Yes, there is a month set aside to celebrate chili, the food not the country! Here at California Beans, we like our chili to include beans, lots, and lots of beans! There is something about the crisp autumn air and comfort foods such as chili that go together. Whether you are tailgating, enjoying a chili cook-off or just putting together a meal for the family using a slow cooker or a pressure cooker, chili is an all-American kind of meal. Make a red chili or a white chili, use blackeyes, Lima beans, cranberry beans or kidney beans, meatless or with meat, top it with sour cream, cheese, and avocado, it’s all good!
Below are six chili recipes from our recipe library. Make all six and let us know which ones are your favorites by emailing us at marketing@calbeans.org.
Ingredients:
½ pound dry blackeyes
1-pound ground beef
1 ½ cups chopped onion
1 ½ cups diced celery
1 ½ cups tomato puree
1-teaspoon salt
1/8-teaspoon pepper
1/8-teaspoon garlic powder
1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder
Directions:
Soak beans by your preferred method.
Brown meat, add onions and celery, and cook briefly. Add tomato puree, seasonings, and the drained, soaked blackeyes with about 1 ¼ cups water. Cook over low heat about one hour or until chili is thick and beans are tender, stirring occasionally. Add water, if necessary, to maintain consistency.
This is a mild chili by some Texas standards. If you want it “Texas hot,” use the full measure of chili powder and add hot pepper sauce to taste. Makes 6-8 servings.
*As an alternative, substitute seasoned smoked sausage for ground beef.
Makes approximately 5 cups
Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups dry cranberry beans, sorted and rinsed
¼ cup mild chili powder (you can use less if you want it less spicy)
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ yellow onion, diced
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon brown sugar
8 cups water
4 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions:
After you have sorted and rinsed the dry cranberry beans, place them and the remaining ingredients in the EZ Bean cooker or pressure cooker. If using the EZ Bean cooker, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and manually set the cooking time to 70 minutes. If using another pressure cooker, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans
1 1/2 cups cooked light red kidney beans
1 1/2 cups cooked white beans
1- 16 oz. can whole kernel corn
2- 14.5 cans diced tomatoes
1- 7 oz. can diced green chilies
4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Homemade taco seasoning
Sour cream
Shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
Add the taco seasoning and stir. Place the chicken breast on top of the mixture.
Place the lid on and cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 5 hours.
Take the chicken out shred it and mix back into the bean mixture. Serve with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese or any topping you like.
Taco Seasoning
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon granulated garlic
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more is you like it hot)
Combine together.
Ingredients:
1 pound Light Red Kidney Beans
1 (6oz.) can Tomato paste
5 cups water
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
4 teaspoons canola oil
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, browned
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (8oz.) can Hot Mexican style tomato sauce
Directions:
First, sort the beans: remove and discard any foreign material or shriveled/discolored beans. Then rinse beans with cold water. Next place the sorted and rinsed beans in the inner cooking pot of the EZ Bean Cooker; add the water, oil, and additional ingredients. Put the lid on and select the Kidney Bean button on the cooker; push Start.
Once the cook cycle is complete, use caution to manually release the pressure. Garnish with any of the following; sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped green onions or tortilla chips.
Note: You can find the Hot Mexican tomato sauce in the Mexican food aisle in the grocery store.
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2” chunks
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds ground beef
3 cups cooked red kidney beans
1- 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1- 28 oz. can tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Steps:
Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, oregano and cayenne pepper. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and brown. Add in the ground beef, breaking it up and cook until it is no longer pink.
Put the meat mixture in a slow cooker. Add to the meat mixture the kidney beans, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir the mixture and cook on high for 4 hours. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with shredded cheese of your choice, sour cream, avocado slices, chopped green onion and chopped red onion. Sprinkle a few red pepper flakes on top for more heat.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1# ground turkey
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 cups cooked baby lima beans
4 1/2 oz. can chopped green chilies
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper
green onion
cilantro
Monterey jack cheese, shredded
lime wedges
Instructions:
Add olive oil to a large saucepan. Cook onions and red pepper for 5 minutes or until onions are soft. Add turkey and cook til the turkey is no longer pink. Add garlic, chili powder, flour, cumin and oregano. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add the white wine and chicken broth. Heat to boiling then turn down to simmer and simmer about 10 minutes. Mash about 1 1/2 cups of beans. Add mashed and whole beans along with the chilies to the saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream and cook until hot.
Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into individual bowls and have the green onion, cilantro, cheese and lime wedges on the side for garnishing.
