Rainy Weather Chili

Hearty, delicious and well-flavored-exactly how I would describe last night's dinner. Ever since reading about Bob's Redmill soup mixes in the latest issue of Clean Eating, I've been intrigued, so I bought some to try for myself. After a few weeks of mulling over what to add to the grain and bean mix, I finally settled on chili. And oh my, was that a good decision!

Whole Grain and Bean Chili
2 cups Bob's Redmill Whole Grain and Bean soup mix
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cans chopped (no salt added) tomatoes
olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 gloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp Southwest Spice blend

Soak grain and bean mix in a bowl of water for about 30 minutes. Heat olive oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes. Add seasoning, tomatoes, 5-6 cups stock and Grain and Bean mix. Bring to a simmer and cook covered for about 1 hour 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, adding stock as necessary. Serve warm with homemade cornbread! Enjoy!



Can't wait to get my hands on the Vegetable and 13 Bean mixes!

image/Bobsredmill

Three Bean Vegetarian Chili

This recipe is for my Aunt, who enjoyed this chili with me last weekend and immediately requested the recipe!

This Cooking Light version is vegetarian, but I added some ground turkey. Either way, it is sure to be a crowd pleaser!

The spices are perfect and the roasted red peppers give the entire dish a beautiful, deep flavor!


Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili
2 red bell peppers
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cups organic vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups(1/2 inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
1 (28-oz) can no-salt-added tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (15-oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-oz) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

Preheat broiler.
Cut bell peppers in half length-wise. Remove and discard seeds. Place pepper halves, skin side up, on a foil lined baking sheet. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened. Place pepper halves in a zip lock plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and chop peppers.
Heat a dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cumin and next 4 ingredients (through garlic); cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add bell peppers, broth, squash and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans; simmer 25 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with green onions. Serves 6.


In the interest of using ingredients I already had in my pantry, I made a few substitutions.

*Since I had no butternut squash, I replaced with a can of corn. I happen to like the crunch that corn adds to soups and stews, so I actually prefer it this way!
*I wanted to add some meat to this so I tossed in a pound of extra lean ground turkey (cooked through). I added this at the same time as the beans.

I happen to think this is one of the best chili recipes I've ever tasted! As evidenced by us finishing every single drop the next day for lunch!

All the Other Stuff From Halloween

As promised, here are some pics of the rest of our weekend!

Isn't my husband creative?!


Showing his Raider LOVE!


I really like this one:) The picture doesn't show it, but this pumpkin is super warty!


Yep, we dressed the dogs up! Here's Laney-bug and Abby-saurus Rex!


And as for the YUMMINESS we enjoyed this weekend...

First of all, it has become our new tradition to have chili at my parents' on Halloween! This year I decided to contribute to the chili fest, so I whipped out my crock pot and assembled this:

Turkey and Tomatillo Chili with Chipotle and Cilantro
3 small dried chipotle peppers
2 tsp olive oil
2 lb extra lean ground turkey
1 cup sweet onion, diced
4 garlic cloves
1 1/2 fresh tomatillos, husks discarded and skin rinsed
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin, ground
1 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped (I omitted this because neither of my parents like cilantro, but I think it would be a fantastic addition!)
2 cans low-sodium white kidney beans. rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, grated
fat free sour cream

1. Soak peppers in 1/2 cup boiling water until softened, about 15 minutes. Cut peppers in half and discard seeds and stem. Reserve soaking liquid.
2. In a nonstick pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add turkey and onion and cook until meat is no longer pink. Drain and discard fat and transfer to crock pot.
3. Blend garlic, chopped chipotle peppers and 1/4 reserved soaking water in a blender until finely chopped. Add tomatillos and remaining water and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into crock pot, add bay leaf and cumin and stir until combined. Cover with lid and cook on low for about 4 hours.
4. About 15 minutes before serving, place cilantro and 1/2 cup cold water in blender and puree until finely chopped. Stir into chili mixture. Add beans and corn, cover and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and a dollop of fat free sour cream (if desired).


Beware this is a sinus clearing dish! And might I suggest making some cornbread muffins to go alongside this chili. I'm just sayin'...

And then I baked this Honey Walnut Pumpkin Bread that Whole Foods has been taunting me with as the recipe sat in my inbox all week! I am not exaggerating when I say Chris and I polished this off in about 36 hours flat! It's that good!!


And finally, the new recipe for baked apples I made Saturday didn't even compare to my normal recipe, so I won't even bother to post it. You win some, you lose some I suppose:)

Next on the list is roasting my hubby some pumpkin seeds! YUM!