Pumpkin Black Bean Chili

This chili was a little bit of a leap of faith for me since it prominently features two flavors that I’m not typically wild about: pumpkin and parsley. However, I was feeling adventurous and wanted to celebrate some fall flavors. Plus, I was feeding it to a crowd, so there were good odds that I wouldn’t be eating the leftovers for days by myself. And, the recipe came from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, a food blog that has never left me anything but supremely happy with her recipes. She strikes the perfect balance between a variety of flavors, but not-too-out-there (she is feeding a houseful of kids after all), and reasonable amount of preparation. Remember that white chili recipe you all love? That’s from Mel.

So, pumpkin black bean chili. I doubled this recipe and used 4 cups of dried black beans that I quick-soaked and then boiled for about an hour before adding the partially-cooked beans to the pot of chili. I didn’t saute any of the veggies; I just browned the meat and dumped everything else into the pot together. I had to cook it in a big pot on the stove because I overflowed the slow-cooker, but I think it benefited from being at a low simmer on the stove for 5 hours, just like it would have been in the crockpot. And, I used ground turkey since the original recipe called for “leftover turkey” and I didn’t have any of that. I thought the ground turkey would add a nice texture and flavor, but I think a lot of different meat choices would work here.

Ingredient-wise, I followed the recipe exactly, even when it called for way more parsley than I would normally choose to use in any recipe. I’m glad I did, and, pumpkin-lover or not, I think you’ll be glad if you try this recipe, too. (btw, I was right about not having too many leftovers – I had just enough left for one bowl of soup for lunch today or tomorrow.)

Pumpkin Black Bean Chili

1. 1 medium onion, chopped

2. 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped

3. 1 tablespoon olive oil

4. 3 garlic cloves, minced

5. 2 cups chicken broth

6. 2 cans (15-ounce each) black beans, rinsed and drained

7. 2 1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey or 1 pound round steak, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, OR 1 lb ground turkey

8. 1 can (15-ounce) solid-pack pumpkin

9. 1 can (14-1/2 ounce) diced tomatoes, undrained

10. 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

11. 2 teaspoons chili powder

12. 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

13. 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

14. 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil until hot and rippling over medium or medium-high heat. Add the round steak or ground turkey (if using already cooked turkey, proceed to adding the vegetables) and brown the pieces lightly. Transfer the meat to a 5-quart slow cooker, leaving oil in the skillet. Add the onion and yellow pepper to the skillet and saute until barely tender, 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one minute longer. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker. Stir in the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.

#BlackBeans #chili #pumpkin #turkey

Chili Blanco Especial

My mom has been making this soup, from the fantastic Creme de Colorado cookbook, for ages. I have the recipe hand-written on a recipe card from her when I went to seminary, and at the time I was a little shocked to discover how expensive white pepper was/is. It was worth it in this soup, though, and now I’ve discovered that our local Natural Grocers sells white pepper for a fraction of the price of other stores.

This white chili used to be my “standard” white chili until I discovered this “Creamy White Chili” recipe, which, nearly three years after I first posted the recipe, people still tell me they love. It’s amazing how basically the same ingredients can make such a different soup. My cousin has another “white chili” recipe that I need to get from her, because it’s yet another great variation on the same theme. But let’s get back to the task at hand: Chili Blanco Especial.

Chili Blanco Especial, from Creme de Colorado serves 8

1 lb dry Great Northern Beans 7 c chicken stock/broth, divided 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 large white onion, chopped 1 T white pepper 1 t salt 1 T dried oregano 1 T ground cumin 1/2 t cloves (optional, but I love what it does for the flavor) 1 7-oz can diced green chiles 5 c diced, cooked chicken breast 1 T diced jalapeno pepper, optional, or 1/8 t cayenne pepper

Directions

Soak the beans in water 24 hours or overnight; drain.

In a crock pot or large pot, combine the beans, 5 1/2 c chicken broth, garlic, onion, white pepper, salt, cumin, oregano and cloves. Simmer, covered, at least 5 hours, until beans are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in green chiles, chicken, the last 1 1/2 c broth. If you want more heat, add jalapeno or cayenne pepper to taste (1/8 t will give it ample heat).

Serving suggestion from Creme de Colorado is to line bowls with flour tortillas, ladle in the soup, and then top with monterrey jack cheese, sour cream and olives. I skip the tortillas and serve it with tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese.

#Beans #chickenchili #greenchiles #brothbased #spicy

Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup

My kids are on a broccoli kick. A few nights ago, they both refused everything else that I had on offer; Tito munched on a bowl of buttered broccoli like it was a bowl of popcorn while he was watching soccer with daddy. Lili ate her tiny broccoli florets by the fistful. So when it was time to decide what to make the little one for her first birthday, I went with something I hoped she’d love: broccoli cheese soup (and she did).

And when you google “broccoli cheese soup,” this Panera copycat recipe seems really popular. I’ve never lived close enough to be hooked on Panera, but it seems like there is a rather large contingent of people out there who would drive for miles in order to eat this soup; if that is not possible, they’re incredibly grateful to have a copycat recipe at their disposal.

This is an easy soup and you can moderate the fat content by how much cream/half-n-half/milk you use. Just be sure to not eliminate all the fat, because it’s the fat from the cream that helps create the emulsion that makes the cheese creamy; otherwise you might end up with a weird, separated, congealed and greasy-feeling soup. Otherwise, this is really straightforward and a great way for the family to get a few servings of veggies in a delicious meal!

Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 T  butter 1/2 medium onion, chopped 1/4 c  butter 1/4 c flour (I used chickpea flour, which I’ve found to be a great gluten-free substitute for wheat flour in soups; it doesn’t change the flavor or texture, and it adds a little protein boost!) 2 c half-and-half 2 c chicken stock 1/2 lb fresh broccoli, finely chopped 1 c carrot, finely chopped 1/4 t nutmeg 8 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Saute onion in the 1 T butter over medium heat in a large pot. When it is soft and translucent, remove the onion from the pan and add the 1/4 c butter. Add the flour and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes. Whisk in the half-n-half and heat until there are no lumps, then add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the broccoli, carrots, onions and nutmeg. Cook over low heat another 20-25 minutes, until veggies are tender. Stir in the cheese until melted, salt and pepper to taste.

You can puree all or part of the soup in a blender (carefully), but I chopped the veggies finely enough that I liked the texture as-is.

Serve with a hearty bread; I used my No-Knead, Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread.

As a bonus, this made a nice “casserole” as leftovers; I heated it up with some leftover rotisserie chicken that I’d frozen and mixed in a little rice, and it was an instant complete meal!

#creambased #vegetable