As the days have been cooling off, the kitchen's been heating up. When it's drizzly and icky outside, comfort food comes to the rescue. So, recently I made some chili. With the exception of some bacon grease, it's completely vegetarian.
Here we go. Start by sauteeing two strips of bacon. They'll be consumed by Cookie Monster later.
After it's crisp, drain all but about a tablespoon of the grease. Chop a carrot into bite-sized pieces ...
... Then add to the pan, along with chopped onion. (You could use whatever kind of onion you have. I happened to have a red one that needed to be used up.)
Once the carrot/onion mixture has softened, add chopped green bell pepper.
And saute for about five minutes, 'til the pepper is softened. Meanwhile, get your canned goods together.
I used cannellini beans, kidney beans, tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. When vegetables are done, add them, plus all above canned goods, to your Crockpot. I also added some frozen corn but forgot to get its closeup.
Oh yeah. Add in two of these guys for spice and smokiness.
Next, toss in your spices. You'll obviously need chili powder, as well as cumin, black pepper, spicy paprika and salt.
As well as some cilantro.
Also, I added some Worcestershire, but forgot to set it out with the rest of the ingredients. Stir the chili mixture well, then Set it and Forget it in your Crockpot on high, until the whole house smells like chili. Mine went for about five hours. I came back periodically to stir and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Garnish with sour cream (or in this case, nonfat Greek yogurt) and more fresh cilantro, and then take a shitty photo.
Voila! You have made chili!
Stay tuned for my cornbread recipe. Chili without cornbread is like peanut butter without chocolate: totally fine, but missing that je ne sais quoi it could have.
