7 Best- Beans (4)

In January of 2016, I created a file called 7 best. If I remember correctly, in my endless pursuit of the simplest, most delicious food plan, I would put together a binder with the 7 best recipes for each type of food. The best laid plans....and this is what I ended up with:)

Shannon’s Sweet Chili familycircle 

      

2 pounds ground beef                                  1/2 large onion, chopped             

2 cloves garlic, minced                                  2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons salt                                               1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper                              1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 28 - ounce can tomato sauce                  1 28 - ounce can whole tomatoes

1 16 - ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed   

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar             1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked following package 

In a large nonstick pot, brown beef, onion and garlic for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chili powder, salt, cumin, pepper and oregano. Cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Drain liquid from tomatoes into pot; roughly chop tomatoes using kitchen shears and add. Fill can with water and add to pot along with tomato sauce, beans and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes.

Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve over cooked elbow macaroni. Garnish with cheese and sour cream if desired.

 

After Ben's chili at Dad's 80th birthday party, I bought the ingredients to make this with sausage and white beans because Ben's chili was made with sausage and white beans and it was delish! I will let you know how it goes.

One Pot Chili Mac & Cheese damndelicious

1 tablespoon olive oil                                                       2 cloves garlic, minced 

1 onion, diced                                                                      1 lb ground beef

4 cups chicken broth                                                       14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

3/4 cup white kidney beans                                           3/4 cup kidney beans

                                        all beans: drained and rinsed

2 teaspoons chili powder                                                1 1/2 teaspoon cumin      

 salt and pepper, to taste                                                10 ounces uncooked elbows pasta

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese                               2 T chopped fresh parsley leaves

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion and ground beef, and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.

Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a simmer and stir in pasta. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13-15 minutes.

Remove from heat. Top with cheese and cover until melted, about 2 minutes.

Serve immediately, garnished with sour cream and parsley, if desired.

Serve with a glass of orange juice

   
Louisiana Red Beans and Rice wearychef

1 pound dried small red beans, rinsed and sorted

1 sweet onion, diced                                      4 ribs celery, chopped

1lb ground turkey, cooked                          12 ounces andouille sausage- chopped

1 tsp+ kosher salt                                             ½ tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. dried thyme                                           2 bay leaves

6 cloves garlic, crushed

4 c. cooked rice

Place all ingredients except cooked rice in slow cooker. Add about 7 cups of water, enough to cover contents with about an inch of water. Stir, cover, and cook on high 8 hours or low 10 hours.

About an hour before serving, use a potato masher to mash at least half of the beans, stir, and cook on high an hour longer. (This step is what gives the creamy texture.)

Before serving, taste beans and add additional salt and cayenne to taste. Remove bay leaves, and ladle beans into bowls over cooked rice.

Black Beans & Rice melskitchen

4 teaspoons olive oil                                                  1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, finely chopped                                             5-6 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 (16-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes (or Rotel for some heat)

1 1/2 cup chicken broth                                              3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf                                                                   1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 cup water                                                             2 T finely chopped fresh cilantro

Salt & pepper to taste                                                4-5 cups hot, cooked white or brown rice

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic and sauté, stirring often, for about 15 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft and tender. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, thyme, bay leaf, oregano and water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. If the mixture becomes too thick, add a tablespoon or two of hot water to thin to desired consistency.

Dried black beans can be substituted for canned- simmer in crockpot for 8 hrs- will require more water. If time is short, add ½ cup taco sauce to 2 cans of black beans (1 with sauce, 1 drained) and simmer for 20 min. Also delicious served over yellow rice.

Stir in the fresh cilantro and season with salt and pepper; discard the bay leaf. Serve over the hot rice.