Today was one of those rare days when daycare was open and I had the day off from work. Since it was my son’s first day in his new class I sent him anyway and took the time to catch up on some cleaning and organizing projects. Before I knew it I had only an hour left until I needed to pick him up and I wanted to get dinner cooked before then, since he’s not so patient about watching me cook and he’s too little to help.
This chili was super fast to make. I got it simmering away in enough time to make cornbread and get a shower in before picking up the munchkin.
I roughly chopped up an onion, half an orange bell pepper, half a green bell pepper, and a couple cloves of garlic and sautéed them in some vegetable oil in my Dutch oven.
After that I added the seasonings, two cans of stewed tomatoes, two cans of rinsed and drained black beans, and a can each of rinsed and drained kidney and pinto beans. After bringing to a boil I reduced the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes.
The cornbread was also really quick. After preheating the oven and coating an 8×8 pan with nonstick cooking spray, I combined a cup of all purpose flour, 3/4 cup of yellow cornmeal, a tablespoon of sugar, and a teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl. I added 3 tablespoons of buttermilk powder. It would definitely be fine to use real buttermilk instead, just omit the water. I like to keep the buttermilk powder on hand for spur of the moment uses. To the dry ingredients, I added 3/4 cup of water, an egg, 1/2 cup frozen corn, 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic. I stirred it until it was moist then transferred the batter to the pan and baked for 25 minutes.
I still made it to pick up my son on time. And as a bonus, he really liked the cornbread and seemed to enjoy the chili as well….more made it into his mouth than onto my floor, so I’m calling it a success!
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Chunky Vegetarian Chili (adapted from Cooking Light Soups & Stews Tonight!)
Yield: 8 servings (1 cup each)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 yellow or orange bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 (15 ounces each) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 (15 ounces each) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounces) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounces) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
The Recipe
1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic and sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
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Thyme Cornbread (adapted from Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2010)
Yield: 9 pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons buttermilk powder -or- 3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup water (omit if using buttermilk)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme (1 1/2 tablespoons if using fresh thyme)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Cooking spray
The Recipe
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat an 8×8 pan with nonstick cooking spray
2. In a medium bowl combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk powder.
3. Add the water (or buttermilk if using instead of the powder), oil and stir until moistened. Then add the corn, thyme, and garlic and combine.
4. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and a knife inserted into the center comes out dry.
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