Easy Black Bean and Lentil Chili1

Easy Black Bean and Lentil Chili

September 26, 2014 2 comments Article

I hardly ever make chili. Mostly because my family has never been big on chili. Especially my younger siblings. In fact, the mere suggestion of chili for dinner has usually always rewarded me with a song about magical fruit.

Easy Black Bean and Lentil Chili3 Yeah, it’s just never been our thing…until now. Not only did I make chili for dinner recently but everyone wanted it again less than a week later.

Easy Black Bean and Lentil Chili4 The most surprising part of that is that my 5-year-old sister may be my chili’s biggest fan. She actually got excited about dinner that night. That is so unusual you guys. My youngest brother and sister pretty much consider dinner a bad word and have been known to hide in an attempt to avoid eating it. Are all kids this way? Getting nutrition into them seems impossible sometimes.

Easy Black Bean and Lentil Chili2 My point is that this chili was really good. It’s even better with cornbread. In my house we all put the cornbread into the chili and it becomes a super thick bowl of savory sweet goodness.

Easy Black Bean and Lentil Chili I know that lentils aren’t the most common ingredient in chili and I don’t get why. They are so good in it and they are less noticable to the kids than beans. I love using them in recipe.

Oh, and don’t forget about the toppings sour cream, cheddar cheese, and cilantro are my favorite toppings.

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Easy Black Bean and Lentil Chili

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 12 servings

Easy Black Bean and Lentil Chili

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ground beef or pork
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1-2 jalepeno peppers, minced
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
  • 2 cups cooked red lentils
  • 2 cups cooked black beans
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons worchestershire
  • 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon oregeno
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • shredded cheese, cilantro, and sour cream for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Brown meat in a skillet over medium heat. Drain and set aside. Add oil, onion, garlic, and peppers to skillet and cook until softened.
  2. Combine all other ingredients in a large pot with 2 cups of water. Add sauteed veggies and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add meat. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes to 1 hour until thickened. Add about 1/2 cup water if it gets too thick.
  3. Serve hot topped with sour cream, cilantro, and shredded cheese.
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Categories: Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten-Free, Main Course, Soups & Stews

Corn and Chicken Chowder with Rye Bread Bowls

Corn and Chicken Chowder with Rye Bread Bowls

September 22, 2014 2 comments Article

Oh joy………it’s monday………again.

I can feel that it will be one of those days. Figures. I shouldn’t be surprised. I mean, monday isn’t exactly synonymous with spectacular.

Corn and Chicken Chowder with Rye Bread Bowls Recipe2

Today has decided to be a very gloomy day. A very wet gloomy day. We are right at that point between seasons where the weather can’t decide what it wants to do so it just settles on being generally unpleasant. A lot of rain.

I am dreaming of spring strawberries and still trying to get over the weirdness of planning holiday recipes for summer time. You know, because I live in the southern hemisphere now.

Corn and Chicken Chowder with Rye Bread Bowls Recipe4

I wonder if that is weird for other people as it is for me. It just feels so wrong to be making pumpkin spice recipes while waiting for the weather to warm up. I need to stop being repeatetive. I am having major de ja vu right now because it feels like have said this over and over before. Someone needs to stop me from rambling.

Corn and Chicken Chowder with Rye Bread Bowls Recipe

Oh, speaking of pumpkin spice, I have some yummy recipes coming this week. I have been cooking so much recently. I am probably the most unorganized person on the planet so I am excited that I have a few recipes already finished instead of my usual last minute rushing. Hopefully that will give me more time this week.

Sorry if anyone has noticed the chaos on certain parts of the blog. I am still working on fixing and organizing some things and it doesn’t help that our internet has been off and on the last few days.

Corn and Chicken Chowder with Rye Bread Bowls Recipe3

Okay, about the recipe. I have been wanting to make bread bowls for a while. I mean, who doesn’t love getting to eat the bowl when the soup is gone? Plus, it looks so pretty and rustic when you serve it. And I don’t know about you, but I have always loved corn chowder. I made this recipe with just chicken but it is really good with bacon too.

I think I should mention that my soup was not quite as corny and thick as it looks in the pictures. That is due to me spending too long taking pictures and the soup being in a bread bowl that likes to absorb broth. Although, if you want it to be that corny or thick by all means add extra corn or a little extra flour. For me soup is more of an art than a recipe. Make it how you like it.

