Daring Cooks: Black Bean & Espresso Chili

Our April 2012 Daring Cooks hosts were David & Karen from Twenty-Fingered Cooking. They presented us with a very daring and unique challenge of forming our own recipes by using a set list of ingredients!

With an onslaught of schoolwork lately and being in Portugal last week, I didn't think I was going to have time to do this challenge. I was really excited about it though, especially since goat cheese was one of the ingredients. During class I was surfing the web, instead of listening and came across a recipe similar to the one here. The recipe was a great starting point and the weather has been on the colder side, perfect for chili.


This was the ingredient list. We had to pick one thing from each list:
List 1: Parsnips, Eggplant (aubergine), Cauliflower
List 2: Balsamic Vinegar, Goat Cheese, Chipotle peppers
List 3: Maple Syrup, Instant Coffee, Bananas

I added both the chipotle peppers and chili powder. The result had a in your face spice. If you are not a spice lover pick to add either the chili powder or chipotle peppers. I recommend using the chipotle peppers for their smoking flavor. The coffee adds a rich depth of flavor to the end product. The chocolate gives this a Mexican mole flavor. The dish is spicy and rich, with a wonderful Mexican flair to it.


xo


April


Ingredients:
Olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
3 medium parsnips, sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 medium cloves of garlic, minced
4 chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon chili powder (or add both)
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons instant espresso
2 cups water
1 x 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 generous tablespoon of unsweetend cocoa powder
1 teaspoon honey
1 x 15 ounce can black beans
1 x 15 ounce red kidney beans
Instructions:

1. In a large heavy bottomed pan (I used a dutch oven), heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add the onions. Cook the onions for 8-10 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the parsnips to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. 
2. Have all of you spices and water on hand and ready at this point. Add the garlic, chipotle peppers, oregano, cumin, cinnamon and instant espresso to the parsnip and onion mixture, cooking and stirring for a minute. Add the water and crushed tomatoes, bringing it to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 30-40 minutes, covered, until the parsnips are cooked. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, add the cocoa powder, honey and beans to the pan and finish cooking.
3. Serve with sour cream on top, goat cheese, crackers or whatever else you like.

Skinny Macaroni and Cheese Soup with Broccoli

I was trying to plan ahead last time I went to the grocery store and picked out two recipes that used similar ingredients, chicken and broccoli noodle casserole and this skinny macaroni and cheese soup with broccoli.  Turns out I didn't plan too well on the broccoli part though, because I still have probably two-thirds of what I bought.  Be warned, you get a lot more out of a head of broccoli than you think!

Ingredients

• 4 oz dry elbow macaroni (try Ronzoni Smart Taste)
• 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 1/2 cups fat free low sodium chicken brother
• 1 cup skim milk
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups (about 10 oz) broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups 2% shredded sharp cheddar
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook noodles in salted water according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.
2. In a large pot, melt butter.  Add chopped vegetables and sauté on low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add flour and pepper to the pot and stir until smooth.
4. Slowly add chicken broth, milk, nutmeg and dry mustard; whisking constantly.  Set heat until medium-high until it comes to a boil.  Cover and cook on medium-low about 10-15 minutes.
5. Add broccoli florets, parmesan cheese, and stir well.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Cook uncovered until broccoli is cooked, about 5 minutes or to your liking.
6. Add cheddar, mixing well until cheese melts and immediately remove from heat.
7. Add cooked noodles and mix well.
8. Adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed.
9. Serve right away before pasta absorbs broth.

Recipe slightly adapted from Skinnytaste.

Lasagna Soup

I was meandering around on Pinterest the other day and came across this recipe for lasagna soup.  I'm a little bit intimidated by the idea of making a soup because I don't really love soup so I've never wanted to spend the time to make it if I'm not going to really enjoy it.  This appeared to be more of a mix between a soup and a casserole though so I was sold.

It ended up being very easy to make as well as very delicious.  I used an extra half a cup of noodles than what the original recipe called for, but if you do prefer it to be more soupy, then use the original 2 and a half cups or less.  The great thing about this recipe is that you cook everything from start to finish in the same pot so it's a pretty easy clean up!

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef (90% lean)
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium beef broth
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups whole wheat uncooked spiral pasta
• Shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.
2. Add garlic and cook for another minute.  Drain.
3. Stir in beef brother, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, tomato paste, Italian seasoning and pepper.  Bring to a boil.
4. Stir in pasta.  Return to a boil.
5. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until pasta is tender.
6. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top as desired.

Recipe adapted from  Taste of Home

Pasta e Fagioli

Want Olive Garden at home? This recipe does the trick! One day, I was really craving Olive Garden's pasta e fagioli. It is a soup that is similar to chili, but without the chili powder. It is my favorite soup that they serve and it is quite filling. I only need to order this soup and salad (of course I eat the bread sticks, too) and I am stuffed! However, being on a college budget and schedule, I didn't want to spend the money or time going to Olive Garden. So, to satisfy my craving, I went to the internet to scoop out the best mimic Olive Garden pasta e fagioli. After reading reviews of a bunch of recipes, I finally found one that people said tastes like the soup I was so desperately wanting. After that, and running to the grocery store for a few items, I was on my way transforming my apartment into Olive Garden. My boyfriend was pretty excited, as he was invited to share the meal (and we still had a bunch of leftovers).

