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Jumat, 03 April 2009

Poor Man's Chili Slow Cooker Recipe


Happy Friday!

I made the very best "free" dinner the other night. I planned on going out to get some fresh chicken for the crock, but my little one climbed into her bed at 9:45 am and fell asleep. Until 12:30. No fever or anything, I guess she was just tired.
So I had to use what I had on hand to make dinner----the afternoon was packed full of activities, including a dance class that ends at 5:30pm. I had to get the slow cooker plugged in or we were going to end up eating lovely bowls of Rice Chex for dinner.

not that there's anything wrong with that.

This chili is similar to the Clean Out the Pantry Chili I made last July, because I just started opening cans and tossing stuff in.
But this is different.
The biggest difference is the spices I used and that my kids ate it this time. I also tried using jarred pasta sauce for the base, since I didn't have any canned tomatoes in the house. It worked!


The Ingredients.
serves 6.

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained
1 (24-ounce) jar prepared pasta sauce
1 cup baby tomatoes (optional, they pop after slow cooking!)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon corriander
1 teaspoon tumeric (not really a "poor" spice, it's a substitute for saffron, but I had it in the cupboard. If you don't have any, you can try a mixture of curry and cardamom, or just omit it all together)
1 cinnamon stick

The Directions.

I used a 6 quart slow cooker. Drain the beans and corn, and put the can contents into your crock. Top with tomatoes, if using, and the pasta sauce. Stir in spices, and add cinnamon stick. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for about 4. If the tomatoes haven't popped on their own, gently poke them with a wooden spoon to pop before serving.

The Verdict.

This was a very filling, and lovely chili without a hint of spice----just a great medley of flavor. The cinnamon provided enough of a "sweet" component to convince the kids that I had put brown sugar in their servings. I didn't correct them.
I enjoyed the leftovers for lunch the next day over a baked potato.

more chili!:

Presidential Chili
traditional chili
white chili
clean out the pantry chili
chili and cheese afternoon snack