Chili With Or Without The Meat Food

MEATY, MEAT-LESS CHILI

Steps:

• Stem and seed the ancho chiles and place in a pot with stock, bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat and keep warm.
• Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat with 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 4 turns of the pan. Add the mushrooms to the hot oil and brown 12 to 15 minutes, then add the garlic, onions, chile, salt and black pepper and soften 5 to 6 minutes more, season with a spice mixture of paprika, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon.
• Puree the reconstituted chiles and stock in a food processor. Add the chile stock mixture, beans, and tomatoes to the chili, cook 15 minutes until thickened, then turn off the heat, cool, cover and chill for make-ahead meal.
• To reheat: Cover the chili and place over medium to medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the chili bubbles, then uncover and simmer until ready to serve.
• Combine the avocado, sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, and salt in food processor and process into a smooth avocado-sour cream sauce for stirring into the chili. Serve the chili in shallow bowls and garnish with the avocado sauce, pepitas, if using, and a few tortilla chips, if using.

MEATLESS CHILI

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the first nine ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Top each serving with sour cream and cheese.

HOMEMADE VEGETARIAN CHILI

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, carrot, celery and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes.
• Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and oregano. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
• Add the diced tomatoes and their juices, the drained black beans and pinto beans, vegetable broth and bay leaf. Stir to combine and let the mixture come to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally and reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, for 30 minutes.
• Remove the chili from the heat and discard the bay leaf. For the best texture and flavor, transfer 1 1/2 cups of the chili to a blender, making sure to get some of the liquid portion. Securely fasten the lid and blend until smooth (watch out for hot steam), then pour the blended mixture back into the pot. (Or, you can blend the chili briefly with an immersion blender, or mash the chili with a potato masher until it reaches a thicker, more chili-like consistency.)
• Add the chopped cilantro, stir to combine, and then mix in the vinegar, to taste. Add salt to taste, too-I added 1/4 teaspoon more at this point. Divide the mixture into individual bowls and serve with garnishes of your choice. This chili will keep well in the refrigerator for about 4 days or you can freeze it for longer-term storage.

SPICY NO MEAT CHILI

Steps:

• Throw it in a pot and cook it until it aquires a pasty texture (about 10-15 min.).

INSANELY EASY VEGETARIAN CHILI

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, and garlic until tender. Stir in green pepper, red pepper, celery, and chili powder. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes.
• Stir in mushrooms, and cook 4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, kidney beans, and corn. Season with cumin, oregano, and basil. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium. Cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

NO-MEAT CHILI

Steps:

• Chop the green pepper. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and saute the pepper until tender-crisp.
• Add the chili powder and saute 1 minute more.
• Drain the 3 cans of beans.
• Add the beans, picante sauce, and tomatoes (undrained) to the peppers and mix well.
• Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.
• Add the corn and simmer, covered, until the corn is done and mixture is heated through, about 10-15 minutes.

CHILI NO-MEAT, CHEAP & EASY

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
• Saute the onion and pepper until until begin to become translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the mushrooms and cook for about 2 minutes.
• Add the remaining ingredients and simmer over very low heat for 3-5 hours.
• Enjoy with your favorite accompaniment! ex. rice, crackers, corn chips, peanut butter sandwich, elbow macaroni, etc.

CHILI, WITH OR WITHOUT THE MEAT

Steps:

• (For optional chili with meat: Saute ground chuck in a large pot until all pink is gone. Put in a sieve to drain and put aside).
• In the same pan, saute onion and garlic in the olive oil until onion is soft.
• Mix in the remaining ingredients except for reserved tomato juice.
• (If using meat, add it now).
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook for 45 minutes. It doesn't look like there's enough liquid to come to a boil, but there is more than you think.
• Add tomato juice, while cooking, if needed. If it gets too watery for you, add some dried bread crumbs. Taste and adjust seasoning to your desire.
• Serve with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.
• If you can make this a day ahead and reheat it, it's even better.