Some days are just ho hum
Well it had to happen. And it did. I have been under the weather so to speak; my ability to think deeply or even long enough to write a draft, edit, and rewrite is not in the plans. Usually I have the topic mulling around in my brain for a few weeks and I get excited to dig in. Not this week. Instead I have been wondering how it happened? Very productive, I know. I forgot how much you cannot take on when you’re sick. Let me reframe: How much you let go when you realize you have no control over the outcome. Better.
I do, however, have a recipe that I made last week. It first appeared in the Newsletter on October 10th as a suggested link. Last Monday, it was a chilly, rainy day and I made it before I went to art class. Yes, I am taking a beginner's watercolor and it is maddeningly difficult yet also lights up my brain. It was my second class and I did not want to miss it but it was also the first day I have not felt well (sinus) in about 3 years. I was incredulous, in disbelief. I thought, make the chili now so when you get home you have a great bowl to dig into. This recipe is on repeat in my house because it is hearty and a crowd pleaser. I will include more pics than usual. I made cornbread to go with it and there were smiles all around. You could heat up some crusty bread instead or serve with tortilla chips and your favorite toppings–avocado, sour cream, you get it.
Bean appetit!
Recommended recipe
Cookie and Kate’s vegetarian chili
In my book there is no other chili recipe that matches this vegetarian chili from Kate. It is so wonderful and it allows you to riff based upon ingredients you have in your fridge and cupboard. If I have a cooked sweet potato I may cut one up and add it as a garnish or at the end of the simmering, stir it into the chili. Same with mushrooms. You can also add more tomato paste (up to the whole small can) if you want a thicker chili with the umami taste that tomato paste gives the flavoring. Yum! You get to decide.
Ingredients
1-2 TBSPs olive oil or stock
1 medium onion, (red or yellow) diced
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 red pepper, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 TBSP chili powder
2 tsp cumin (I add 1 TBSP)
1.5 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 TBSP tomato paste
1, 28 oz can of whole tomatoes, cut up or 2, 15 oz cans including sauce in the can
2, 15 oz cans of black beans-drained/rinsed
1, 15 oz can of pinto beans-drained/rinsed
1 cup frozen corn or off the cob if you have it (I added this to the recipe)
2 cups of veggie stock
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1-2 tspns red wine vinegar (could also use lime)
Put a heavy pot on medium high heat for 2 minutes, add the oil or stock and let warm up.
Add the onion, carrots, red pepper and celery. Sprinkle some salt over the veggies and stir occasionally~8 minutes.
Add the garlic and spices–chili, cumin, smoked paprika and oregano. Stir one more minute
Add the beans, the corn and the can of tomatoes with their juices. If you bought whole tomatoes you will need to cut them up with your kitchen shears or with a knife and fork into bite sizes. I love to buy whole tomatoes and cut them myself. Add the veggie broth and bay leaf and stir everything together
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Once it comes to a simmer, set the timer for 30 minutes, occasionally checking to ensure you maintain a consistent gentle simmer.
My chili gets very stewy during the simmer portion. Here in the recipe Kate suggests you take 1.5 cups and blend and return to the pot. I don’t do this step because I like the consistency of my chili. If you like the consistency thicker you should try the blending. If I had an emulsion blender I may try that for a few seconds. I usually press the back of the wooden spoon against the beans and the wall of the dutch oven I am cooking everything in or use a potato masher over a few beans. It does the trick.
Add the chopped cilantro, stir.
Scoop the chili into bowls and allow everyone to top it how they would like, spritz of lime, yogurt, sour cream, avocados.
Any leftovers, it just gets better!
Contact
If you have any additional questions on this chili recipe, the bean protocol or integrating beans into your daily meals, please email me at Denisemancieri1@gmail.com. Feel free to comment below if there are topics you would like to see.
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Note: I am not a doctor. I am a teacher and an educator with an earned doctorate in educational leadership. I enjoy research and I can parse large amounts of information into easily understood and digestible pieces allowing people to understand what is happening to their body and possible steps to reverse it with food as medicine. I have healed my own GI issues through choices with food. I followed Karen Hurd’s bean protocol diet, I meditated and still do and I healed. I feel compelled to be in service and educate others as the more people eating beans, alongside a healthy diet and sharing their stories the more people will live a healthier existence. Joy, peace and freedom abound. Please see your doctor and discuss nutritional options before you change any course of action with your health.