Chili Stew
We made this dish in class the other night. It’s a great dish when time is short. It is fast to make and still has plenty of flavor. It falls somewhere between a chili and a stew, so that is where the name came from. I like it because it can be made from so many ingredients I already have in my pantry/freezer. This is a fun dish to serve for Super Bowl Sunday!!
Can be served as is, or topped with cheese, sour cream or chopped onions. Perfect dinner for a “chili” night.
Chili Stew
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small sweet pepper, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 c. corn, fresh, frozen or canned (drained)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
1 envelope taco seasoning
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, cook the meat, onion and pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serves 4-5.
Chili Bean Spoon Bread
This is a great dish when you want to go meat free, but still have a hearty meal. It combines the flavors of chili with a cornbread topper. A classic combination, for sure.
The base is a lentil chili that you place in a casserole dish, then top with a cornbread batter. The dish is finished off in the oven until the cornbread is baked.
To serve, spoon some of the cornbread onto your plate and top with the lentil chili. I have made it for friends and it is always a big hit, even for the meat eaters. Perfect to warm you up on a chilly day.
You can serve this as a vegetarian main dish, or as a side dish.
Chili Bean Spoon Bread
1/2 lb. lentils
pinch of ground cloves
2 c. milk
1/2 t. salt
2/3 c. cornmeal
4 T. butter
4 eggs
4 T. oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1 T. chopped parsley or 1 t. parsley flakes
1 T. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
salt and pepper to taste
In saucepan cover lentils with about 2 cups water and add cloves. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook, covered, until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. You may need to add a little more water. Meanwhile in another saucepan heat milk and salt almost to boiling. Stir in cornmeal and continue cooking, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and eggs and set aside. In oil sauté onions and garlic until tender. Add seasonings, tomatoes and lentils and heat until bubbly. Adjust seasonings. Pour lentil mixture into greased 2-quart casserole dish. Spoon over the cornmeal mixture. Set casserole dish in larger pan and add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until bread is firm and golden. Serves 4-6.
Chili Stew
We made this dish in class the other night. It’s a great dish when time is short. It is fast to make and still has plenty of flavor. It falls somewhere between a chili and a stew, so that is where the name came from. I like it because it can be made from so many ingredients I already have in my pantry/freezer. This is a fun dish to serve for Super Bowl Sunday!!
Can be served as is, or topped with cheese, sour cream or chopped onions. Perfect dinner for a “chili” night.
Chili Stew
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small sweet pepper, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 c. corn, fresh, frozen or canned (drained)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
1 envelope taco seasoning
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, cook the meat, onion and pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serves 4-5.
Mom’s Chili
I love chili and make all sorts of variations, but I crave this simple version my Mother used to make. It was one of my favorite dishes when I was a kid. She’d often make cornbread to have with it. I admit to spicing it up more now, often adding a good shot of hot sauce, but it is still the same dish I remember so fondly. I always think about the book Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier when I think about Mom’s chili. It was a really cold rainy day and I was stuck inside. I’d lost myself in the book and was totally engrossed when she called me to dinner. I think chili was about the only thing that would have pulled me away from that book.
Mom’s Chili
1 large onion, chopped
Oil
1 ½ lbs. coarsely ground beef
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 cans (about 15 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 T. minced garlic
¼- ½ c. chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot pepper sauce to taste
In Dutch oven or soup pot sauté onion in oil until tender. Add meat and cook until no pink is visible. Drain off excess fat and add tomatoes, beans, garlic and chili powder to taste. Cover and simmer over low heat until flavors blend, about 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve. Serves 4-6.
Turkey Chili
Turkey Chili
If you find yourself with leftover turkey here is a fun recipe. It is easy to make and tastes good, too. I made it on top of the stove, but you could saute the onion and then transfer everything to a crock pot. Perfect to warm you up on a chilly day.
Turkey Chili
1 large onion, chopped
2 T. oil
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans lima beans, drained and rinsed
1 can ( 4 oz.) chopped green chilies
3-4 c. cubed turkey
2-3 c. stock- turkey or chicken
3 T. chili powder, or to taste
1 T. cumin, or to taste
Generous dash of hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chopped cilantro
Toppings: Pick what you like. Some good toppers are shredded cheese, chopped green onions, salsa, sour cream or tortilla chips
.
In soup pot cook onion in oil until golden brown. Add the celery, peppers and chilies and cook 5 more minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, except cilantro and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and simmer until flavors blend, about 30 minutes but longer is fine. I usually cook it covered for 15 to 20 minutes and then remove the lid so it can thicken. Add the cilantro right before serving. Ladle into soup bowls add add toppings of your choice. Serves 6.
This recipe could also be made with chicken.
Chili Bean Spoon Bread
This is a great meal when you want to go meat free but still have a hearty meal. The base is a lentil chili that you place in a casserole dish and top with a cornbread batter. Bake until the spoon bread is cooked. To serve, spoon some of the bread onto your plate and top with the chili.
Chili Bean Spoon Bread
1/2 lb. lentils
pinch of ground cloves
2 c. milk
1/2 t. salt
2/3 c. cornmeal
4 T. butter
4 eggs
4 T. oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1 T. chopped parsley or 1 t. parsley flakes
1 T. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
salt and pepper to taste
In saucepan cover lentils with about 2 cups water and add cloves. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook, covered, until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. You may need to add a little more water. Meanwhile in another saucepan heat milk and salt almost to boiling. Stir in cornmeal and continue cooking, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and eggs and set aside. In oil sauté onions and garlic until tender. Add seasonings, tomatoes and lentils and heat until bubbly. Adjust seasonings. Pour lentil mixture into greased 2-quart casserole dish. Spoon over the cornmeal mixture. Set casserole dish in larger pan and add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until bread is firm and golden. Serves 4-6.
