rockzilla

Chili's pretty easy to make, it's basically spicy tomato sauce. This is a basic, but good recipe, and leaves a lot of room for playing around with.

1 Onion, finely Diced
1 or 2 Green Peppers, finely diced
(feel free to add whatever other vegetables you like)
2 or 3 cloves Chopped Garlic, or more, or less.
1 or 2 tsp olive oil

1 Can of Diced Tomatoes
1 small can of Tomato Paste
1 can red Kidney beans (beans are optional, but they're so good for you, it's not even funny)
1/2 oz (about 8-9 teaspoons) Chili Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
(I also use small amounts cayenne pepper, cumin and cinnamon)

- Heat the olive oil in a big enough pot to hold all the ingredients
- Saute the onions, peppers and the garlic over medium heat until they're soft and the onions are just starting to brown.
- Add the diced tomatoes, paste, and spices and let it simmer over low heat for about an hour, or until the chili has reached the desired thickness, stirring it every 10 mins or so.
- If you're using beans, add them about 15-20 minutes before the end of cooking.

- You can also quickly roast the spices (for 10 or 15 seconds) in the olive oil (except the chili powder, there's too much of it) before you put the vegtables in, It's a technique that I often steal from Indian cooking, you'll really the smell the spices.

split lickety

mmm sounds yummy. i'll try it out soon. thanks for the help.

em1014

Hmm.. this sounds pretty good about now. The best part is that it sounds like somthing I could actually make and not ruin for my vegetarian bf.

Plaid13

sounds good
thanks

Blackthorn

Here's one for Black Bean chili that is pretty tastey. This is originally from Jane Brody's Good Food Gourmet.

Black Bean Chili

Ingredients

2 TBS. - Olive Oil
1 ½ C - Chopped onion
2 TBS. - chopped & seeded green chilies or jalapenos
2 tsp. - minced garlic
1 tsp. - coriander
2 tsp. - cumin
1 tsp. - chili powder
½ tsp. - red pepper flakes
6 to 7 C - water (less water = thicker chili)
1 28oz - can tomatoes, drained, juiced reserved, chopped
1 lb. - dried black beans, picked over, rinsed, soaked for 10 hours or longer, covered by 4” of water, and drained
¾ tsp. - salt (optional) to taste
1 TBS - Tequilla (optional)
1 TBS - red wine vinegar

Garnish - plain non-fat or low fat yogurt (or sour cream)
- minced cilantro or fresh parsley

Preparation

1. In a dutch oven or large heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat, add the onion, 1 ½ TBS of the chilies, and 1 ½ tsp garlic and sauté the ingredients for 1 minute
2. Stir in the cumin, coriander, chili powder, and red pepper flakes, sand sauté the ingredients for 30 seconds.
3. Stir in the water, tomatoes (with their juice) and beans. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer the beans stirring them occasionally for 3 ½ hours or until the beans are very soft. Stir in the salt (if desired).
4. Puree half the bean mixture in a food processor or blender or food mill. Return the puree to the pot.
5. stir in the remaining ½ TBS of the chilies, and the remaining ½ tsp of the garlic. Simmer the mixture for 15 minutes.
6. Just before serving stir in the tequila and vinegar (if you are using it). Adjust the seasonings. Serve the chili with a bowl of yogurt and a dish of cilantro or parsley for diners to add to their own portions if they wish.

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