Beef and Beer Chili with Jack Quesadillas

Here's a warm, fit-for-fall meal as promised. And this was really tasty. And easy! This soup doesn't have to be simmering for hours; it was ready in a matter of 30 minutes.

Just saute up some red onion, red bell pepper, extra-lean ground beef, and minced garlic. Stir in chili powder, cumin, sugar, and kosher salt. Then add dried oregano along with red kidney beans, diced tomatoes, beef broth, and a 12-ounce bottle of beer. Towards the end of cooking, stirring in some cornmeal helps thicken the chili a bit and a squeeze of lime adds to and brings out the flavors.

I went ahead and served this with some quesadilla wedges. A nice multi-grain tortilla adds even more heartiness. Just monterey jack cheese, and some chopped green onion and cilantro.

I could not believe how not heavy this meal was. I mean, beef and beer?! But this Cooking Light recipe is actually low in fat and high in fiber. And the flavor is great. It's a little spicy and the flavor of the beer really does come out. I used Sierra Nevada pale ale. Also, I've learned to keep recipes like this low in salt by using low-sodium broth and no-salt-added diced tomatoes. I also like to rinse canned beans as I drain them before adding to anything. It gives you more control in monitoring your salt content.

Well, I have some ground beef leftover. Prepare yourself for an interesting post (meal post (not to be confused with the cookie post that is also coming)). Dinner tonight will definitely be creative. I guess ground beef could make for several not so unusual meal options, but why would I do that? :)

Red Chard, Potato, and White Bean Ragout

Ragout. A French main-dish stew cooked for a long time over low heat. Low heat. I'll remember that next time I'm trying to keep a ragout at a simmer. Apparently, letting the heat elevate too quickly can turn some of your ingredients (a.k.a. potatoes and beans) into mush. So yesterday, my ragout really turned into a sort of chowder. But, it was actually delicious! Maybe it's okay for some ragout contents to get a little soft, because in turn, you end up with a very thick and luxurious broth.

How did I find this recipe? I googled "red chard recipes." And I found: Red Chard, Potato, and White Bean Ragout from The New York Times online. Recipes for Health. Perfect. And a perfect way to use my red chard. Heck, I'm even going to throw my romanesco into that. I don't know about you, but I had never heard of romanesco in my life until it showed up in our vegetable box. So I googled it (like I do most things) and voila! Roman cauliflower. That'll do.

Romanesco.

All in all, this recipe was really good. It asks you to basically make your own broth with bay leaf, fresh thyme, and a Parmesan rind. You leave that simmering in water and the beans for an hour before adding anything else. Red chard (stems and leaves), onion, garlic, Yukon gold potatoes, and more thyme (plus, romanesco if you're fancy). It was so hearty. And even though it did fall apart a little, it was still tasty. The red chard is slightly bitter, but it's balanced out by the smooth potatoes, beans, a wonderful herb content. I think the Parmesan rind added a sort of creaminess to the stew also.

Delicious, comforting, and perfect with some fresh Trader Joe's wheat sourdough bread. Ahh, it's fall.

Chili with Chicken and Beans (Plus, Cheddar Cornbread)

You're going to wonder why I'm beginning this post by talking about peppers, but I promise it will all make sense in the end! When looking over our order contents for our fruit/vegetable box this week, I saw "mixed sweet peppers." Apparently, I don't know my peppers. I thought I was going to be getting an assortment of little red, orange, yellow, and green peppers, but instead we get a bag of small dark green peppers that are more spicy than sweet. I even searched for a "pepper guide" online and I still don't know what they are.

So, I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with this bag of mystery peppers. Since they were a little spicy, Zack suggested using them as a substitute for jalapenos. Thus, I found an Ina Garten jalapeno cheddar cornbread recipe. Let me tell you, I never would have made a jalapeno cornbread recipe if it wasn't for those weird peppers, but it was definitely worth it. This cornbread is more like a dessert in that it has a good amount of all-purpose flour and unsalted butter; however, it is the perfect side for chili. Extra-sharp cheddar, chopped scallions, and minced peppers make it different from your ordinary cornbread. I basically had a bite of cornbread with every bite of chili, and it was amazing.

The chili with chicken and beans is from my Power Foods cookbook. I've been wanting to make this recipe for awhile because the picture in the book is so enticing. This chili is so chunky and delicious. That's the way I like my chili.

Heat olive oil and cumin over medium in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add onion, garlic, and pepper until soft and lightly golden. This recipe actually calls for bell pepper, but I just wanted to use up as many of my "mystery" peppers as I could. So I did. Push onion mixture to edges of pot, add more olive oil, increase heat, and add chicken. A second substitution: the recipe called for chicken breast halves cut into 1-inch pieces, but Zack and I thought ground chicken sounded good for chili, so that's what we used. Transfer chicken to a plate after cooked through, then add chili powder, dried oregano, and bay leaf. Then add chopped canned tomatoes and their juice. Bring to a simmer then add chicken stock, salt, kidney beans, and season with fresh cracked black pepper. Bring to a simmer again and cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Return chicken and cook for another 15 minutes. Top with cilantro leaves for garnish (you know, it's fancier that way).


Now this meal was a "labor of love," as my mom would say. If you're looking for fast, this is not the recipe for you. It probably took a couple hours to prepare. And lots of chopping involved, which Zack kindly helped me with. That being said, it was so hearty and tasty. So worth it. We'll be having the chili and cornbread again tonight, and I plan to freeze the last two servings for another day. Just about three hours until Zack is home, and then I get to delve into another bowl of this goodness. Hooray for cooking and eating.

Three-Bean Pasta e Fagioli

Pasta e fagioli. What does that mean? Apparently, "pasta and beans." When I look for a recipe, I usually look for one that requires some of the ingredients that I already have on hand. This time, it was the beans; green beans, cannellini beans, and chickpeas. This recipe is a hearty soup; heavy on the vegetables, beans, and ditalini, but light on the chicken stock. Onion, garlic, and fresh rosemary give it an I-must-eat-you scent, and the grated Pecorina Romano cheese just tops it off. Lesson learned? Pasta and beans together isn't weird...it's Italian. And delicious.