In the Bean Pot...Quick Starting Beans

I am amazed with my hubby...not starry-eyed amazement...more the "Really?" kind of amazement. This man who doesn't seem to hear what I say most of the time,  remembered me saying I would make a pot of venison chili during the next cold front. I said that? The venison isn't the problem since he hunts and keeps the freezer full (his job) but I wasn't ready for a pot a chili. I had some of the ingredients on hand but no cans of beans, then I remembered I had dry beans. I thought I would share a quick start method for beans just in case an overnight soak is out of the question...like in my case.

I wanted to make chili with a variety of beans....black, red, pink, pinto, and navy...all of which I had on hand....because sometimes I just don't want to go to the store and I want something different. 

I took about a 1/2 cup of each of the dried beans and put them in a pot. I picked through the beans to make sure there wasn't any stones (I found one once), then rinsed the beans in cold water.

Next I covered the beans with cold water. 

Since I was making chili and these were going to be Chili Beans (sans can...I am practicing my French) I added a little cumin and garlic to the water for seasoning.

I then brought the beans to a boil. The beans boiled about 2-5 minutes then were turned down to a simmer. The beans then simmered for about 2-3 hours until soft. That gave me time to clean up, do laundry, and all the other stuff I needed to do in the house. 

The chili meat and sauce was started separately in another pot. Everything then went into the slow cooker on high. 

The chili was ready in about 6 hours. The slow cooker gave me enough time to shop, go for a walk, and do whatever else I needed to get done outside the house. 

 The chili came out great and was a big hit with the hubby. 
The quick start isn't as fast as canned beans but the beans were awesome...and I didn't have to make a special trip to the store....which gave me more time to goof off....
Post by Eileen...who's GoofingOff.

Chicken Chili Recipe

Bowl of Chicken Chili

The cold weather has me thinking of ways to keep warm and feed people. As I said in an earlier post, we eat a lot of chicken in my home so there is usually leftover chicken waiting to be reinvented into something tasty. Today the hubby and friends are out in the cold cutting trees for an orchard so I thought a hot lunch would be in order. Looking in the refrigerator I found leftover chicken breast and leftover beans. Hmmm, I thought, looks like the basics for chicken chili.
I won’t claim this as an original recipe, although my take on it might be a little different than most. A friend made some for work one day and it was wonderful. Since I don’t have her recipe I had to make my own. Hope you like it.
Chicken Chili     Makes about 8 12 ounce bowls.
2 cups of cooked, diced chicken

1 onion, diced

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
2 cups of beans already cooked. Use 1 can of beans if you didn’t cook any. Kidney beans are great but pink, navy, and black beans work well, too.

1- 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons of chili powder

1 tablespoon of crushed cumin seed

In a large saucepan heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until the onions are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another minute.

Add chicken, gently stir, and allow the chicken to heat through, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and beans to the chicken. Turn the heat down to low. Add chili powder and ground cumin and stir.
At this point, you can either continue cooking the chili on the stove over a low heat or do what I do, put it in the crock pot and continue cooking on low. If you continue on the stove, make sure to stir the chili often to make sure it doesn’t scorch.
If you use the stove the chili will be ready in about 1 hour. If you are using the crock pot it will be ready in about 6-8 hours.

Serve with grated cheese, diced onions, and crackers, if you prefer.  Hot sauce is also a welcome addition.
The chili was a big hit at my house. I hope it is at yours. Enjoy and stay warm!

Post by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff.etsy and GoofingOff.Artfire