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Food From Your Pantry: Beyond Easy Chili

There's nothing like staying in on a cold winter day and making a steaming pot of chili. If you plan your pantry, it can be as easy as opening a few cans and adding some fresh ingredients to it. In the winter, especially, it's important to have a pantry that could get you through a few days if you get snowed in. It's also great if you just get sick. Either way you won't be going to the store for a forgotten item.

Make sure to have cans of beans, corn, and tomatoes as well as various grains and pastas. I like to keep dried beans on hand too. They are cheap and only have the amount of sodium you add. If you use canned beans rinse them first and lower the salt in the recipe you are following.

Beyond Easy Homemade Chili
  • 2 cans cooked beans
    Black, kidney, or pinto are my favorites, but lentils and chickpeas work great too.
  • 1 large can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 small can diced green chilis
  • 1 can corn
  • 1Tb chili powder
  • 2 crushed garlic cloves
  • 1 minced onion
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 Tb olive oil
  • 1 cup filtered water
Slow cooker version: Throw everything into your slow cooker on low and let it cook all day while you are at work. Adjust seasonings before serving.

Stove top: In a large pot heat up 1 Tb olive oil. Once it's hot add onions, once they are translucent add garlic and spices. Add the canned goods and water. Cook until hot throughout (about 15 minutes on medium heat). Serve with sour cream over rice, or with tortillas.

I like to mix and match my Sengware dinnerware to show off my food. My favorite color for chili is the Sengware Pomello.

I also use my freezer as an extention of my pantry. I keep various frozen veggies, leftover cooked beans or grains, all of which I can use in a moments notice. Try making a farmers market chili by adding frozen broccoli, peppers, winter squash or other veggies you have in your freezer to the chili mix.

Use leftovers as a burrito or quesadilla filling. It also makes a tasty baked potato topping too. Try it on baked sweet potatoes as well.

Author: Kathy Hester

Posted: Thursday 21st January 2010, 3:03 AM




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