grated cheese.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 55 minutes (including prep)
Serves: 6
Calories: 273 per serving

Spice Up Your Life

Note to self: Self, when friends say they are sick, find out what kind of sick. End note.

Telling me "I'm sick," is like telling me "I haven't eaten in years, please help." (I will feed you. Like it's my job. Because it sort of is. At least that's what I tell myself.) So when the headmistress of The Donnybrook Writing Academy mentioned off-handedly that she was a bit under the weather, I gathered up some ingredients and went to town. You see, what I heard was, "I have a cold-flu-pneumonia-bronchitis sort of plague and would like to breathe again at some point in the near future." So I went with spice, fire, and zest. 

What she meant was, "I don't want to see food much less smell it or eat it so stay away from me Devil Woman." So I ate it instead and let her starve it out. But it's the thought that counts, right?

So, Miss Angora Holly Polo, here was the soup that your stomach would have immediately rebelled against eating. I'm glad you are feeling better now...

xoxo,

Devil Woman who accidentally tried to kill you but failed

Spicy Black Bean & Rice Sopa
--TBSP olive oil
--small white onion, diced
--garlic, minced
--cumin
--ancho chile powder
--crushed red pepper flakes
--1 bell pepper, seeds removed and julienned (sliced in thin strips)
--TBSP chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
--TSP tomato paste
--1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
--2 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth to make vegetarian)
--1 cup water
--1 dry cup rice
--1 cup spinach leaves, washed and torn

Heat large pot with a well-fitting lid over medium heat. Add the olive oil and allow to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the onion, garlic, and spices, stirring together to mix well. The spices will coat the onion pieces and embed the flavor deep within the soupy goodness. Sauté onion to translucency before adding the bell pepper and ancho chile pieces. Stir well to combine and saute for a few minutes until the peppers get tender.

Add the tomato paste, black beans, 1 cup chicken broth, and the water to the pot. Stir it all up and then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, add the rice and cover and simmer 20 minutes to cook the rice. Add the additional cup of chicken broth and stir. The rice will continue to soak up liquid.

Add the spinach to the top of the pot but wait before stirring. The heat from the pot will start wilting the spinach and cooking it down. Give the pot a big hearty stir to combine all ingredients, then serve it!

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 2
Calories: 466 per serving

Don't Go South For Winter, Just Go South of the Border

All cooks find inspiration somewhere. I read a lot of other food blogs and subscribe to recipe feeds. One of my favorite finds is from Whole Foods Market. While I don't always follow their recipe true to course, sometimes something they feature gets my brain into thinking along a path. This recipe is *almost* what was printed, but I of course had to make a few tweaks... I changed up the order of things and made my own "taco seasoning." I never was terribly good at following the rules...

Taco Soup
--1 pound of ground chicken or turkey
--
cumin
--paprika
--ancho chili powder
--garlic powder
--onion powder
--crushed red pepper flakes
--oregano
--salt & pepper
--1 medium onion, chopped 

--garlic cloves, minced
--1 large zucchini, quartered
--1 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes
--2 cups chicken broth
--1 15oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
--1 cup frozen corn
--
1 cup salsa

Brown the meat in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Season the meat with the dried spices. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat.

Add the onion and garlic to the pot and sauté until onion is translucent.Add the zucchini and saute for a few minutes to allow the veggies to start to get tender. Add the meat back to the pot. Taste it! Does it need more seasoning? Add some spices if it does!

Add each of the remaining ingredients one at a time, stirring to mix each individual ingredient before adding the next one. I don't know why, but in my head soups and stews always taste better when you add in each ingrendient singularly.

Simmer, pot covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with tortillas or corn chips.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...

Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4
Estimated Calories: 396 per serving

Cinco de Bean-o

All right, all right. So that title probably isn't my greatest. But since today is cinco de mayo, a holiday celebrated because of a battle victory, today's dish is full of something you'd need to win any battle: protein!

This recipe is vegetarian but can easily be made vegan by substituting the chicken broth for vegetable broth. It's chock full of protein and fiber, so it's good for you, but clearly it tastes good too or I wouldn't have put it up here!

I made mine as a full meal (dude, there's a salad on top of it!) but you could also make this as a side dish or the insides of a burrito.

Colorful Black Beans & Rice
--1 cup brown rice
--1/2 cup chicken broth
--1 tbsp olive oil
--1/2 an onion, diced
--garlic, minced
--cumin
--cilantro
--oregano
--salt & pepper
--1 can (15oz) black beans, rinsed & drained
--1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
--1 mango, de-seeded, peel removed and chopped
--1 avocado, de-pitted, peel removed and chopped

All spices are always to your taste!

Cook the rice according to the package directions, substituting 1/2 cup of the water with the broth.

While the rice cooks, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet or pan that has a lid. Add the onion, garlic, cumin, cilantro, oregano, and salt and pepper and cook uncovered, stirring often, for 2-ish minutes.

Add the beans and tomatoes. Cover the mixture and simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid reduces. Smash some of the beans with a fork to thicken the mixture.

Serve over the rice (or mix together) and top with the mango and avocado.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4 (as a meal)
Calories: 327 per serving

Stuff A Pepper...But With What?

It's Spring and that means swimsuit season is coming. As a result I've been trying to eat healthier and a lot of times that means trying new grains and sometimes eating Vegetarian.

While I may have bacon almost every day, even the most awesome food items need a break every now and again. Normally when I stuff peppers I use rice but I've been trying to figure out a way to work quinoa into my diet more.

If you aren't familiar with quinoa, it is a grain indigenous to South America. It's gluten free, good for you, and quite tasty (the Incans regarded it as being a sacred food).

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
--2 bell peppers
--1 cup of quinoa
--1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped
--1 can of black beans
--cilantro
--lime juice
--shredded cheese

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Slice the peppers in half from top to bottom. Remove the tops and de-seed the peppers and set them aside in an oven ready dish.

Rinse the quinoa in cold water. This is an important step as quinoa suds in water...if you add it to boiling water it will most likely boil over! Cook the quinoa according to package directions.

While the quinoa is cooking, in a medium sized bowl, mix the tomatoes and black beans together. Season with cilantro and lime juice to taste and stir together.

When the quinoa is ready, add it to the mixture and stir. I like to add in some cheese since the heat from the freshly cooked grains will melt the cheese and help make the mixture a little sticky.

Stuff each pepper half with healthy scoops of the quinoa mixture and cover with cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the peppers are tender.