by amvandenhurk | Dinner, Pasta, Soups
Clear Your Sinuses Spicy Sausage Cannellini Bean Chili
Have a cold? Clogged up schnoz? Well this spicy sausage cannellini bean chili will make your nose run. And you will gladly catch it. This chili is a friend and family favorite and depending on who eating, I can adjust the spice levels as not to cause red faces and gasping after the first spoonful. The recipe I’m sharing here is the moderate for us. We like things on the spicy-side in this household so be aware.
This recipe is super quick, easy, and tastes so good. It is a perfect pantry meal. I always stock my pantry with onions, various types of canned tomatoes, and beans. All I usually have to pick up is the sausage. I like the sausage without the castings. Just dump and brown and don’t have to worry about removing the castings. As for the canned tomatoes, stewed tomatoes are good; however, regular diced tomatoes will work well. The recipe is a 30-minute meal making it the perfect cooler weather meal for weekdays and weekends. It feeds a crowd and is super for potlucks. You can add sour cream or cheddar cheese as toppings serving with corn bread or tortilla chips. The soup always tastes better the next day.
What is your favorite chili recipe?
Spicy Sausage Cannellini Bean Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large or two small/medium onions diced
- 1 14oz. package hot Italian sausage
- 1 1/2 heaping teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2 heaping teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 heaping teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans no-salt-added stewed tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, drained
- 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, undrained
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups water
Preparation
- Combine diced onion and turkey sausage in a Dutch oven, and cook over medium-high heat until browned, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the spices and remaining ingredients then bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat simmering for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
by amvandenhurk | Dinner, Meatless Mondays, Pasta, Vegetarian
Crowd Pleaser: South of the Border Mac n Cheese
Mac n Cheese is as American as apple pie. It is an everywhere food in the US. When folks think about Mac n Cheese, it comes out of a box with bright yellow cheese and it is done in 15-25 minutes on the stovetop. I’m not putting that down especially since most of us have the boxed stuff in our cabinets. I just don’t like the box stuff. It is boring and the day glow cheese freaks me out. I’m always looking to try new ways to breed live into comfort food classics. Add a little healthy to it. This recipe for South of the Border Mac n Cheese packs in a lot of protein with three kinds of beans. You can a can of regular diced tomatoes, but if you like a little heat, I would recommend using diced canned tomatoes with chopped chilis in them. Don’t be shy with the cheese. That’s what make the meal Mac n Cheese. Tons of cheese. I add some cilantro to liven up the flavor. You can also keep some hot sauces on hand to liven up the favor more. You can make this Mac n Cheese in less than 30 minutes.
South of the Border Mac n Cheese Recipe
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoon chili powder
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes or 15 oz can diced tomatoes with chopped chilis
- 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 15 oz. can kidney beans
- 15 oz. can black beans
- 15 oz. can pinto beans
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- 1-3 cups shredded sharp cheddar
- Bunch cilantro chopped for garnish
- Hot sauces for extra flavor
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic with olive oil in the bottom of a large pot (5 qt) over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent.
- Add the flour and chili powder to the sautéed onions and garlic. Continue to stir and sauté for about two minutes, or just until the flour and chili powder begin to coat the bottom of the pot.
- Drain and rinse the kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, all three beans, corn, and vegetable broth to the pot. Stir to combine and to dissolve any flour and chili powder off the bottom of the pot.
- Add the uncooked macaroni noodles and stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium high, and let the pot come up to a boil. Stir every other minute or so to loosen the noodles from the bottom of the pot as it heats up.
- When the pot reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, or just above low, so it continues to gently simmer. Let the pot gently simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the liquid is thick and saucy. Stir frequently as it simmers to make sure the pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Once the pasta is tender, add the shredded cheddar and stir it in until melted. Serve hot.
by amvandenhurk | Dinner, Slow Cooker
The Slow Cooker Revisited: New Recipes
In the past two years, I have become a huge fan of slow cookers. And I try to make a slow cooker meal in the winter 3 times a month. The slow cookers comes in handy when I’m working outside of the office or we go on a day trip somewhere. There is nothing better than opening the door to the wonderful smells of a cooked meal.
I’ll be honest I think it is really hard to find really good slow cooker recipes. I find a lot of them flavorless so when I find one I like I keep it. I first talked about slow cookers in my post, Food Snobs Can Use Slow Cookers, and I shared some yummy recipes. Since then I’ve come across some recipes I love.
Here are my two new go-to slow cooker recipes:
Pasta with Slow-Cooker Pork Ragu – I like to prepare this a day before I want to eat. It tastes amazing after the favors have blended.
Slow-Cooker Black Bean and Zucchini Chili – You can use the leftovers and stuff peppers.
So if you have a busy week coming up, I’d suggest trying one of these recipes. You won’t be disappointed.
Hello! I'm Ann Marie and I wear the well-worn apron. Join me as explore plant-based eating while I live on an island off the U.S. state of Rhode Island.