Valentine's Day occurs during the coldest part of the year for those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere. Here in Central Texas, winter is also the wettest part of the year which makes for pretty gross weather especially because it typically doesn't get cold enough for snow. When it's cold and wet outside, there's not a whole lot that makes me want to go out. I don't want to put on a fancy dress and fancy shoes and eat fancy food. I much prefer snuggling up with my SO and a large steamy bowl of comfort. He prefers that, too.
This Instructable shows how to make chili with almost no effort whatsoever. It's tasty, warm, and full of lycopene and other healthy stuff, and it's been tested and proven. It's also inexpensive ($7-14 for a large pot's worth), so you can buy your Valentine that prized Nepenthes pitcher plant she's been wanting for the past 14 months... just saying.
So grab a bowl, a blanket, and your sweetie, and cozy up in front of a fire for some good V-Day lovin'.
This Instructable shows how to make chili with almost no effort whatsoever. It's tasty, warm, and full of lycopene and other healthy stuff, and it's been tested and proven. It's also inexpensive ($7-14 for a large pot's worth), so you can buy your Valentine that prized Nepenthes pitcher plant she's been wanting for the past 14 months... just saying.
So grab a bowl, a blanket, and your sweetie, and cozy up in front of a fire for some good V-Day lovin'.
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Signing UpStep 1: Ingredients
You'll need:
Optional:
Note: When I worked at a small nonprofit, we would have "Slow Cooker Fridays", and this was the favorite meal to make. The ingredients were divided up.
-Onions, garlic, and olive oil
-Tomatoes
-Kidney beans
-Bread, croutons, cheese, etc.
I usually brought the chili powder, and there was already salt in the kitchen. If you work in a small office, I highly recommend trying this out with your coworkers. Freshly cooked food is such a relief, and it removes a bit of tension and stress in the office.
- 1 onion (diced)
- 3-5 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 2 large cans of whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 large can of crushed tomatoes
- 3 regular cans of red kidney beans
- 3 tbsps of olive oil
- 2-4 tbsps of chili powder
- Salt
Optional:
- Cooked ground beef/turkey
- Rehydrated Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
- Cottage cheese or sour cream
- Chives
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Croutons
- Bread with a nice crust
- Grilled cheese sandwich
- Tabasco sauce
Note: When I worked at a small nonprofit, we would have "Slow Cooker Fridays", and this was the favorite meal to make. The ingredients were divided up.
-Onions, garlic, and olive oil
-Tomatoes
-Kidney beans
-Bread, croutons, cheese, etc.
I usually brought the chili powder, and there was already salt in the kitchen. If you work in a small office, I highly recommend trying this out with your coworkers. Freshly cooked food is such a relief, and it removes a bit of tension and stress in the office.
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I was wondering what you did with the whole tomatoes, do you typically eat them or just pick them out?
I eat them, and if I get a whole one in my bowl, I'll cut it into large chunks with my spoon.
Thanks!
If you'd like it thicker, could you strain out all the lumpy stuff, thicken the gravy with a cooked roux and then add them back together? I know, it kinda takes away from the easy-cooking aspect....maybe just throw in a tablespoon or two of flour while it's still hot and stir until thickened a bit?
Now......I'm mostly scared of it.
By the way, my SO has broken a couple pieces of my fiestaware, and I've made him replace it. He wasn't thrilled, but thankfully all of the colors I have are still in production.
The colors of her set are great and I only use the stuff on my instructable recipes. I do not eat on it unless served on it! She saved the broken plate for a mosaic she is working on. lol
L
Me, I prefer (small) red beans. And I further cut expenses by using dry beans, not pre-soaking them, and giving them an hour or so in the pressure cooker.
I only have some easier to grow varieties at the moment (about 5) but as soon as I have somewhere warm for them I'll probably get some of the hanging varieties. :D