Rainy Day Chili

"It's an itsy bitsy spider kind of day!" Two-and-a-half year old Will sat on a stool in my kitchen and listening to the thunder and watching the downpour as I stirred this chili on our stove. This is a great "from scratch" recipe. No packet of seasoning means no MSG and knowing exactly (almost) what's brewing in my pot. Hang on after the chili for it's satisfying accomplice: The Lynne Brown Corn Bread.

Ingredients:
2 lb ground beef or ground turkey
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1-1/2 tsp salt
2Tbsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2 cans (16 oz each) tomatoes with liquid, chopped
3 beef bouillon cubes
1 cup boiling water
1 16-oz can kidney beans

In a large kettle, brown ground beef.


Drain fat and set aside.

In same kettle, heat oil; saute garlic and onions over low heat until onions are tender.

Stir in green pepper, salt chili powder, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cumin and oregano.
Cook for 2 minutes, stirring until well mixed and spices become fragrant.
Add beef and tomatoes with liquid.

Dissolve bouillon in boiling water and add to soup simmer, covered, for about 1 hour.
Add kidney beans; simmer until heated through.

Ingredients for moist and tasty corn bread :
(preheat oven to 350)
1/2 c. honey
1 c. buttermilk*
1 egg
1 c. yellow corn meal
1 c. flour
3 Tbs. melted butter
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Beat together egg, buttermilk and honey; mix together all dry ingredients; combine all ingredients including melted butter and mix well; spread into buttered 8-inch square pan and bake for 30 minutes.

*if you're fresh out of buttermilk or for some reason you don't stock it as a regular item in your fridge, or you want to save a little money, you can make your own. Place one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in a one-cup measure. Then fill the cup to the fill line with milk. Let sit for 5 minutes. The texture isn't quite the same, but it lends the same tangy flavor to the recipe.

Roasted Tomato Black Bean Soup *heather

 The Weather Woman just used the term: "pea soup" to describe today's weather. Somewhere in the country it's sunny enough to ripen the tomatoes that star in this evening's hearty meal, but that place definitely isn't here on the East Coast. Oven-roasted tomatoes, onions and garlic give this soup a tangy zest. As for thickness, it has a medium body that sticks to your ribs and warms you to your toes on a dreary day like today. Roasting the veggies brings out their natural sugars which combine well with the chili powder and cumin to give the soup a nice zing. The recipe calls for hot sauce to be added at the end. Definitely give it a taste before adding the sauce. The tongues in our house are rather delicate when it comes to spicy food, so I chose to leave this last accent out, and our palates were still happy and satisfied.

Ingredients:

7 medium tomatoes, quartered 1 large onion, cut into large pieces (about 1-1/2 inch) 3 garlic cloves, peeled 2 Tbs. olive oil 1tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. black pepper 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth 1 cup water 2 (15.5oz) cans black beans    (preferably low-sodium), drained and rinsed 1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. chili powder 1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco) 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Preheat oven to 375. Toss tomatoes, onion, and garlic with oil, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper in large bowl, then transfer to baking sheet. Roast until garlic cloves have softened, edges of onions are browned, and tomatoes have collapsed, 35-40 min; stirring once after first 20 minutes.

Transfer toasted vegetables mixture to a 4-qt saucepan. Add broth, beans, cumin, chili powder, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat. and simmer 10 minutes.
 









 



Remove from heat and blend until smooth with immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender.

I haven't used my immersion blender very much and learned by mistake: keep the blender immersed when it's turned on. Maybe you're saying "duh"  - but I'm telling you my mistake to save you a little clean-up.

Stir in hot sauce. Divide among 4 bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle of cilantro.

Rosted Grape Tomatoes *heather

Our weather has been kind to us and our tomato plants this summer. As a result, we've become creative with our tomato enjoyment so that our prolific crop doesn't go to the mold and rot. As you may know, life has been in a bit of an upheaval for our family recently. Consequently, time and energy for cooking is scarce. We have been enjoying the generosity of our brothers and sisters from church as they provide meals for us 4 days-a-week. On Tuesday this week we enjoyed a friend's meatloaf and mashed potatoes. (Thanks Poes!) As I put the meatloaf in the oven to cook, the overflowing basket of tomatoes on the counter caught my eye and I decided that they would make the perfect addition to a tasty meal. As I mentioned earlier, time and energy are scarce, but popping the tomatoes in to roast with the meatloaf takes very little time or thought.

Ingredients:
~Grape Tomatoes - about a handful for each portion
~Olive Oil - enough to coat the tomatoes.
~Salt and Pepper and any additional seasoning that suits your fancy. I used a garlic/onion/bell pepper/parmesan blend that I have in my cupboard.

In a medium bowl toss tomatoes with olive oil and season, gently stirring until tomatoes are evenly coated with oil and seasoning.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, places tomatoes on sheet. Use a rubber spatula to scrape out all the extra oil and seasoning, drizzle over tomatoes.





Roast tomatoes in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the skin starts to split.


If you're pressed for time, you can roast in a hotter oven, just don't make the mistake I did. When the meatloaf finished, I took it out of the 350 oven to rest and put the tomatoes in on the bottom rack and increased the temp to 450. Sure enough, the tomatoes cooked quickly. But we also found out that our new hardwired smoke detectors work. The hot olive oil splattered all over the bottom of the oven, filling our kitchen with smoke. Ooops.

Anyway, this dish is such a treat and it is a great answer to the steamed vegetable rut that I get into. You know, throw some frozen green beans into a microwave safe dish with a dash of water and nuke for 3 minutes. These tomatoes are zesty and a bit sweet, and burst with flavor in your mouth. For a different serving idea throw some diced peppers alongside the tomatoes in the oven and toss with pasta and some fresh basil. You won't be disapointed.