Posts Tagged ‘chili’

Today I wanted to share with you an easy, tasty recipe and a fun giveaway too. While in Napa with Bush’s Beans a few weeks ago, I enjoyed a quick chili/chowder recipe, Spicy Black Bean and Corn Chowder, with yummy Sonoma Pesto.

I know we’re moving into Spring and out of typical chili/chowder season but I think you’ll find that this one is a good year round version. Packed with peppers, black beans, sweet potato, corn and spinach it’s a satisfying and tasty meal. You could always change it up with your own fresh herbs and veggies from the summer garden.

A recipe for Sonoma Pesto accompanies the chowder recipe. The pesto, pretty similar to the Cilantro Roasted Pepper Pesto recently posted here, is a nice addition to the chowder but you could certainly top it with sour cream, or your favorite cheese – or both!

Be sure to keep this recipe in your back pocket for a quick, go-to dinner. It’s really an easy and tasty dish. Plus it’s healthy!

And while we’re on the subject of beans, my good friend Michelle at What’s Cooking has a post that discusses the…um…side affects, shall we say, from eating beans. Michelle explains, in a brief scientific way, what is happening to produce gaseous escapeous from eating beans, not to mention a great, kid friendly recipe called “Step on the Gas Baked Beans.” Be sure to check it out.

Oh yeah! The giveaway! Bush’s Beans has provided a fun mix of kitchen goodies for one (1) winner:

• The Sonoma Diet Cookbook signed by Connie Guttersen, R.D., PhD.
• Napa Valley specialty items like olive oil, a candle and chili spices
• Culinary Institute of America items including a dish towel, wooden spoon and decorative spoon rest
• Bush’s Beans items – apron, bean strainer and assorted Bush’s Beans.

To enter, leave a comment (only 1 per person please) with your favorite chili, chowder or soup recipe that uses beans. It can be a link to a favorite recipe form your own site or from a recipe site like Tasty Kitchen. Or maybe you can find one at the Bush’s Beans recipe site called The Vegetable With More. Also if you’d like, just type the whole recipe in the comments section (just be sure to credit where it came from if it’s not your own personal rendition).

All entries must be placed by Friday, March 19, 2010 by Midnight PST. One (1) random winner will be chosen and announced sometime on Saturday, March 20.

Can’t wait to check out your tasty entries!

For another chance to win, Sandy at Reluctant Entertainer is doing the same giveaway. There’s a different question for entering, but the same great prizes. So go by and enter over there too!

BUSH’S^® Spicy Black Bean and Corn Chowder
Created for BUSH’S^® Beans by Connie Guttersen, R.D., Ph.D., nutrition instructor at The Culinary Institute of America, mom and author of “The Sonoma Diet.”
Serves: 6 to 8 appetizer servings     Preparation time: 15 minutes     Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 pinch favorite dry chile or chipotle powder, to taste
• 1 cup chopped red peppers
• 1 cup chopped green peppers
• 2 cans (15 ounces) BUSH’S^® Black Beans or BUSH’S^® Reduced Sodium Black Beans, with liquid
• 1 cup peeled, diced sweet potato
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 2 cups cleaned baby spinach
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• salt and black pepper, to taste

*Optional Toppings

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons salsa fresca (purchased)
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat yogurt

Directions:

- Place olive oil in a sauce pot. Add onions and cook until caramelized.

- Add garlic and spices, cook until aromatic. Add peppers, sauté 5 minutes.

- Add beans with liquid. Bring to a simmer, cook 10 minutes. Add sweet potato; simmer 10 minutes or until tender.

- Add corn and spinach. Bring to a simmer until the spinach wilts.

- Adjust seasoning with lime, salt and pepper. Add *optional toppings (one option is the Sonoma Pesto; see below), as desired.

Sonoma Pesto
Created for BUSH’S^® Beans by Connie Guttersen, R.D., Ph.D., nutrition instructor at The Culinary Institute of America, mom and author of “The Sonoma Diet.”

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 each serrano chile
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts or peanuts
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 ounces extra virgin olive oil
• 1 each lime juiced with zest
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons salsa verde (purchased)

Directions:

- Combine all pesto ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

- Drizzle the pesto on top of the chile verde and finish with salsa verde, as desired.

For more family favorite recipes, visit www.VegetableWithMore.com.

For the third installment of The Bodacious Bean we’re changing colors. The past two weeks the black bean has dominated with Black Bean Dip and Black Bean Hummus. This week it’s a delicious white bean, the great northern bean, for use in this White Bean Chicken Chili recipe. You could certainly substitute cannellini or navy beans.

This chili has become a family favorite over the past year. Hearty and full of flavor, it’s a nice change from the regular tomato based chilis. It was inspired by Paula Dean’s White Bean Chili recipe but since first making it, I’ve deviated a bit and have come up with my own plan of attack.

That’s the beauty with chilis, soups or stews – you can use what you have, add to or take away, to make it your own. So don’t get hung up on exacts. If you only have 3 cans of beans, go for it. Is a half a pound of chicken the only thing you can scrounge up? Make it work! It’s not like baking. As I see it, it’s similar to that old saying “as long as you have gas in the tank you’re not lost.” So as far as cooking goes, as long as the pot’s hot, keep going until you get what you like. You can always find a way to rescue it or head in another direction if it’s not to your liking. Who knows, you may invent a new favorite recipe along the way.

Ahem. Excuse me for my little soap box… back to this recipe.

A few notes… other than starting with the chicken stock and beans, all other ingredients can be added in whatever order. If your chicken isn’t thawed, proceed with the onion, garlic and so on. Also, I’ve made this chili with and without the cilantro. My daughter isn’t a big cilantro fan… yet! It’s yummy both ways. To me the cilantro gives it more umph but I do like cilantro.

White Bean Chicken Chili Recipe
(makes 8-10 servings)
Adapted from Paula Dean’s White Bean Chili

Ingredients

• 7 cups chicken broth
• 4 – 15.8 oz. cans of great northern beans (cannellini or navy beans could be substituted)
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika (optional, I don’t always use paprika – just when I’m in a paprika-y mood)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (or ground cayenne pepper)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
• 1 1/4 pound chicken breast, cubed ~ 1″
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon jalapeno, chopped (about one jalapeno)
• 1 cup cilantro leaves, packed

Directions

1. In a large stock pot bring chicken broth and beans to a boil.
2. Add all seasonings (parsley, cumin, oregano, paprika, red pepper, black pepper, salt). Reduce heat to medium and let simmer.
3. In a saute pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and saute about 3-5 minutes then add to pot.
4. In saute pan heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and jalapeno and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
5. Rough chop 1/2 cup of cilantro and add to onion, garlic and jalapeno mixture. Saute for a few seconds then add all to pot.
6. Let chili simmer at least another 30 minutes, but the longer, the better. To thicken up chili a little use a potato masher to mash some of the beans up. A few mashes should do the trick. You could do this before adding the chicken if the beans are nice and soft.
7. Before serving, add the rest of cilantro.
8. (Don’t forget the cornbread!)

Enjoy!