Colon-Blow Chili

Last night we made our favorite 5-day chili (or 7 day, depending on how you count) recipe, "Colon-Blow Chili". The CB Chili is great, because, once you've bought the ingredients, it only takes about 15 minutes to put together, and then you get about 5 days of enjoyment (followed by up to 2 days of, um, intestinal regret)...

- this recipe is based off of Cooking Light's October 2006 recipe, "Three-Bean Chili with Vegetables". I've added a few ingredients not in the original, and almost any ingredient can be substituted with your own personal tastes...

Colon Blow Chili

1 & 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped carrot (I use 2/3 carrot & 2/3 celery mixture)
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups water (actually, I use 3 cups water, one cup pilsner beer)
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (1 mid-sized pepper)
1 cup chopped zucchini (2 smallish zucchinis)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 (16-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained
2 (16-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, mostly drained
1 (6-ounce) can "no-salt-added" tomato paste
1 & 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1 & 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot,
and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in 4 cups water and next 12 ingredients
(through tomato paste); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25
minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in vinegar and chipotle and simmer
another 15-20 minutes or until carrot is tender. Top with cilantro,
cheese, and sour cream.


As said, this is a great meal that lasts you a good while. October seems, in fact, to be just about the perfect time for such a meal. In the past, I've used a wide variety of beans (1 can of Great Navy Beans in place of anything but the Black Beans - Leave the Black Beans is our popular choice), some faux-ground beef, shrimp, anything you like really. Stay warm & Enjoy.