I hesitate in summertime to do beans from dry because I don’t want to simmer anything for an hour in this heat! (I am sure a slow-cooker would be a solution, but I don’t have one and don’t have room for one). So, it’s cans for me, and if they have a pull-off top, even better. I want to minimize all movement in the Hazy, Hot, Humidity of a Long Island summer (Ditto for wine bottles…a screw top is high up on my ratings rubric right now; corks take too much work!)
In fact, I want to keep cooking to a minimum, so rather than season my ground beef or even have to defrost and simmer the pre-made stuff I have stocked in the freezer, my “chili” has gone vegetarian. I call it “chili” because I add chili powder, but I make no claims to authenticity. If you want to call it rice and beans with chili seasoning, by all means do. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” to quote a certain lovelorn 13-year-old from Verona.
Whatever you call it, it will be ready to eat in about 15 minutes, and I call that fast!
Vegetarian Chili (or rice and beans with chili powder!)
1 Tbs olive oil
½ medium onion, chopped fine (about 1/2 Cup)
½ medium red bell pepper chopped fine (about 1/2 Cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping Tbs tomato paste
15.5 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp chile powder
2 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp thyme
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste
Heat olive oil at medium-high in a saucepan until loose and fragrant. Add onions, stir to coat and reduce heat to medium. Add red pepper and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are translucent and soft. Add tomato paste, stir in to coat and cook for a minute. Stir in beans, oregano, chile powder, cilantro, thyme, red pepper flakes and bay leaf. Add ½ Cup water (more, if you want it more liquid) and cook for 15-20 minutes. Salt to taste and serve with white rice or wrapped in tortillas with cheese, shredded lettuce, salsa and all that fun Mexican restaurant-type stuff.
Hot, Cheap & Easy 