Corn and Chicken Chowder with Rye Bread Bowls Recipe6

 

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Corn and Chicken Chowder with Rye Bread Bowls

Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

    Rye Bread Bowls:
  • 3 tablespoons yeast
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3 3/4 cups warm water
  • 4 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 cups rye flour
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpouse flour
    • Corn Chowder:
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1/3 cup all-purpouse flour
  • 6 cups chicken broth (I use homemade )
  • 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • 2 1/2 cups corn kernals
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

    Rye Bread Bowls:
  1. Combine water, yeast, and brown sugar in a large bowl and stir to dissolve. Add salt, rye flour and whole wheat flour and mix well. Add all-purpouse flour 1 cup at a time until dough is no longer sticky. Knead for about 5 minutes then place in a well oiled bowl. Cover and put in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
  3. Divide dough into 8 balls and place on greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover with damp towel and let continue to rise while oven is heating.
  4. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown.
    5. For Corn Chowder:
  5. In a medium skillet, saute onion, garlic, and celery with oil until tender. Add flour and stir constantly until thickened. Reduce heat to low and and whisk in 1 cup chicken broth until smooth.
  6. Combine veggie flour mixture with potatoes and remaining broth in a large pot and bring to a boil.
  7. reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 15 - 20 minutes until potatoes are tender.
  8. Add in cooked chicken, corn and milk and simmer, uncovered 10 - 15 minutes longer until it begins to thicken. Stir in cheese, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.
    9. Assemble:
  9. To make bread bowls, cut tops at an angle in a circle and use a spoon to pop tops out. Fill with soup and serve hot.
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Categories: Appetizers, Breads, Egg Free, Homemade & DIY, Main Course, Soups & Stews, Sugar-Free

stuffed potatoes (2)

Black Bean Chili Con Carne Stuffed Baked Potatoes

June 5, 2014 No comments Article

I really need to stop talking about the weather. How boring, right? I am going to do it anyway though, I can’t help myself. How can I when everyday presents some form of natural wonder?

Yesterday, we awoke to the most beautiful dusting of snow on the mountains. This is the view from our front porch.

IMG_0246-2

 I’m still not over my aversion to the season difference. This made me want to start singing carols and baking gingerbread. Unfortunately, there are 4 or 5 months until that time of year and it will be warming up here, blah.

stuffed potatoes (4)  So, no gingerbread. I did want to make something warm and comforting though, because it was cold. Chili seemed like a good option. Even that is a little too close to being Christmasy for my taste. My family and our extended family have always had the tradition of eating chili on Christmas Eve before exchanging gifts. I have so many memories that relate chili with the holidays so I decided to change it up and add some summer flair with corn and lime juice. This way I don’t feel like we are cheating on our holiday traditions.

stuffed potatoes (3) I only wish that we had some real cheddar cheese top it off. At least we can eat it with sour cream on top. If you make this and you have access to real cheddar then you must add it to yours. Make sure that you truly appreciate every bite for us.

stuffed potatoes

I have been stuggling to decide how to write some of my recipes due to difference in ingredients and language. Because I am from the U.S., I think of my ingredients based on what I am used to. Most of my readers are also from the U.S., but many are from Chile. I don’t know if I should write each recipe with two separate versions, one for U.S. and one for Chile. I want my recipes to be as easy as possible to follow so please contact me with any questions on substitutions. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions please let me know.

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Black Bean Chili Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: 8

Black Bean Chili Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 8 medium baking potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 14 oz (400g) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 14 oz (400g) can tomato sauce
  • 1 14 oz (400g) can black beans, drained
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cups whole kernal corn
  • 2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
  • 3 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, or more to taste
  • 1 teapoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Toppings:
  • sour cream
  • avacado
  • shredded cheese
  • chopped onions
  • cilantro
  • sqeeze of lime

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) Use a fork or sharp knife to pierce potatoes in multiple places. Wrap tightly in foil and bake for 30 - 50 minutes until soft to sqeeze.
  2. While potatoes are baking, brown ground beef in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Drain and pour onto separate plate, set aside.
  3. Add oil, onions, and garlic to pan and return to medium- heat and saute until softened. Add diced tomatoes and cook for 1 minute; remove from heat. Add all ingredients including cooked beef to a large pot over low heat. Simmer for 45 minutes - 1 hour until thickened.
  4. To assemble, cut potatoes legthwise and place on large serving plates. Spoon chili on top and add desired toppings. Serve immediately.

Notes

Para Chilenos: If you live in or near Chile you may need to replace:

1 14 oz (400g) can tomato sauce - 2 (430g) boxes Pomarola salsa de tomate

1 14 oz (400g) can black beans, drained - 2 (380g) boxes Wasil black beans

3 teaspoons chili powder - 1/2 teaspoon McCormick chili pepper molido

Please contact me with any questions.

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Categories: Appetizers, Egg Free, Gluten-Free, Main Course, Soups & Stews