Tuesday, January 13, 2009
For dinner tonight I made chili. The recipe was from a cookbook I’ve had for quite a while (Student’s Vegetarian Cookbook by Carole Raymond), but haven’t really utilized too much yet.
Besides being a BIT too spicy for us (I guess we’re wimps when it comes to chili!) it was extremely tasty. Kimm said it was a definite “keeper.” The best part was it was very simple, especially since I didn’t use dry beans which needed to be soaked for 6-8 hours and then cooked in water to get tender. I substituted a can of Goya small red beans (first time I’ve had these and I found them to be more tasty than the regular kidney beans).
Easy Pot-o-Chili (page 144)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 (14 oz) can small red beans (my substitution)
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons canned diced green chiles
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon powdered cumin
** 1 tablespoon cornmeal
salt to taste
In a large pot, heat the oil and saute the onion and garlic on medium to medium-low heat for 6-10 minutes or until tender. Add the beans, tomatoes, green chiles, chili powder, cumin, and cornmeal. Fill with about one can of water. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes uncovered, stirred occasionally.
** I did not have any cornmeal at all so I didn’t use this ingredient. Supposedly it is used as a thickening agent. I find that if you simmer for a bit more time, maybe 20-30 minutes, then it thickens up simply by reducing.
I think next time I make this I’ll cut the chili powder and cumin in half.
I paired the chili with some French bread from the Stop and Shop deli–so soft and yummy when fresh.
For dessert I made some chocolate chip cookies with Pillsbury dough left over from a girl’s night. A sweet ending to a really good meal.
As Kimm said, it was the perfect meal for a cold, winter night.
P.S. Last night Kimm and I ventured out and saw the movie Milk–a really good movie documenting the life of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay city supervisor of San Francisco. Watch the trailer here. Even better, go see this movie. Be inspired.
