Chili Time!

It’s starting to feel like Fall again- celebrate the weather with some chili!  I’ve included 2 similar chili recipes- one with and one without meat. 

I like to serve both with a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheese.

Have a favorite chili recipe that you would love to share?  SEND IT TO US!!!  Please email your recipe to slumedrecipes@gmail.com. 

Vegetarian Chili

2 teaspoons oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped bell pepper (any color)

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3 garlic cloves minced

1 (4.5 oz) can chopped or diced green chiles

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained –aka garbanzo beans (kidney, pinto or other beans work well too)

1 can vegetable broth

Heat oil in a Dutch oven (or large pot) over medium-high heat.  Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 3 minutes.  Add chili, cumin, oregano, garlic, and chiles; cook 1 minute.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 20 minutes.

Black Bean and Beef Chili

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced green bell pepper

1 pound ground beef

1 ½ cups no-salt-added beef broth

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin

¾ teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained

Place a large skillet over medium high heat until hot.  Add first 3 ingredients; cook until browned, stirring to crumble beef.  Drain well; return meat mixture to pan.  Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.

Pad Thai

Ingredients:

8	oz	Thick, flat, and wide rice noodles
1/3	cup	Soy sauce or fish sauce
1/3	cup	tamarind pulp (1 Tbs) mixed with water (1/3 cup), or lemon juice, or lime juice
1/4	cup	Brown or granulated sugar
4	Tbs	Oil
1/3	lb.	Thinly sliced chicken or beef, or peeled and deveined shrimp. Omit for a vegetarian dish.
1/2	lb.	Firm tofu, cut into small cubes
5	cloves	Garlic
3		Green onions
1	L	Egg, beaten
2	cups	Bean sprouts
1/2	cup	Roasted peanuts, chopped
2		Limes, quartered
1/2	bunch	Cilantro

Procedure:

1. In a bowl, cover the rice noodles with boiling water and allow the noodles to soak for 20 to 30 minutes
2. Mix the fish/soy sauce with the tamarind water/lemon/lime juice with the sugar.  Taste to ensure that you’ve achieved your desired sweet-salty-sour balance and make adjustments, if necessary.
3. Cook the garlic and green onions in the oil over medium heat until the garlic begins to brown.  Add the sliced meat or shrimp.  Add the tofu.
4. Add the drained noodles to your pan, pour your sweet-sour-salty sauce over everything, and then toss all of the pan’s contents together.
5. Push the noodles to the side to clear a space on the pan.  Scramble the egg on the empty surface, then break it up into pieces and fold the pieces into the noodles.
6. Serve with the chopped peanuts, lime quarters, and cilantro. Enjoy.

Italian Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash & Italian Sausage with Tomatoes & Spinach on a Bed of Polenta

Italian-Sausage-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients

½ acorn squash, with seeds removed

1 Italian sausage link with the casing removed (like Schnucks or Johnsonville Sweet Italian Sausage)

¼ cup  Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic, & Oregano

1 handful of spinach

Dash of Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper (I like Urzi's Bread Dipping Spice... I add it to everything Italian)

¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Fill a glass dish (a 9x9 or pie plate or something) with about an inch of water, and place the squash half (cleaned and with seeds removed) in it, cut-side up.  Microwave on HIGH for 7 to 10 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.  When done, leave in the microwave until ready to use.
2. Meanwhile, cook the Italian sausage in a small skillet.  When the sausage is done or about done, add the tomatoes, spinach, and a dash of Italian seasoning.  Cook until the spinach is thoroughly wilted.
3. Remove the squash from the microwave and fill with the sausage-tomato-spinach mixture.  Top with the Parmesan cheese.
4. Broil in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted on top.  Serve!

Italian Sausage with Tomatoes & Spinach on a Bed of Polenta

Ingredients

1 to 2 Italian sausage link (like Schnucks or Johnsonville sweet Italian Sausage)

1 handful spinach

¼ cup Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic, & Oregano

Dash of Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper (I like Urzi's Bread Dipping Spice... I add it to everything Italian)

¼ cup yellow cornmeal (Quaker is high enough quality)

1 cup water

⅛ teaspoon salt

~ 1 tablespoon butter

~ ¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Start by cooking the sausage in a small skillet.
2. Meanwhile, put ¾ cup of water into a small saucepan to boil.  Mix the other ¼ cup of water with the cornmeal and salt.
3. When the water is boiling, add the cornmeal-salt-water mixture, and stir for a few minutes until thick.  When the mixture becomes thick, add a small pat of butter and the grated Parmesan cheese.
4. When the sausage is done cooking, add the tomatoes, spinach, and Italian seasoning, and cook until the spinach is wilted.
5. Serve by spreading the polenta on the plate, topping it with the spinach-tomato-sausage mixture and sprinkling grated Parmesan cheese on top.
6. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Recipes

Double Bean Burgers (It's even easier to make these in a food processor)

Goat Cheese & Strawberry Grilled Cheese (I used spinach instead of arugula and left off the red pepper jelly)

Creamy Goat Cheese Risotto (strict vegetarians can sub a vegetable broth or the chicken broth)

Simple Snacks

Simple Snacks Edition-

These are fast and simple enough to make during a study break. 

Remember: study breaks help you retain information!  And you’ve got to fuel your hippocampus.

10 seconds:

Combine 50% Peanuts + 50% candy corn.

Really.  It’s surprisingly addictive, and guaranteed to get you in the autumn spirit.

5 minutes:

Apple Dip: 

1 cup peanut butter (I recommend crunchy)

1 cup brown sugar

8 oz cream cheese (one package)

¼ cup skim milk

Mix all ingredients.  Serve with apples.  (or graham crackers, celery, etc)

*This is a great dip for large groups- especially for Fall tailgates, potlucks etc.  Just soak apples in advance in water + lemon juice to keep from browning.  

*I don't bother measuring the peanut butter - just eyeball it to save time/cleanup.

*You can cut down the brown sugar to ½ cup, and use 1/3 less fat cream cheese to cut some calories. 

10 minutes:

Open & Done Salsa

1 can Rotel

1 can white corn

1 can yellow corn

1 can black beans

~1 cup cilantro, chopped

2 Tbs red wine vinegar

2 Tbs lime juice

1 tsp hot sauce

fresh ground pepper to taste

1 packet Splenda, or sugar to taste

Drain all cans (Rotel, white/yellow corn, black beans).  Combine all ingredients.

Keep refrigerated. 

*A great “homemade salsa recipe” in its own right, but especially as fresh salsa ingredients start to disappear from the produce aisles.

15 minutes:

Sweet and Spicy Honey Nut Chex Mix

4 cups Honey Nut Chex cereal

½ cup dry-roasted peanuts

1/3 cup roasted salted sunflower nuts or hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

2 Tb honey

1 Tb warm water

¾ tsp salt

¾ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)

¾ cup raisins

In large microwaveable bowl, mix cereal, peanuts, and sunflower nuts; set aside.

In small bowl, mix honey and warm water.  Stir in seasoning until blended.  Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated.

Microwave uncovered on High 3 minutes, stirring every minute.  Stir in raisins.  Microwave 1 minute longer.  Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool.  Stir in airtight container.

***NOTE:  I prefer to cut the Chex down to 2-3 cups and increase the peanuts and raisins to 1 cup each, and sunflower seeds to ½ cup.

*You can substitute Original Chex- just increase the honey a bit to keep the sweet/spicy balanced.