Slow-Cooker Black Bean Mushroom Chili

Slow-Cooker Black Bean Mushroom Chili Stew
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/slow_cooker_black_bean_mushroom_chili.html
From EatingWell: Winter 2004
10 servings (1C) | Active time 25 min | Total tie 6.25-9.25 hrs

Ingredients
1 lb dried black beans (2 1/2C), rinsed
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 C mustard seeds
2 T chili powder
1 1/2 t cumin seeds, or ground cumin
1/2 t cardamom seeds, or ground cardamom
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
8 oz tomatillos
1/4 C water
5 1/2 C mushroom broth or vegetable broth
1 6oz can tomato paste
1-2 T minced canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 1/4 C grated monterrey jack or pepper jack cheese
1/2 C reduced fat sour cream
1/2 C chopped cilantro
2 limes, cut into wedges

Preparation
Soak beans overnight in 2 qts water. (Alternatively place beans and 2 qts water in a large pot, bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hr.) Drain the beans, discarding soaking liquid.
Combine oil, mustard seeds, chili powder, cumin and cardamom in a 5-6qt dutch oven. Place over high heat and stir until the spices sizzle, about 30 seconds.  Add onions, mushrooms, tomatillos, and water.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are juicy, 5-7 minutes.  Uncover and stir often until the juices evaporate and the vegetables are lightly browned, 10-15 minutes.  Add broth, tomato paste, and chipotles; mix well.
Please the beans in a 5-6 qt slow cooker.  Pout the hot vegetable mixture over the beans.  Turn heat to high. Put the lid on and cook until the beans are creamy, 5-8 hours.
Garnish each serving with cheese, a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of cilantro.  Serve with lime wedges.
Nutrition
306 calories; 10 g fat; 4 g sat; 2 g mono; 20 mg cholestrol; 40 g carbs; 18g protein; 13 g fiber; 415 mg sodium; 735 mg potassium

Tips & Notes
Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 day for freeze for up to 3 months.
Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapenos peppers.
Tomatillos are tart, plum-sized green fruits that look like small, husk-covered green tomatoes.

My notes
This is a VERY earthy chili stew. The flavor is interesting. The vote is still out on this one but it wasn't bad. But the flavor wasn't what I was expecting. I think I will play with this one a little bit and see what I can do. I'd like a little more spice.... maybe chili powder.

Chili - beans vs. no beans

"If you know beans about chili, you know chili has no beans," by Jerry Jeff Walker
My last recipe sparked a bit of a debate.  Chili - beans or no beans?
I personally will eat pretty much any kind of chili if you put it in front of me. But I guess there is a bit of an issue as to if the dish that contains beans can actually bear the name "chili".

After a quick google search of "chili standards" which on a side note resulted in 9.1 million results. Wow. Strangely enough one of the top results was ChiliProject which happens to be project management software.... I digress. That's a topic for a later/diff blog.
So I explored a bit and came across - chilicookoff.com otherwise known as the International Chili Society (ICS). I figure these people know what they are talking about. They are a society after all.
The website says the ISC is a "non-profit organization that sanctions chili cookoffs with judging and cooking rules & regulations". Apparently they are recognized worldwide. I'll admit, that certainly sounds like a SME (subject matter expert) to me.
Alas, the very first rule on the rules & regulations page states:
"Traditional Red Chili is defined by the ICS as any kind of meat or combination of meats, cooked with red chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients, with the exception of BEANS and PASTA which are strictly forbidden".
So what gives! What's with the hatred of beans? All you vegetarians out there are SOL.
I found a different article here, it mentions historically speaking chili did not have beans mainly because dried beans can be time consuming to prepare for the cowboys while on the cattle trail.
Now THAT makes a little more sense to me.  Even still.... we are not cowboys on the trail. And I like beans.
What I gather is that in a competition it is not acceptable to toss some beans in your chili.
However! The Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) does allow for an "other" category in which your chili can have other 'fillers' such as beans among other things.
My next question is that if historically beans were not added to chili, when did this start happening?
This article from ezineearticles.com says
"Chili with beans could have come about during the Great Depression as an inexpensive way to stretch out the dish, because by the 1950's, the controversy had began."
I can buy into that theory. It makes sense. This leads me to believe that beans came out of necessity. That sounds odd. Anywho....
Wikipedia has a lot to say on the subject. Basically wikipedia says "Texas style chili" has no beans. Well played wikipedia. I accept your qualifier and will use it as my own.
Therefore... I do not make Texas style chili (well I do but that's another post). I make Nichole style chili. And I like it that way... with beans.

Ultimate Beef Chili

Ultimate Beef Chili Stew
Jeff staunchly maintains a stance that chili does not have beans in it. I personally do not have a problem with beans in my chili. But to make him feel better I changed the name of this to stew... but to me it's chili.


From EatingWell: January/February 1999
12 servings (1C) | Active time 1 hr | Total time 3 1/4 hrs

Ingredients
1 lb beef round, trimmed and cut into 1/2 in chunks
1 1/2 T canola oil, divided
3 onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
6 cloves garlic, minved
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 T ground cumin
2 T chili powder
1 T paprika
2 t dried oregano
12 oz dark or light beer
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
8 sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil) nipped into small pieces
2 bay leaves
3 19 oz cans dark kidney beans, rinsed
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
2 T lime juice

Chopped peppers and onions

Preparation
Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat 1 1/2 t oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add half the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, 2-5 minutes.  Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.  Repeat with another 1 1/2 t oil and remaining beef.
Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 1 1/2 t oil to the pot.  Add onions and bell peppers; cook, stirring frequently, until onions are golden brown, 10-20 minutes.  Add garlic, jalapenos, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and oregano.  Stir until aromatic, about 2 minutes.
Add beer and simmer, scraping up any browned bits, for about 3 minutes.  Add diced tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, bay leaves, and reserved beef.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beef is very tender, 1 1/2 - 2 hrs.
Add beans; cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until chili has thickened, 30-45 minutes.  Remove bay leaves. Stir cilantro and lime juice.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Nutrition
235 calories; 5 g fat; 1 g sat; 2 g mono; 24 mg cholesterol; 31 g carbs; 17 g protein; 11 g fiber; 496 mg sodium; 582 mg potassium

Tips & Notes
Make ahead tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months.  For a hot, smoky chili, add 1 T chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.

1/2 way thru

Finished chili - stew

Notes from Me!
I bought top round stew meat. Otherwise I didn't change anything. It's headed to the freezer as we speak.