Few notes about this recipe, if there is something you don't care for, leave it out! There are so many flavors and spices that if you take one or two things out, it will still be flavorful and delicious! As a matter of fact, I accidentally forgot to add celery (even though I had it out and ready to cut up), but it didn't taste like anything was missing. Also, as you can see in the pictures, it is best with a sprinkle of cheese. I only had mild cheddar but parmesan would be great, too. Finally, I suggest making bread sticks so it feels even more like Olive Garden at home. Plus, they taste great dipped in the soup!

Pasta e Fagioli 
recipe found on top secret recipes

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced (about 1 c.)
1 large carrot, julienned aka long, thin slivers (about 1 c.)
3 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 c.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (the true recipe calls for 2, I accidentally only grabbed 1)
1 15 oz can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 15 oz can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 12 oz can V-8 juice
*I used a little more than 24 oz of V-8 juice since the recipe did not call to simmer the soup with a lid so I added more V-8 juice because I wanted there to be more liquid. Also, this helped the leftovers to stay soupy
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 lb. ditali pasta (about half a package)
*I was not able to find ditali pasta anywhere. These noodles are the signature mark for this soup at Olive Garden. I was very disappointed when I had to use elbow. However, it still tasted great!

Instructions
1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain grease.
2. Add diced onion, julienned carrots, chopped celery, and minced garlic to the beef and saute for about 10 minutes.
3. Place beef mixture into a large saucepan or pot, along with the remaining ingredients, except pasta. Simmer for about 1 hour. I would recommend putting a lid on and setting the burner at a little less than medium heat (however, all stovetops vary).
4. Once the soup has been simmering for 50 minutes, cook the pasta in boiling water for about 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Drain water.
5. Add the pasta to the pot and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

Easy Chili

This is a simple chili recipe that you can make for picky eaters or to use as a baseline and add ingredients (aka to be creative!). My stepmom makes this recipe all the time because it is one of the family's favorites.

I was really craving chili since two of my roommates made batches once the weather started to get colder. But, I didn't have any chili leftovers stashed in my freezer from home (when I visit home its always a request I make). So, I got the recipe from my parents and I realized it's pretty easy! Usually I see it being made on the stovetop but since my day was going to be busy, I opted for the slow cooker. I had an afternoon badger basketball game to go to and the Big 10 Championship game to watch after. I prepared it in the morning and it was ready to enjoy when the football game began. It was perfect - the chili was great and the badgers won!

Easy Chili
from my stepmom, Jennifer

Ingredients
1 large can Sacramento tomato juice
3/4 lb. ground beef
3 to 4 c. elbow noodles
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp sugar

Directions
1. Brown ground beef and drain grease
2. Cook elbow noodles according to box
3. Mix together tomato juice, chili powder and sugar
4. Place beef and tomato juice mixture into crockpot. Put on low for about 4 to 6 hours, stir occasionally (or when you want to peek)

5. Put cooked noodles in fridge for later (I like my noodles close to al dente so I did not add it to the crockpot - they may get mushy if they are added)
6. After 4 to 6 hours, add the noodles and stir

7. Enjoy with shredded (Wisconsin) cheddar cheese :)

Persian Soup

The best Christmas presents I could have asked for this year were having my family all in one place. I haven't seen my brother or sister-in-law, Lindsay, in over 6 months. Well, they are finally back and Lindsay requested this soup. 

Lindsay is in a top secret language and intelligence program, learning Farsi. They spent some time learning about food and culture. The pictures and discussion in class on this soup were too much to handle, and she had to have it when she got home. I was happy to oblige in return for a little "top secret" knowledge. This is all I got--Persia is Iran, and Iranians speak Farsi. The actual name of the soup is Ash-e Reshteh, which translates roughly to "noodle soup". Apparently, that was the only information lowly civilians like us are permitted to hear.

The soup is fairly straight forward and easy. The dish takes 3 hours total, but only 20 minutes is spent actively preparing. Make sure you soak the beans the night before. We substituted the sun-dried yogurt with sour cream, and we used natural good quality grape juice, not juice cocktail. We also opted for the whole wheat noodles. The herbs, especially the dill, add a lot of brightness and flavor to the dish. Several hours after eating the soup, we realized the spinach was never added. It still tasted delicious, and we all loved it.


This recipe is courtesy of her teachers wife.


