Good-bye Summer 2011, at times you were twisted and confounded, other times fun and exciting, but I loved you just the same. Now you're gone and I already can't wait to have you back again.
It's getting cooler. Today was the last day of Summer (9/22/2011- I know I am posting this after the fact, but it's what I can do to stay ahead). I am very, very sad about this. I really don't like Winter anymore and while Fall is beautiful, it still is colder than I like and undoubtedly means Winter is on the way. I do like Fall and Winter foods, though, so that's something to look forward to.
As the season changes it's time to make Chili-- so, I herald: Bring on the Fall and Winter Food! (Like I said, it's pretty much the best thing about the next several, long months.) Oh- back up a minute- as you might be aware, the Chili will be the result of the massive Garden Tomato Base Soup or Sauce I made several days ago now. Ok, so I woke up this day and realized I hadn't soaked beans over night. Hence, I decided to use the crock-pot as it's meant to be used. Because I was using the crock-pot, I made way more beans than I used in this recipe, but that's okay. They will come in handy for the next meal I think. Plus, it's really silly to make 1 serving of beans from dry beans- especially in a crock-pot- given the effort involved.
Before this time, I had never left the crock-pot on all day while I was away at work. It just seemed scary to me. I know, I know, that's what they are for. But still! It's kind of weird, no? I think I felt more comfortable this time, though, because I now have a dog walker*. He's awesome for so many reasons- for example in this instance, when he came to relieve the Girls mid-day, he could tell me if the place was burned down or burning down or if he believed it would burn down if he didn't unplug the scary-left-alone-crock-pot. Perfect.
And so with total (shaky) confidence at 630 AM, into the crock-pot went 1/2 cup of beans covered with more water than usual, maybe 2 cups (again so no burning happened), plus a bay leaf or 2 for good measure, set on low and I walked out the door, hoping for the best. This worked out pretty well. Except, I got distracted on my way home from work and totally forgot I had the beans on. So, they were a little softer than usual...but that actually surprised me. I had them in the pot, on low for about 12 hours. I thought for sure without soaking them, the beans would still be pretty firm by the time I got to them. Maybe if I had made it home in 10 hours, like normal, they'd have been just perfectly cooked, still slightly firm and completely whole. As it was, they were on the more-mushy-but-still-looks-mostly-like-a-bean side. I am thrilled with my new knowledge of crock-pot bean cookin'! I'll definitely make more beany dishes in the crock this Winter.
1/2 C cooked Red Kidney beans
1/4 C chopped onions
2 T chili powder
1/2 T garlic powder
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
dash of salt to taste
Make It:
1. Cook those beans in the slow cooker (crock-pot)! You could cook them with the spices, but I wasn't sure what else I would use the beans for, so decided to cook them plain with just the bay leaves
2. Heat the base soup to a boil and stir in all the spices. Reduce to simmer, add chopped onions and cover. Simmer for at least 15 minutes.
3. Scoop out 1/2 cup of beans, mostly beans and a little of the crock-pot cooking liquid, and add to the base mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes to heat everything through.
4. Toast your favorite chili bread (be it garlic bread, polenta, corn muffins, texas toast, etc.).
5. Pour Chili into a big bowl, serve with your toasted chili bread.
This Chili is brought you by the number 288. As in, only 288 calories make this giant bowl of yumminess and is packed with more than 12 grams of protein. Enjoy!
Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 1
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 288.2
Total Fat: 6.9 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 653.1 mg
Total Carbs: 52.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 19.1 g
Protein: 12.5 g
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