Chili No Carne

Happy Valentine's Day ! A big thank you to everyone who sent good wishes last week.  My husband had eye surgery and thankfully everything went well.  Two follow up visits and more this week, but things look good!  Thanks so much!

 It has been a cold and snowy few days so yesterday seemed like the perfect day for Chili. We are no longer eating much beef, but even before we got on a no beef kick I made chili without the beef.

Super easy and very good for these cold days...Don't really have a recipe, but here is how I make our chili - 

I start with these Morning Star crumbles...veggie crumbles that look like ground beef.  You can see they have a lot less fat than meat.

I spray the crock pot with olive oil.

Then add the crumbles...they look just like ground beef.

Next I add some onions and peppers...having frozen ones on hand makes this such and easy meal.

I use a mix of dark and light kidney beans, and I only used two cans the tomatoes ( I mix sauce, puree, and crushed) because...

I remembered that stuck in the back of the freezer was a container of  garden tomatoes a friend gave us this summer.  We don't have a garden patch, but reap the rewards when people pick the produce.  They have so much and share...I had way too many tomatoes to use this summer, so I chopped them up and froze them.   I used these instead of the can of crushed tomatoes.

I opened the cans with this handy battery operated can opener.  I don't use it all the time, but when I am opening a lot of cans and have other things to do in the kitchen it really helps!

Rinse the beans...lots of extra salt in the liquid that we don't need...

The garden tomatoes look so fresh!

I add the beans, peppers, onions and tomatoes to the crock...

along with the beans...

Then pour in two large cans of tomato sauce or puree.

I also rinse the cans out and add a little water...we like our chili not too thick.

Then the spices....once again, I don't measure - just add chili and garlic powder, a little crushed pepper, and I put turmeric in most of my soups.   It adds a little flavor and is so good for you!

Sprinkle the spices on top...add a little bit of salt and pepper and stir well.

Cover and cook on low for about 8-10 hours.  You really don't need to cook this very long since everything is already cooked...but simmering it all day makes the flavors blend so well and makes the house smell delicious.

Before I serve the chili I give it a good stir...

Ladle it into bowls and top with cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream...

And serve for a cozy Valentine dinner for two - with some warm corn bread and Yuengling beer!

This makes enough chili to put 6 more servings in the freezer for the next cold day!

Hope you are having a cozy Valentine's Day.  Please leave a comment below - do you make chili ?  Do you use a recipe.  I love hearing from you !

Thanks for stopping by Our New Vista!