Chili is my #1 go-to meal. Beans provide fiber and protein, which make it filling. The beans are also perfect for babies new to eating solids. This was one of the first foods I fed to all my children; I just mashed it up with a fork and spoon fed it to them. As children start feeding themselves with their fingers, you can give them the beans and let them pick them up themselves.
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 red yellow or green bell pepper (if you don’t have one, you can leave it out)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups chicken broth (or beef, or vegetable broth)
2 (15 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
2 (15 oz) cans black beans (or 4 cups home cooked black beans)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon peppers in adobo sauce (depending on how hot you like things!)
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare your ingredients: chop onion, mince garlic, chop bell pepper, drain black beans, open cans of tomatoes, measure spices and sugar into a small bowl
Step 2
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until see-through and starting to turn brown on the edges.
Step 3
Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, and cook for 30 seconds. Garlic burns easily, so don’t cook it for more than 30 seconds.
Step 4
Add beans, tomatoes, broth and brown sugar. Bring the pot to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer and let it simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes. While it is simmering, prepare your chipotle peppers.
Step 5
Chop chipotle peppers as small as you can and add them to the simmering pot. This is what the can of peppers looks like. You only need about 1 Tablespoon (only 1 teaspoon if you don’t like spice). You can freeze the rest of the can for about a year. These pictures show how I store my leftover peppers in the freezer and scrape them out and chop them. I like my chili spicy, so I add 1 Tablespoon of peppers. This ingredient is optional, but gives the chili good smokey flavor.
Step 6
Simmer for a total of 15-25 minutes. Serve warm with sour cream, cheese and avocados! Leftovers freeze well. This recipe tastes great with cornbread (see recipe below) or baked potatoes.