Tag: chili

Vegetarian Chili & Cornbread

For one week of the summer, I welcome the opportunity to put on my dairy apron, which usually collects dust until Shavuous comes around. Lighter meals of grilled fish and salads are also appreciated on these hot summer days. But for some serious meat eaters, the nine days* can be a challenging time. I know, because my husband is one of them. If he comes home from a long day of work to a pot of mac and cheese, he takes a bite and then asks for the next course. To him, a meal without meat is not a meal at all. The good news is, meat-eaters can still enjoy some hearty dishes, albeit without the 6-hour wait tag.

Vegetarian chili is a great option for the nine days because it is so versatile. You can serve it up in a burrito, over baked potatoes, or as a base for shepherds pie. You can also go the classic route and eat it alongside cornbread, or go Mexican with a tray of enchilada’s. Usually, chili needs to cook for several hours, but because I don’t like to sit over a hot stove in the summer, I’ve come up with a great recipe that doesn’t require endless hours on the stove.

For more great Nine Days ideas, including other meat-lovers recipes, visit the new Nine Days category.

You can also check out my new Nine Day Album on Facebook for great dairy and pareve recipes that are not on the blog.

*The Nine Days is a mourning period over the destruction of the Holy Temple. During this time, observant Jews abstain from eating meat and drinking wine as well as other joyous activities.

To me, chili without cornbread is like a hot dog without mustard. It’s just a must-have! It took a long time for me to come up with the perfect cornbread recipe that is moist, not too sweet, and, well…corny (you know I mean that in the taste of corn sense). The combination of coconut milk and creamed corn keep the cornbread moist and pareve. That means you get to whip them up with some REAL meat chili when the Nine Days are up!

I mentioned lots of fun ways to use chili earlier in the post, but I especially love this one-dish-meal option. You can choose to layer the chili into a square baking dish, or serve them up in individual mason jars for a fun twist. Since the cornbread is cooked on top of the chili (and will rise during baking), I only use half of my cornbread recipe for it. You can use the remaining batter for cupcakes or double up the chili recipe, and make 2 pies.

1 year ago: Corn Flake crunch ice cream
2 years ago: sushi salad II

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Black Bean & Chorizo Chocolate Chili

Chorizo chocolate chili is a real tongue twister, and, a real tongue pleaser too! :) I happened to read a few recipes recently that used chorizo as a base. Having seen Jack’s Gourmet at KosherFest a few months back, I knew that their amazing array of gourmet kosher sausages had recently hit the market, including spicy Mexican Chorizo, and I wanted to give them a try. To me, the absolute best chili offers sweetness, spice and depth of flavor. That’s where the chocolate comes in. It adds that little something that takes the chili from delicious, to over the top.

Chili makes a great kids meal when served in Taco shells or Tostito scoops. Serve alongside diced tomatoes, corn, salsa, guacamole and scallions with a side of rice. I was lucky enough to host my nieces and nephew (who live across the globe) when I made this for dinner, and they loved being able to eat their dinner out of miniature chip bowls!

In general, the longer you cook the chili, the better it will taste as the flavors will have a chance to blend. It tends to taste even better the second day, but this is pretty next to perfect when fresh!

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