Recipe Review from 4/6/09

A rather quiet week for recipes as our household is in a bit of flux and the Husband and I went out to eat a couple of times. As much as I enjoy eating in and making our meals, sometimes I just need a break from the kitchen.

The Husband was super nice and pulled together this very simple chili recipe. I really liked how it turned out - spicy, thick, rich. He did admit we ran out of chili powder so he subbed a combination of seasonings like cayanne pepper and odds and ends he found in the fridge. We didn't save any onion for garnish, but did top it with grated cheese and sour cream. This made about 6 servings (2 suppers and 2 lunches). Some corn muffins rounded out our meal.

Slow-Cooker Beef and Black-Bean Chili
Modified from Everyday Foods 4/09

Prep: 10 minutes Total: 10 minutes, plus slow cooking

There's no need to soak these dried beans because they simmer in the slow cooker. Save a little of the chopped red onion for a fresh garnish.

Ingredients
Serves 4.

1 pound beef chuck, cut into 3/4-inch chunks (we used venison chops)
1 can (15 ounces) tomato puree
1 cup dried black beans, rinsed (or two cans, rinsed and drained)
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup sour cream, for serving

grated cheese for serving.

Directions
In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine beef, tomato puree, beans, onion (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish), garlic, chili powder, cumin, 1 cup water, 1 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Cover, and cook on high 4-6 hours (or on low 2-4 hours). Serve chili topped with sour cream and reserved onion.