it began with a simple idea:
lunch.
what can i make that will
last a week in the fridge,
will warm us through,
be easy peasy to put together,
and still be delicious
by the very least,
4th day,
ideally 5th day?
chili.
stew.
soup.
same thing.
as i told dw
“we are going to have stoupli
the entire winter.
prepare thyself.”
this is likely going to be
an ongoing theme around these parts.
sorry about that
bring on the cold!
what do you have for lunch?
three bean chili
as inspired by will cook for friends and something for sunday
*note: it’s early in the season, or late, but i was able to use all fresh vegs. as the season progresses i will likely turn to canned tomatoes and the make up of the recipe will differ slightly depending on what vegs i can get at the market. adjust accordingly, use your best judgement.
**note: we don’t do canned beans, we’ve been trying our hand with dried beans. by all means, for convenience and preference, use canned if that works for you!
***note: the use of cocoa powder and coffee is not new. for Cincinnati chili, it uses a very generous amount of cocoa and wendi once fed me her commitment chili that has coffee in it. it adds a dark richness to the stew. if you’re against caffeine, or darkness and whatever, use broth or water.
a swirl or two of olive oil, enough to coat the pan/pot
1 cup dried black beans (soaked overnight, cooked for approx 2 hours, until al dente)
1 cup dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans (soaked overnight, cooked in crockpot on high for approx 2-3 hours, until al dente)
1 cup dried navy beans (soaked over night, cooked for approx 2-3 hours, until al dente)
1 huge, gigantore ripe tomato, rough chopped (a can of whole tomatoes is fine)
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 red bell peppers, diced
1 big tomato, rough chopped (a can of tomatoes is fine if not using fresh)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
2 bay leaves
2 heaping tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 TBL spoons italian seasoning
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp, more or less, smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
3 cups strong black coffee
1-2 cups leftover cooked bean liquid (or water or stock is fine)
salt/pepper to taste
one of the things that i’ve learned from watching cooking shows and competitions: season well! for every layer of vegs that i add to the pot, i sprinkle in salt & pepper.
in a big pot, heat olive oil at medium high heat. add in the diced onion and saute until translucent. next add in the other vegs, being sure to season between layers and allowing each veg proper saute time. you’re building flavors, don’t skimp.
add in the dry seasonings and mix thoroughly.
pour in liquids, coffee and bean liquid (or water), bring to a boil. lower temp to gentle simmer and cook until beans are soft, up to 45 min – an hour.
*if using canned beans, don’t add the beans until the final 30 minutes. but do allow the other vegs to simmer in the liquids.*
this is even better the next days when all the spices mingled and got merry.
serve with toast, sometimes i added diced avocado if i was feeling fancy, other times, i ate it simply.
BAM!
morestomach 
2.0 and I find that anything loaded with beans is an excellent way to keep the house warm during the winter.
you kill me.
though, this isn’t anything we haven’t already said in our house…
Thank you for a jolt of nostalgia for Cincinnati’s Skyline Chili. 🙂 Cocoa powder in chili is blowin mah mind. Cannot wait to try this. Beautiful images, as usual!
jacqui, i love cincinnati chili, but dw isn’t sold on it, so i resort to sneaking the cocoa powder elsewhere.
I’ve heard of cocoa powder in chili before, but never coffee! That’s something I’ll have to try, I imagine the flavour is really deep and rich. Chili has been on my to-make list lately, so I’ll have to give this version a try!
yes, it really does make the flavor deep, just a little something something.
Looks delicious, I’ve never a recipe with coffee in chili before, I look forward to trying it out. Beautiful pictures!
thanks so much!
Ooh, this looks fabulous! We just finished off the last of our giant batch of chili, which means it’s time to make more. I love that you started with dried beans, too! They’re the best, I’m just never that prepared (I usually decide I’m going to make something about an hour before I actually make it, haha!). 🙂
i’ve been trying to do the whole planning thing and i’m really committed to using dried beans…we’ll see how long this lasts!
–Did you knit that?!
I never would have though to add a few cups of coffee. That is awesome. I recently had my friend make me the best pot of vegetarian chili ever (she has so graciously embraced cooking meatless when I’m around!) and it’s inspired me to try my own. I don’t think there’s a wrong way at all, but I love the veggies you added to yours, and the different beans. Sounds great! I love having a lunch we can pull from all week; meanwhile it is cheerfully tasting better every day 🙂
i didn’t! my dearest friend Nuria made it for me last year, as a wedding gift.
i’m enjoying the fresh vegs right now too, but come deep winter, i fear it’ll be canned tomatoes. 😦
This looks ridiculous. I must add it to the to-do list categorized under ‘amazeball soups’. Just found you via Instagram, lovely blog, girl!
Definitely a delicious chili recipe that is perfect for me to make for myself and my vegetarian family. Thanks for the great recipe!
Such a delicious comforting meal!! That last pic is simply gorgeous!!