3 for 1 on Black Bean Chili

Slow-Cooked Black Bean Chili.

Ingredients:
1 LB Black Beans.
4 Fresh Tomatoes, Large Dice.
2 Medium Onions, Small Dice.
2 Jalapenos, Seeded and Diced.
1 Pint Tomato Puree.
2 Pints Beer.(or Water, if you're a communist)
3 TBSP Chili Powder
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
Salt, Pepper to Taste.

The Process:
Part I
1. Wash the Black Beans. Soak overnight.

Part II
2. Drain the Black Beans.
3. Sweat the Onion, Minced Garlic, and Jalapenos in a sauce pot over medium-high heat.
3. Add the Black Beans, Tomato Puree, Onion, Beer, and Chili Powder to the Onion, Garlic, and Jalapenos.
4. Simmer for several hours on low-heat until reduced.
5. Check after the first hour to see if the beans have softened. Once they are softened to your liking, serve over boiled white rice. 

This is a recipe I make when I’m being really lazy. I like to pretend occasionally cooking vegan food like this is expanding my horizons, but in this case it’s honestly just a chance to make an easy meal using cheap ingredients.

In addition to that, most of the above measurements are just guidelines. Add more of anything to adjust to your own personal taste. Just make sure there's enough liquid to keep your chili from burning. 

Really it’s kind of funny how this has become a go-to recipe for me. The first time I had meatless chili as a child, I literally cried because there was no meat in the chili. How could you have chili without meat? It just didn’t seem right. Rightfully so my grandmother kicked my ass all the way up to my bedroom without dinner for being a right bastard about the whole no-meat thing. That’s not a particularly proud moment in my own early culinary development. Eventually I grew up (kind of) and looking back at my reaction to the concept of dinner without beef sort of reminds me that kid’s don’t know a damn thing about food.

There are some recipes that will recommend you make Chili with Tofu in it, I it’s a bad idea to mix tofu into the chili. The long cooking process and the strength of the spices in the chili tends to overwhelm the tofu and turn it into a mushy mess. This is disgusting, and it’s exactly what happens when you try to ‘replace’ meat instead of just plain’ ol not using it.

If you do want Tofu with this, I recommend taking a slice about ½ inch thick, and pan searing it in a little olive oil with Salt & Pepper. One of Extra Firm Tofu’s strengths (in my estimation) is how it’s texture is vaguely reminiscent of a Frittata or Tortilla Espanola. Therefore, consider as a brunch item, this set up:

Tofu Rancheros:

The Ingredients:
1 Cup Black Bean Chili
2 Slices (½ Inch Thick) Extra Firm Tofu, Pan Seared.
1 Cup Small Diced Potatoes, Boiled until tender, drained, and then Pan Fried in blended Olive and Truffle Oil.
1 Tortilla, Pan Fried in Olive Oil.
1 Sprig Cilantro
1 Wedge Lime
2 TBSP Pico de Gallo (Fresh Made)

The Process:
1. Fry the Tortilla, pat dry.
2. Place the Tortilla on your serving Plate.
3. Top the Tortilla with the Pan Fried Potatoes.
4. Pour the Chili on top of the Potatoes.
5. Rest the Pan Seared Tofu on top of the Chili.
6. Garnish with Cilantro, Lime, and Pico de Gallo.

So there you go. If you bother to make it, tell me what you think.

Oh, also for the record:

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:
1 Small Diced Onion
2 Small Diced Tomatoes
1 Small Diced Jalapeno
2 Wedge Lime
2 TBSP Minced Cilantro

The Process:
1. Combined the Tomato, Jalapeno, Onion, and Cilantro.
2. Squeeze the Lime Wedges into the mixture.
3. Stir.
4. Consume. 

Three recipes in one today. Because I’m just that awesome.

We'll call this a "Learning Opportunity"

When I was a kid I used to think the world was awash in magic. 

Kitchens in chain restaurants were magical places where the food was all-you-could-eat and there were special magical elixers that made food taste better than anything you could get at home. It was pretty much the same deal at the movie theater - wherever it was they pulled the candy from when you ordered it must’ve looked a bit like Homer’s “Land of Chocolate” from Burns Verkaufen Der Kraftwerk. It’s not like that, of course - the candy is stored in a cabinet under the counter (one that’s uniquely vulnerable to mouse infestation) and kitchens at chain restaurants are catastrophic displays of corporate earnings over care for customers, ingredients, or taste. There’s nothing special. I worked in a movie theater concession stand for 2 years, about half a year longer than I wanted to - but there was this one girl I really wanted to nail. I’ve worked for 2 separate major chains - and the kitchens are surprisingly similar: the wrong equipment for the wrong jobs, food that sits under heat lamps and on steam tables, way more dirty than the average simpleton would like to imagine... yada yada yada. Like anything though, I like to turn it into a learning opportunity. There’s a reason kids like these places: they’re simple, generic food designed to appeal to the most people possible - The Grilled Cheese at one of these places simply involved 2 pieces of White Bread, Processed American Cheese, and that wonderful sort of liquid artificial butter made from God knows what. You put the cheese between the slices of bread, brushed the butter on the outside using a pastry brush, and either put it on the sandwich press or toasted it in a sauté pan simple as that. They could sell $0.50 worth of ingredients to some screaming kid and their self important entitled mother for $5. I’ll give them that, they know what they’re doing.

But knowing that technique, it’s not hard to adapt it to make something that’s actually worth eating, So today I’ll go with the simplest go-to meal I make whenever I don’t really feel like cooking.

Grilled Cheese w/ Tomato & Arugula Salad

Ingredients:
2 Slices Whole Grain Bread
1 oz. Cheddar Cheese (sliced 1/8th inch thick)
3 TBSP Melted Butter
Whole Tomato, Sliced ¼ inch thick.
1 TBSP Olive Oil

Process:
Turn the burner on your stove to high
Put the olive oil in a saute pan or a cast-iron skillet.
Place the Cheese and the Tomato between the slices of bread.
Brush the outside of the sandwich with butter
Once the pan is hot, place the sandwich in the center.
Turn off the heat. Allow the sandwich to toast for about 1 minute
Turn on the heat to medium. Check for a golden-brown color, once that is reached, flip the sandwich over.
Allow to toast until golden brown & the cheese is melted.
Remove, Slice in half serve with Arugula Salad.

Arugula & Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients:
A handful of Arugula (2 oz by weight)
2 Tbsp Crumbled Goat Cheese
¼ C. Candied Pecans
1/3 oz. Balsamic Vinegar
2/3 oz. Olive Oil
Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Process:
Toss together the Arugula, the Candied Pecans, the Vinegar, and the Olive Oil.
Arrange the salad on a plate.
Top with Goat Cheese
Add Salt and Pepper to taste.