“This is a constant work in progress.”
— Myself
In the same vein as my last post.. In the midst of the Covid Pandemic, I’ve decided to take up freezing food. After reading a lot of freezing guides, as you can guess, soups freeze wonderfully. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of soup, is the chili I make on an almost weekly basis. The great thing about this chili is that it’s vegan, until you add cheese and sour cream. Also this is an office chili-cook-off winner!
So, on my freezer notes it has become Covid-Quaran-Chili or Covid Chili. Hah!
Freezer Notes
The first and (supposedly) most important thing I learned from reading through several different freezing do’s and dont’s is to label when the food was made (i.e. Covid Cornbread 3/16/20)). The reasoning was because at best, the food is only good for 3 months in the freezer.
The second most important thing I learned is to let the food chill completely (ideally overnight) in the fridge before placing in the freezer to avoid freezer burn.
Let’s Get Cooking
I’ve been making this chili for at least 4 years since I gave up meat (mostly – I’m pescatarian 95% of the time). Sweet potato, tomatoes, beans, onion, and chili powder have been part of the recipe every time, but the other spices and method have changed as I learn more techniques.
The most recent change was how and when the tomatoes are added thanks to a Bon Appetit article on how to get the most flavor out of canned tomatoes. It was very helpful, and so now, my chili is using one of the techniques.
I also cook this chili in a dutch oven in about 30-40 minutes vs a crock pot when I first started making it.
Anyway, I’ve added the recipe below. Happy freezer-friendly cooking during this super weird time!
Sweet Potato Chipotle Veggie Chili
INGREDIENTS
- EVOO
- Salt
- Pepper
- One large sweet onion, chopped
- One red bell pepper, chopped
- One sweet potato, chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 garlic gloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp of chili powder
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 15 oz can of black beans
- 15 oz can of red kidney beans
- 28oz can of Whole Peeled Tomatoes (Cento is the best)
- 3/4 cup of Vegetable Broth
Optional Add-ons
- Sour Cream
- Avocado
- Cheddar Cheese
- Tortilla Chips
INSTRUCTIONS
Coat the bottom of a dutch oven with olive oil. Let it heat up for about a minute. Add the chopped onion, red pepper, and potato, a pinch of salt, and a few turns of pepper. Cover the dutch oven with a lid and let the veggies soften. This will take about 10 minutes, so keep an eye on it, but don’t lift the lid too often. You’ll know the veggies are soft when you can cut a piece of sweet potato in half easily with a wooden spoon.
In the meantime, drain the cans of beans and place in a bowl, set aside. Then using a colander over a bowl, drain the can of tomatoes into the strainer. Take out the tomatoes one-by-one and cut off the hard tops, slice, then place back in the colander scooping up as much of the juice from inside the cut tomato as possible. Let the tomatoes continue to drain.
Next add the tomato paste, and garlic so the paste can caramelize and the garlic can become fragrant. About 3 minutes.
Next add the tomatoes, chili powders, turmeric, cumin, and paprika to the pot. Stir and let the spices bloom, about two minutes. Add the beans, and stir in until coated in the spices. Add another pinch of salt.
Now, add the juice from the can of tomatoes and the vegetable broth. Stir occasionally and let cook for 10 minutes until the flavors have melded. Add any salt or pepper as desired and enjoy!
Let me know how the recipe turned out for you in the comments below!
Trial & Eggs 