Hippie Chili

lately my grocery store visits have been a mad dash of finding cheap and fast dinners so I can get to packing in the evening.

however, i slowed down enough to make something - that's right - from scratch. what?!
is she wife of the year?! well, you said it. not me.

i want to bring the words vegetarian and chili together in the same sentence. don't panic. i know - this is different, wierd, hippie-ish, and borderline un-American. however, if you'll let me rock your world for a minute, you might actually end up loving this dish. i've served this to meatatarians and vegetarians alike, and have heard nothing but rave reviews from all. so trust me. make this once and both your mouth and your tummy will be happy.
 

the chili is shown above on nik's baked potato with grilled onions.
as you can see, the possibilities are inconceivably endless.

recipe adapted from robin miller

you need:

1 chopped onion

1 bell pepper (your choice of color), seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

28 ounce of diced tomatoes (and juice)

4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

1 or 2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 or 2 cans white/cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 or 2 cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon minced jalapeno (if you have one)

a few dashes of hot sauce (sriracha is our favorite)

1/2 cup shredded monterey jack or cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

olive oil

 here's what you'll do:

heat a large pot on medium high heat with a spot of olive oil, and throw in the first two ingredients [the onion and bell pepper]. as these begin to soften, drain and rinse all your beans in the sink.

once you feel like the onion and bell pepper are getting fairly soft (but not browning), throw in the garlic for a minute. once it becomes fragrant, throw in all of the ingredients except the cheese.

bring the chili up to a boil, then lower the heat to a good simmer and cover. stir every half hour or so. depending on the intensity of the heat, dinner will be ready in 3-4 hours.

to serve, fill the bowl with your new favorite chili, top with a LOT of cheese, and enjoy!

note: as you can tell from the list of ingredients, i mix up the amounts of beans. if you have favorite beans that you want to incorporate, by all means, throw them in! just make sure you're including 4-5 cans' worth of beans. this is a very adaptable recipe.

p.s. - this cornbread recipe is pretty to die for as a companion to the above chili. thanks to ms. ina garten for the recipe.

you need:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups milk [i really go for it and get whole milk. not the healthiest, but whatever.]

3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for the pan

8 ounces aged extra-sharp cheddar, grated, divided

3 scallions, chopped

3 tablespoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeno peppers

 here's what you'll do:

combine the first five ingredients in a large bowl. in another bowl, combine the next three.

stir the wet ingredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved but stop while you've got a good thing going - don't mix too much. [Ms. Ina recommends a wooden spoon. I don't know why she does it this way, but like a trained monkey, every time i reach for that wooden spoon. if you're more adventurous than i on this, let me know how the other spoon performs.]

mix in most of the grated cheddar, the scallions and jalapenos, and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. [you'll be saving your remainder of these three items to go on top of the cornbread - so figure out how much cheesy goodness you want on top before you mix these ingredients in.]

right after you are done mixing the cheddar, scallions and jalapenos into the mixture, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan.

pour the batter into the pan, and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheddar and extra chopped scallions.

bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. cool and cut into large squares. serve as soon as you can without burning your fingers. it's that good.