Chicken Black Bean Chili

Well winter is certainly upon us and nothing warms the belly better than a big bowl of chili. I've been doing alot of cooking lately for a hungry work crew as we continue to build our house, so warm filling food is a must. This is sort of an on-the-fly recipe, made without measuring, but I find that those are usually the best meals, so I thought I'd share my process.

On-the-fly Chicken Black Bean Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion chopped
• 3 small red peppers chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 small chicken breasts cut into tiny pieces
• 1 qt. canned black beans (I'll be posting how to home can your own soon!)
• 1 can chick peas, rinsed
• 1 qt. canned whole tomatoes
• paprika
• turmeric
• ground cayenne pepper
• fresh ground cumin
• salt

Directions:

1. Saute onion and red onions in a few tablespoons of olive oil for 5 minutes.
2. Add chicken and garlic
3. Add about 1/2tbsp turmeric and a few dashes of paprika
4. Add about a tbsp ground cumin (the more the better in my opinion!)
5. Add cayenne to your liking and salt to taste.
6. When chicken is cooked through, transfer to a large soup pot.
7. Add black beans, chick peas and tomatoes and let simmer.
8. Serve with a dollop of homemade sour cream and top with shredded local cheddar.

Enjoy!

Venison-Black Bean Chili

As I sit in the office today, smelling the Venison-Black Bean Chili, I figured it was a good time to share the recipe as a lot of our friends are going to be filling their freezers soon with their harvest. As usual, none of the measures are set in stone, adjust to your desire.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. venison
• 2 medium onions, diced
  
• 2 medium sweet peppers, diced
  
• 2 jalapeno peppers, diced very small
• 4 medium cloves garlic, minced fine
  
• 1- 1 1/2 Tbl. cumin powder
• 1 Tbl. paprika
• 1 Tbl. oregano
  
• 1/2 Tbl. black pepper
• salt to taste
• 1 pint chopped tomatoes
• 1 pint crushed or pureed tomatoes
• 1/2 lb. dry black beans
• 2 Tbl. virgin olive oil
  

Directions:
The Beans

1. The night before, put the beans under twice their volume in water
2. Put the beans on high 'til they boil, then reduce to simmer, continue 'til very soft
   

The Chili
(In a separate pot)

1. Heat a pot on medium-high, add oil
2. add onions and peppers, reduce heat to medium
   
3. as the onion clarifies, add the venison and stir through
   
4. add dry spices, and stir thoroughly
5. after 2-3 minutes, add tomatoes and fresh, minced garlic
6. when pot begins to 'bubble', reduce to low simmer, and cook at least 1/2 hr.
7. Add beans and simmer additional 1 hr. (at least, as with most chilis, the flavor often grows with each re-heating).