Meatless MONDAY success!

We finally did it. We actually had Meatless Monday instead of Try-Again-Tuesday! And this week's recipe was a meatless chili (which, for Dear Husband, is akin to sacrilege). It is a black bean chili, and it didn't dawn on me until after it was made that this is the second week in a row with a black bean recipe...I'll have to find something to switch it up for next week's www.enviromom.com Meatless Supper Club!

The chili recipe I used this week was from the Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. It's a great cookbook, with some terrific recipes, but - I will caution anyone interested that it is NOT for someone looking to just dump food in a crockpot and let it be. The authors are of the belief (that I happen to share) that a little bit of extra work *before* the dumping will help the food taste better and not be a mess. Though I did choose a dump-up-front recipe this time. Because I'm contrary that way. So, having established that, on to the recipe!

Lucky Chili

2 c. freshly brewed coffee

2 c. vegetable broth

Two 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes, with their juice

1 med. yellow onion, diced

4 garlic cloves

Four 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained; or 6-8 c. cooked black beans, depending on how thick you want it.

1/4 c. firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

2 TB chili powder, or more to taste

1 TB ground cumin

3-4 cloves, to your taste

1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

salt to taste

1. Combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker, except the cilantro and salt. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-12 hours, stirring occasionally, if possible. During the last hour, stir in the cilantro and season with salt. The longer you let it simmer, the better it gets, within reason, of course.

2. Serve the chili in bowls with toppings.

See? Easy. Because, believe it or not, even *I* like easy sometimes! The suggested toppings (though you can, of course, feel free to use your own favorites) were:

* Chunky mango and tomato salsa

* Cubed avocado

* Sour cream

* Shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

Changes to the recipe:

1. I doubled the chili powder and the cumin (I *love* cumin) - I think the flavor was really good without being spicy. Of course, if it's spicy you're looking for, feel free to add more.

2. I, um, forgot the cilantro. Completely. My only excuse is that last night was busy and I got distracted. I'm easily distracted. Forgot the added salt too. Forgive me.

3. Rather than using the cloves (which I didn't have) I used about 1/2 tsp. whole mulling spices.

The verdict:

Dear Husband really, really liked it. Even with no meat. His one comment was that it was a little bit thin - more like a soup. The Young Mister also thought it was delicious, and his suggestion was that it would be delicious over rice. He also said he liked "the combination of spice and sweet" - I think he's been watching too much Iron Chef America. Little Miss ate about 3 bites (mostly, I think, because of the cheese on top) then decided she didn't like it and wanted noodles instead. Hmph. I really liked the flavor - it had a good chili flavor - though I agree that it was a bit thin, and it would have tasted even better with the cilantro. We topped the chili with some shredded cheese, and I threw in a bit of light sour cream. I also made some corn bread (Because really...what is chili without corn bread? It would be like an OREO without milk. A movie without popcorn. Anyway - you get the idea....) to go along with it.

The changes:

Next time, I would do a few things differently. I would add *at least* another can of black beans to give it more thickness and texture. I wouldn't forget the cilantro, though I don't think it really needed any extra salt. I'd probably add a bit more cumin (Did I mention that I *love* cumin?!?). And I may take The Young Mister's advice and make some rice to serve it over - then I'd (*sob*) have a salad instead of corn bread. Oh, and I'd use my bigger crockpot - this recipe makes a LOT of chili. It says that it serves 6-8...I would lean towards the 8. The three of us had bowls, and I ended up with probably 1-2 servings in the fridge and at least 4 servings to put in the freezer. And that's *before* adding more beans!

So there you have it! Another delicious (meatless) meal to add to your cookbook. Poor Dear Husband - his perception of meat and meals is really taking a beating. I'm proud of him though - he's been willing to try all the new things and has actually enjoyed them. The Young Mister has even suggested doing a full week of meatless meals, but I'm afraid that might be a bit much and Dear Husband may just have a heart attack...or a nervous breakdown! I would like to extend it to 2 nights a week soon...then maybe 3...but ssshhhh - don't tell him! ;)