Making chili is warm and satisfying, especially during this winter!!! I love making a huge batch and then having it all week for lunch or a quick leftover meal for dinner (love leftovers!). This weekend I’m making it of course for the Superbowl. No pizza and wings in this house. Instead, we’re going to have a hardy and healthy meal while we watch the commercials, uh, I mean the game. I’ll be making a batch of my corn muffins to go along on the side as well as a big salad. I’ve always added a beer to my chili to give it a little depth. In this one, I used a hard cider instead, but I’ve also used the Omission gluten free beer as well.
So this chili uses up some of my butternut squash, onions, and carrots that I get from my winter share at my local CSA (community supported agriculture), the Root Down Farm. Feel free to add in what ever ingredients you have on hand. If you have some frozen corn from the summer, add that in too!
Incorporating more beans into your diet is a really important thing to do. They add fiber, plant-based protein, magnesium, and potassium. They help to lower blood pressure and blood sugar. Power to the bean!
I prefer to make my own beans. Is this hard to do? No. Does it take a little forethought? Yes. Making your own beans allows you the following:
- You can purchase organically in bulk (soooo much less $$$$)
- You can add no salt (I prefer to season my foods as they cook, not to start off with a level someone else decided for me)
- No waste of cans, no BPA-lined cans (pretty much all cans are lined with BPA to prevent the metal from corroding, and I don’t want to eat that)
- They taste wayyyy better (especially chick peas-soooo much better!)!
How do you make your own beans? Easy! If you are interested in doing this, I HIGHLY recommend a pressure cooker. The one I recommend is a Fagor brand, and I have the large 10 quart capacity one. It sits on my stove because I use it at least 4xs a week (some days multiple times in the same day). On the day of chili making, or the day before, I make my beans. You can even batch cook them and make a whole lot, placing them into freezer-safe containers to whip out when you need a good bean! Love when I have things prepped ahead! Soak your beans the night before, or in the morning of the day you wish to make them, for at least 8 hours. Drain, and rinse. Add them to your pressure cooker or stock pot and cover with water. If using a stock pot, cover with about double the amount of water, as it will evaporate during cooking. Pressure cookers don’t allow for evaporation, and therefore, just cover your beans with water, making sure to have about an 1-2″ extra. In pressure cooker: bring to pressure and then lower heat and cook for about 11-12 minutes, depending on the bean. For traditional stovetop: bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours until softened. See how much faster a pressure cooker is? Plus no boiling over mess, as can happen in a regular pot.
We serve this dish with our oil free corn muffins and a big salad. This makes a big pot of chili. If you’d like less, cut amounts in half. We love to have a big batch for leftovers, plus it freezes perfectly for a quick weeknight meal and is great as leftovers for lunch or turned into burrito night! Also you can top the extras on a sweet potato. Yum!
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups dried kidney beans, cooked (7 cups cooked, about 4 cans worth)
- 2 cups dried black beans cooked (6 cups cooked, about 3 cans)
- 8 cups butternut squash, about a 2-3 pound squash
- 2 cups carrots
- 3 cups onions
- 3 cup peppers (we use frozen from our garden this summer, but use whatever you have)
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp kosher/sea salt (or more to taste)
- 4 tbsp chili seasoning (we make our own blend*) or more depending on how spicy your blend is
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 quart of canned tomatoes, or a 28/32 oz can, or 4 cups of fresh
- 1 gluten free beer or hard cider
- Additional water if needed
- Optional:2 cups organic frozen corn
- For Serving: some siracha, fresh scallions and a few avocado slices if desired
*Chili Seasoning:
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp ground chilies or red chili powder (this is the pure stuff)
I double this to have it on hand to add to dishes, you will need 3-4 tbsp of this blend, depending on spicy you like you chili. This will also depend on how spicy you chili powder is
Instructions:
- Place all ingredients into pot at once, simmer on low, until liquid is absorbed, and chili has cooked down, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Serve over brown rice and topped with avocado slices and hot sauce, if desired.
- Chili goes perfectly with my corn muffins too or as leftovers on top of a sweet potato!
Nutritional Benefits:
- Very high in fiber! Almost 19 g per serving! Helps to regulate blood sugar, reduce blood pressure, increate satiety, great for diabetics, and aids in digestive health
- High in Plant-based protein, 19 g! Great for healing and repairing tissues
- No cholesterol, and virtually no fat (none added), great for heart health and diabetes
- Outstanding source of potassium, 1,442 mg, and magnesium-both are important for heart health and lower blood pressure. Potassium aids in nervous system and kidney function
- Awesome source of Vitamin A, 276% DV-an antioxidant that helps with dental, bone, eye, hair, and skin health
- Great source of Vitamin C, 171% Vitamin C
- High source of plant-based iron, 34% iron, important for oxygenation of blood
- Great source of plant-based calcium, which is better absorbed by the body than from animal sources, 15%, important for bone and dental health
- 2½ cups dried kidney beans, cooked (7 cups cooked, about 4 cans worth)
- 2 cups dried black beans cooked (6 cups cooked, about 3 cans)
- 8 cups butternut squash, about a 2-3 pound squash
- 2 cups carrots
- 3 cups onions
- 3 cup peppers (we use frozen from our garden this summer, but use whatever you have)
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp kosher/sea salt (or more to taste)
- 4 tbsp chili seasoning (we make our own blend*) or more depending on how spicy your blend is
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 quart of canned tomatoes, or a 28/32 oz can, or 4 cups of fresh
- 1 gluten free beer or hard cider
- Additional water if needed
- Optional:2 cups organic frozen corn
- For Serving: some siracha, fresh scallions and a few avocado slices if desired
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp cumin
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tbsp ground chilies or red chili powder (this is the pure stuff)
- I double this to have it on hand to add to dishes, you will need 3-4 tbsp of this blend, depending on spicy you like you chili. This will also depend on how spicy you chili powder is
- Place all ingredients into pot at once, simmer on low, until liquid is absorbed, and chili has cooked down, about 1½ hours.
- Serve over brown rice and topped with avocado slices and hot sauce, if desired.
- Chili goes perfectly with my corn muffins too or as leftovers on top of a sweet potato!
Can you make this in the crock pot?
Sure Ellen! Chilis are great made in crock pots, pressure cookers, or stove top. Whatever works! I love the flavor as they cook, so I’d start it in the morning, and cook it all day on low
How would you adjust this recipe to make it in the pressure cooker?
Debbie-if you want to make this in a pressure cooker, you can up the water a bit. It may never come to full pressure, as it does need liquid to so so usually. I would add a little more water and even if it doesn’t come to pressure, it will still cook much faster. Let me know!