Ingredients:
1/4 cup oil
3 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp tumeric
1/4 cup dried kidney beans, washed and soaked in cold water for at
least 4 hours, then drained
1/4cup dried navy beans, rinsed and soaked for a t least 4 hours, then drained
1/4 cup dried chickpeas, rinsed, soaked for at lesast 4 hours, then drained
12-14 cups broth or water
1 cup lentils
1/2 pound Persian noodles or whole-weat linguine noodles, broken in half
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh chives or spring onions
1 cup chopped fresh dill weed
2 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
3 pounds fresh spinach, washed and coarsely chopped, or 2 pounds of
chopped frozen spinach
1 fresh beet, peeled and diced in 1/2inch pieces (optional)
1-1/2 cups sun-dried yogurt or sour cream
1-1/2 cup unripe grape juice

Instructions:
1. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat until hot.
Add the onions and garlic and cook until golden brown. Add salt,
pepper, turmeric, kidney beans, navy beans, and chickpeas, and saute
for 2 minutes. Pour in 12 cups broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat,
cover, and simmer for 45 minutes over medium heat.

2. Add the lentils, cover, and cook for 55 minutes longer. Check to be
sure the beans are tender. Use a handheld mixer to partially puree the
soup. If you don't have a handheld mixer, scoop 1-2 cups out and pulse in a food processor or blender.

3. Add noodles and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add all the herbs and the beet. Cover and cook, stirring from time
to time for 10 minutes. Check to be sure the beans and noodles are tender.

5. Stir in the sour cream/sun dried yogurt. Add the juice and stir well with a
wooden spoon for 5 minutes until the sundried yogurt is thoroughly
incorporated. Add more warm water if **osh** is too thick. Adjust
seasoning to tatse. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve. Enjoy!

My brother and Lindsay got me a Persian cookbook, the author is the Persian version of Martha Stewart. I learned that it is customary to eat noodles in Iran before starting something new or after family leaves on a trip. On the third day after family leaves, you eat noodles and it sends them good fortune on their journey. I will be sure to eat some leftovers, ensuring her good luck back in training! 

Beef Chili with Kidney Beans and Bacon

Chili and football go hand in hand, in my opinion. The perfect thing about this chili is it gets better as it sits. It can be made on Friday or Saturday and be ready to enjoy during the football game. Because you wouldn't want to miss a minute of football Sunday, would you? 

You can make this as spicy as you want. If you are using an inexpensive chili powder, you are going to end up with less heat. This is my mom's recipe and hers is a lot spicier than mine. We figured out that it was the chili powder. Hers is from Penzey's and it apparently makes a huge difference in the heat department. No worries though, add more cayenne pepper at the end to give it more heat. Overall it is a very changeable recipe. Throw in whatever floats your boat. 

What kind of toppings do you like on your chili? I love to load it up with saltine crackers and cheese. I always get the look of "are you eating crackers or chili?".

Ingredients:
5 strips bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium white onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 rounded tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound ground beef
15 ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
14 ounce can tomato puree
14 ounce can diced tomatoes

Instructions

1. Heat a medium heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease. Leave the bacon in the pan. Add the onion, garlic and spices. Cook until the onions start to soften and brown slightly, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the beef, breaking it up. Continue to cook the beef until there is no pink. 
2. Add the beans, tomato puree and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Remove the lid and continue to simmer for another 1 hour, until dark, rich and thickened slightly.
3. Enjoy with a cold beer and Packer domination.

Three Sisters Soup

I am taking a Native American Indian class this semester for an ethnic studies graduation requirement. When the professor announced the second assignment was going to be about food, she had my full attention. It was a tough choice deciding if I should research the history of corn cultivation or get into the kitchen and cook, not! The goal of the assignment was to use indigenous ingredients that would have been available and used by the Native Americans of Wisconsin. I decide to go with soup because I have never made soup before and have always wanted too.


The story behind this soup is that squash, beans and corn grow cooperatively. Corn uses nitrogen from the soil and beans replenish nitrogen to the soil. The squash keeps down weeds and prevents erosion. It was a very sustainable method, allowing for replanting of the same plot year after year. I added wild rice to the soup to add texture and flavor, but wild rice was widely available in Wisconsin at the time.

I did not have high expectations for flavor, but I was totally shocked by how delicious it was. Part of the assignment was to cook the food for friends.  I made it for my dad during the Packer game and he loved it and it is not just because I am his daughter. He is not afraid to be critical (can you say overly critical?), and for not being a big soup person he loved this. There were only a few ingredients added that would not have been available at the time, but something similar was probably used to enhance the flavor the way contemporary ingredients do. It was very easy and quick, and it was even better the next day. This would make for a great meal at the beginning of the week, making leftovers for later in the week. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup wild rice (the real deal, not Uncle Ben's)
1 medium squash

1- 19oz can red kidney beans

1 cup frozen corn

4 cups water

4 teaspoons vegetable bullion

1 bay leaf

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

Instructions:

1. Cook rice according to package instructions.
2. Peel and cut the squash into 1 inch cubes. Drain and rinse beans.
3. Add the squash, beans, corn and bay leaf into a heavy bottomed medium pot. Cover with water and add the vegetable bullion. Turn heat onto high and bring to a boil. Add the flour, butter and pepper. Boil for 5 minutes and reduce to a simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the squash is fork tender. 
4. Add the cooked wild rice, stir to combine and serve.