Off the Books: Veg Packed Chili (Meat Optional)

Since Cindy and I made this month about picking vegan/veggie recipes and making some healthier (ie eat more veggies) choices, I had to sneak off the books and share my chili recipe as I’m pretty sure you, our bloggy friends, will love it.  Especially because you can make this vegan, vegetarian, or with meat.  It can be soy free, grain/gluten free (there may be gluten in the chili seasoning packet, but if you make your own, you are good to go). It’s so darn flexible and delicious, no matter how you make it.

I packed this batch FULL of veggies and given my recent anemia diagnosis, I figured it would be best to add some ground beef to this chili to increase the dosage of iron. But trust me, it is NOT necessary to add the beef.  This recipe is plenty tasty without any meat whatsoever.

This doesn’t even represent the rest of the veggies I added

 

This recipe could be doubled if you have another slow cooker or you felt like doing this on a stove top.  It is easily adaptable depending on how much spice you like or what vegetables you want in your chili…there are NO rules. And yes, this is me embracing the no rules thing…because well, I know that pretty much no matter what I do, I can do no wrong with this recipe.  Once, as part of a work mandated training session, I had to be part of a team building chili cook off…nobody on my team knew how to make chili but me.  I used basics from my recipe and adapted when needed (no brown sugar, use pineapple juice…because yes, they had pineapple, if you can believe it).  Needless to say we won.

With this batch, I mis-read my recipe and added a tablespoon of cayenne pepper..it was spicy, but still ridiculously delicious…and I got the benefit of very clear sinuses. lol. I also  included some mushrooms because I had some on hand and some frozen spinach at the  last minute to give it some extra colour and to increase the iron. Outside of those few things, there was nothing out of the ordinary with this batch.  Served with a piece of avocado toast and a sprinkle of melted cheese on top of the chili and you have my perfect winter comfort food.

Needless to say, I give this recipe I crazy high rating as I make it multiple times every winter. The lack of crazy ingredients and the flexibility of it is what truly makes it sooo good. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

Recipe rating: 5 knives out of 5

Om, nom, nom,

Lisa

*****

Lisa’s Veggie Packed (Meat Optional) Chili

Makes a lot…fills my 4.7L slow cooker nearly to the brim. lol.

Ingredients

1 medium white onion, diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 carrots thinly sliced into medallions

2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced

3 bell peppers, diced

Other vegetables depending on your preferences and what is available (I have included peas, frozen spinach, mushrooms, sweated zucchini, eggplant, diced sweet potato in the past, but definitely feel free to try different vegetables)

1 can of corn, drained

1 can each of kidney beans, black beans and white kidney beans, rinsed and drained*

1 packet of Chili seasoning

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoon chili powder

Pinch of cinnamon

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

sprinkling of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, all to taste

1 big can of diced tomatoes–just plain, no extra seasonings

1 can of tomato soup

Optional: 1 pkg (500g or nearly 1 lb) of Ground Round/cooked ground meat (turkey, chicken, bison, beef, pork all work).**

Turn on your slow cooker to high. Prepare all the veggies.  Start with the onions, carrots, garlic and celery.  Throwing them in the pot as you go as these veggies take the longest to cook.*** Throw the rest of your prepared ingredients into the slow cooker and give it a stir. Cook it on high for about four hours (or for about six hours on low), stirring occasionally.

Tips:

*you can also include lentils, chick peas, adzuki beans etc but the three listed above are my favourites

**If you are using meat, cook it in a bit of olive oil on high heat to get that nice sear/flavour) before hand and then throwing it into the slow cooker.

***If you plan on using sturdier veggies like sweet potato, be sure to add them early along with the onions, carrots and celery to maximize the amount of cooking time.

The Kitchn Blog: Best Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker

I know, I know… I just blogged yesterday. But here I am again because I need to tell you how delicious the slow cooker pulled pork was that I feasted on last night!

Cooked low and slow for about 15 hours, this recipe was so easy to follow and the outcome was ridiculous. (i.e. Ridiculously tasty!)

The spice rub is great and tastes a lot like the Milwaukee Ave steak seasoning I always pick up from The Spice House whenever I find myself in Chicago.

Because my slow cooker isn’t huge, I used about 5 lbs of boneless pork butt, which I picked up from La Grotta. For the “cane cola” the recipe called for, I simply used a can of A&W root beer.

Anyway, MAKE THIS! I’ll let these photos do the rest of the talking.

Recipe rating: 5 knives out of 5

Bon appétit!
Cindy

*****

How To Make Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker

Makes 16 servings (about 4 pounds of cooked meat)

What You Need

Ingredients
2 tablespoons kosher salt, preferably smoked
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons garlic powder (no salt)
2 teaspoons onion powder (no salt)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 pork shoulder or pork butt (7 to 8 pounds with bone, 6 to 7 pounds if boneless)
2 medium onions, quartered
1 1/2 cups cane-sweetened cola (not diet)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Equipment
Wire rack
Baking sheet
Aluminum foil
Mixing bowls
Paper towels
6-quart or larger slow cooker
Forks
Fine-mesh strainer

Instructions

1. Heat the oven: Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 500°F. (Use convection if you have it.) Fit a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
2. Make the rub: Place the salt, brown sugar, paprika, black pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, dry mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, cornstarch, cayenne, and celery seed in a small bowl and mix to combine.
3. Roast the pork: Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Evenly coat the meat with rub. Reserve the remaining rub. Place the meat on the wire rack fat-side up if possible. Roast until the meat is sizzling with a bit of char on the edges, about 10 minutes, but don’t let the spices burn and turn acrid.
4. Prep the slow cooker: Meanwhile, place the onions in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Sprinkle with the reserved rub. Pour in the cola, vinegar, and Worcestershire.
5. Add the meat: Carefully transfer the meat to the slow cooker. (Try stabbing a fork into each end to use as handles.) Cover and cook on LOW until the meat is soft enough to pull apart with a spoon, 14 to 16 hours.
6. Shred the meat: Transfer the meat to a large bowl and let stand until cool enough to handle. Pull the meat apart into large chunks or shred with a fork, discarding any bone, connective tissue, and large clumps of fat.
7. Strain the liquid: Pour the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium bowl and discard the solids. If you are serving immediately, spoon off as much fat as possible from the surface. For best results, refrigerate until the fat solidifies and collects on top, then scrape off and discard the fat (keep the meat covered and refrigerated during this time).
8. Moisten the meat: Toss the meat with enough defatted cooking liquid to moisten. Serve the meat warm, or let cool, cover, and refrigerate to use in other recipes.

Recipe Notes

• Make ahead: The spice rub can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few months.
• Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Recipe copied from: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-pulled-pork-in-the-slow-cooker-232724