Tomorrow for the Super Bowl, I was invited to go over to Liz and Jordan’s with my dad. To get me to go, Liz said “Tell her I’ll have pineapple and melon slices!” Because she knows that I’m a healthy eater. Maybe I’ll go to the store and buy some other fruit too, some grapes or something to add to the mix! My mom usually makes chili for the super bowl because it is a good football food. There’s a Three Bean Vegetarian Chili that I had wanted to make this week (and I’ve already bought all the ingredients). Tomorrow, Larry will be at the party, and he’s a vegetarian. If I make the vegetarian chili, it will be great because it’s something that Larry can enjoy as well as everyone else. He has a really hard time going to parties or events where there is food that doesn’t have meat in it. Looking for recipes that don’t have meat in them, I’ve discovered that it is indeed difficult.
I’ll try to take a picture if I think of it, but here’s the recipe now. I’m sure you could also make it with canned beans. Then, they don’t need to be soaked for hours. It also wouldn’t have to cook for the 3 hours. It would just have to be cooked until it was heated thoroughly.
In the pasta y fagioli soup that I made, I really liked the cannelini beans that I added. Everyday for lunch, I make a spinach salad. I add a variety of things on and off depending on what I feel like: red peppers, sunflower seeds, craisins or raisins, chicken (sometimes, but not at all lately), and always with a light honey mustard dressing. I bet that cannellini beans would make a really good addition to my salad! Plus, with the added protein and volume from them, I could eat the salad by itself. Right now, I make some kind of little sandwich to go with it (mini pizza or a veggie burger). I’m definitely liking all this new interesting food! I’m planning our weekly meals for this coming week already. The only repeat we have so far planned is for Friday. Veggie pot pie again, and we’re going to invite Larry over. It was my dad’s idea to make it. He was bragging about it to Larry, and said “I thought it had chicken in it!!”
I also have Sausage Minestrone Soup, and grilled Tuna (it’s on sale, and we’ve decided to try it. We’ve never had it before!). We don’t need dinner tomorrow or Saturday, because we’re going to a Beatles dinner at the Armory. Here are some of the recipes that I’m looking at:
Quinoa with stir fried winter vegetables
Organic winter vegetables with cheese
I’ve been interested in trying tofu or tempeh lately. I’ve never had either, but they both look good. Does anyone have any opinions on them? I know that Larry eats it occasionally, and Trevor and Amy make it and then invite Larry over for dinner. But I’m pretty sure I’ve never had it!
Ok, I’m off to hang out with Maria! She is over at her mom’s house, which is a quick 20 minutes away. We’re going to hang out and watch a movie and eat chocolate chip cookies! Yum!
Three Bean Vegetarian Chili
¾ cup dried pinto beans
¾ cup dried red kidney beans
¾ cup dried black beans
1/3 cup EVOO
3 yellow onions, chopped
2 or 3 fresh jalapeno peppers
6 large cloves garlic, minced
6 T chili powder
2 ½ T ground cumin
¼ t cayenne pepper
¼ t dried oregano
2 cans (28 ounces) diced plum tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pick over beans. Soak for three hours. Drain beans and set aside.
In a large heavy saucepan over low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions and chili peppers and sauté, stirring until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, cayenne and oregano and sauté, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes and water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are very tender and begin to fall apart, 2 ½ - 3 hours; add water if the beans begin to dry out but are not yet cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into individual bowls and serve.
Serves six. Can also be used as a dip, or as a filling for burritos.
