Vegetarian Chili and Cornbread

I don’t know if it’s the fact that the playoffs were on in every room today or maybe just the pending chill that is about to descend upon us (today was 72 degrees so I truly felt that winter was over until I remembered that it was mid-January) but it felt like it was that time of year again—chili season.

I love the smell that fills the air when my cast-iron Dutch oven is filled with chili. My dad has given me kits in the past that have been wonderful as long as you make a few minor adjustments. I can never help myself. Every year when I whip up a batch, I add fresh peppers and onions and a frothy beer to the pot. That last one came when I was pregnant with my son and craved beer throughout the last half of the pregnancy. I was making chili for the Super Bowl and thought, “I wonder what this would taste like with a beer in it?” so I dumped one in the pot and let the alcohol boil out. The chili went from good to great so I keep up with that tradition and every time I make chili I think of my son and smile as I add that last ingredient.

So back to the kits… They are essentially dried beans, spices and a thickener (maybe masa harina which I never use). Every time I use a kit I think, I need to just come up with my own recipe. I change it enough where I make it as fresh as it can be anyway. Well, last year I volunteered to make vegetarian chili for a teacher luncheon and did just that. I truly feel that dried beans are much tastier than canned ones but that day, I didn’t have the time to soak and hydrate them so I used canned ones. It was just as tasty. I also typically do beef chili. Chicken chili doesn’t bother me when done well but substituting ground turkey for ground beef is just wrong. I always feel like I’m eating mystery meat. Ground beef is one of those things that I don’t skimp on and will pay to know that the butcher in the back has ground it him or herself. Doing a vegetarian version of chili felt like a bit of a stretch but I was quite pleased with the results and found that I like this recipe just the same as without the beef, and it’s a lot healthier.

One important thing to remember when making vegetarian chili is to rinse the beans before you use them. You will always notice that they bubble up as you rinse away the slime. This helps to rinse away some of those gassy components in beans. I said it. My husband and I were watching “Doomsday Preppers” one night and the featured man on the particular episode we watched was making what he called “Doomsday Stew”. He basically dumped a bunch of beans and corn and such into a pot and called it stew. I turned to my husband and said, “He didn’t rinse them…I’m glad I’m not stuck in his bunker!” Rinse your beans!

When at a friend’s house for dinner last week, the main course was chili. It was different from the kind I usually make and was delicious. I knew that there was no way my kids would touch it so when the hostess offered to heat up some chicken nuggets, I gladly accepted the offer. I watched in amazement as her kids polished off a bowl of chili each. When I voiced my amazement and asked how she got them to eat chili, she said that she and her husband worked them up to it. They started with a bowl of rice mixed with a spoonful of chili and every time from there on out would up the ante and add more chili to the rice. I tried that tonight and by golly it worked! I mixed a generous spoonful of chili into the rice and they all ate it. Wow! I hope to push it a little further next time.

Knowing that there was cornbread on the table did help my son. It was a good carrot on the end of a string. The deal was a bite of rice equals a bite of cornbread and he ate much more than I could have hoped for. Cornbread is, after all, the perfect accompaniment to chili. I find that it gives my kids some good motivation to eat their dinner. We sometimes even call it corn cake to add to the desirability. I pretty much always weigh my ingredients on a kitchen scale when baking so my results are consistent every time. That’s the chef in me talking. I did, however, figure out the measurements by volume and not weight for those of you who do not have a kitchen scale.

Enjoy the Vegetarian Chili and Cornbread and let me know what you think!

Vegetarian Chili

*Vegan*

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil
4 cups chopped onions (1 ½ large)
12 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2-4 tablespoons chile powder (*Start with 2 and add more to taste*)
4 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (*Plus more to taste*)
2 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 15- to 16-ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 15- to 16-ounce cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15-ounce can tomato sauce
28-ounce can diced tomatoes
6-ounce can tomato paste
1 cup of water
12-ounce can/bottle lite beer
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
Optional Garnish: grated cheddar, sour cream, rice, hot sauce, corn chips

Equipment:
Cutting board
Chef’s knife
Large heavy-bottom pot or cast-iron Dutch oven
Wooden spoon
Can opener
Measuring cups/spoons

Preparation:

1. Heat a large heavy-bottom pot or cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil and cook onions, garlic and peppers until they soften, 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently so vegetables don’t color.

2. Add 2 tablespoons chili powder and remaining ingredients through the beer and bring to a simmer. Lower heat so chili is barely bubbling, and cook 1-1 ½ hours. Chili will thicken and beans and vegetables should be soft.

3. Add salt and more chili powder and/or cayenne pepper to taste, if needed. Ladle into bowls and garnish.

Cornbread

Serves 16

 

Ingredients:

1 cup (150g) all-purpose flour

1 cup (165g) stone ground yellow cornmeal

½ cup (110g) granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup whole milk

1 egg

¼ cup canola oil, plus 1 tablespoon for oiling the pan

2 tablespoons (28g) butter, melted

Equipment:

8” cast-iron skillet or 8” square pan

Large mixing bowl

Liquid measuring cup

Whisk

Silicone spatula

Measuring cups/spoons

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Grease an 8”cast-iron skillet or an 8” square pan with 1 tablespoon of canola oil and set aside.

3. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.

4. Combine milk, egg, ¼ cup of oil and melted butter. Fold into dry ingredients.

5. Pour into greased cast iron skillet and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until golden in color AND firm to the touch. It will feel a little soft and will sink if you press on it before it is done. Remove from oven and cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Tagged: beer, black beans, chili, peppers, pinto beans, red kidney beans, tomatoes