Chili with Beer

Some might call this boilermaker chili. Some might call it tailgate chili. Those two names conjure up different meanings for me, especially concerning their list of ingredients, so I simply named this chili with beer.

Like all tomato sauces, this is better as leftovers, though still incredible the day of. The longer it simmers, the better it'll be too. Enjoy!

Chili with Beer

Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds ground meat (can be anything with or without sausage)
• 1/2 pound dried beans, soaked overnight, sprouted if desired
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 small cubes of beef bouillon
• 1/2 cup beer
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1.5 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1.5 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cooking Directions

1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook and crumble the ground meat into the hot pan until evenly browned. Drain off fat.
2. Stir in the soaked beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste.
3. Stir in the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, bouillon, and beer.
4. Stir in chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot sauce, basil, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, and salt.
5. Stir together, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
6. After 2 hours, taste and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder as desired. The longer it cooks, the better it'll taste. It'll also get better when refrigerated like most tomato sauce-based dishes.

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

If you love spaghetti squash, or have never tried it before, here's a simple, easy recipe that is sure to please. It's like having a nice bed of tasty pasta without the pasta. You can easily add chicken of anything else that you want to this, and you've got yourself a complete meal. Yum. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash, halved and seed removed
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup feta or similar cheese
• 3 tablespoons black olives, sliced
• 2 tablespoons dried basil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender. Remove squash from oven, and set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.
4. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash, and place in a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm (throw back in the pan if need be).

Ribollita

I learned this from an excellent cooking class on gourmet soups taught by Chef Bernard Kinsella. Ribollita is Italian for awesome. OK, really, it's Italian for reboil, I believe. Anywho, it's essentially just boiling up a simple stew or soup of whatever vegetable you happen to have on hand. Something about the preparation method though really has a huge impact on the flavor. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 stalks of celery
2 carrots, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes (fresh is fine too)
3/4 lb of Swiss chard (or 1/2 head cabbage), chopped
1/2 pound cooked lentils or beans
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped (1/8 cup dried will work too)
4 cups vegetable stock (or water)
optional: 4 slices of stale bread, torn into bite-size pieces

Directions

1. Heat a large pot over medium low heat and add olive oil, onion, garlic, celery, salt, carrots, and zucchini. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes so that the veggies sweat out their flavors and do not brown.

2. Stir in the diced tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes.

3. Add the Swiss chard (or cabbage), lentils or beans, basil, and parsley. Stir and mash a few of the lentils/beans to thicken the soup. Cook for 10 minutes.

4. Add the vegetable stock (or water) and bring to a boil before lowering to a simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

5. If using bread, add and cook until it has broken down, about 10 minutes.

Healthy Eggplant-and-More Pasta

Look at that. That is beautiful.

I have a challenge for you today. Just looking at this eggplant and pasta dish, I want you to guess what's in it. Also, why do I call it healthy? My hope is that you'll be able to tell just from the pictures.

Bonus points to anyone who makes this dish as well!

Pesto with Almonds

You are not going to believe how easy it is to make your own pesto. With easy-to-find ingredients, it can be done in a matter of minutes.

Replacing the traditional pine nuts with almonds doesn't even impact the flavor enough to be noticeable. That's the best part! Pair it with some delicious pasta and you're set. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/4 cup almonds
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a food processor, combine toasted almonds, garlic, basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Process until a coarse paste is formed.