Chili That Takes Your Taste Buds to a Place They Have Never Been

By: Brandon Nichols

 I do not know about you but I love a good chili. On a brisk fall day, very few things can compete with the symphony of flavors found in a chili. Also, the diversity of the chili family makes it a versatile dish. You can mix-and-match ingredients to create the perfect chili for you and your family.

Ok, so while everything that I just mentioned above is true, I have a confession to make – I had my first taste of chili last week. Now, before you ask, no, I have not been living under a rock for my entire life and yes I have ventured outside of my home. However, for some reason, I have never taken it upon myself to try chili. Realizing that this was a travesty and assault on the American Dream, I took it upon myself to make chili for the first time last week and it was DELICIOUS! It took my taste buds to a place they have never been. I think it is safe to say that I will be making more chili in the near feature =-)

What made this chili amazing were two things: 1. the flavor and 2. the ease. I used my handy-dandy slow-cooker for this recipe. If you do not have a slow cooker I suggest that you go out and buy one right now. I purchased mine from Bed, Bath, and Beyond for about $30 and it is, by far, the best purchase I have ever made. The ability to place ingredient into a baking dish, walk away for 6 hours and come back to a delicious meal is unparalleled. We all know that life is busy for everyone, but this does not mean we cannot prepare a healthy dinner from scratch. A slow-cooker helps with this and will help with the recipe below.

This is my favorite chili recipe but, as I said, it was my first chili. What is your favorite chili recipe? Share below. I would love to swap tales from the kitchen =-)

• 1 (11 ounce) can canned black beans in juice
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (16 ounce) can vegetarian baked beans
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chopped tomato puree
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and chilies
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, saute the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and celery for about 5 minutes.
2. In a slow cooker, combine black bean soup, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, baked beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper, zucchini, chilies, and celery.
3. Season with garlic, chili powder, cumin, parsley, oregano, basil
4. Cook for about 6 hours on low.
5. Serve with tortillas, cornbread, rice, or French bread.