Black Bean and Corn Chili

Once again, no picture! I really need to remember to take pictures. What’s a food blog without pics?? Anyway…

Last night we had black bean and corn chili with corny cornbread muffins. Chili is one of those dishes that can be simmered all day or whipped up in a flash. I chose the later because even though I make my meal list every weekend and then do my shopping, I still don’t start thinking about dinner until about 5 or 6 in the evening. I love chili, especially on cold rainy days like yesterday. This meal is also cheap and can be done even more cheaply if you don’t buy canned beans, but dried and cook them from scratch. The recipe follows.

Black Bean and Corn Chili

2 cans black beans (or equivalent cooked)

2 cans tomatoes (I used one can diced and one crushed)

1 cup corn (frozen, canned, or fresh will all work)

1 cup green pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

Chili powder, ground cumin, oregano, cinnamon, salt, and pepper – all to taste.

Olive oil

In large soup pot, sautee onion and green pepper in a small amount of olive oil. Once softened, add tomatoes, beans, and spices. Also add a can or two of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low to simmer for however long (if a while, keep an eye the water level, adding more if too much cooks out). Towards the end, add the corn. Give it a taste to check spices, add more if necessary. Serve in bowls, topped with (vegan) sour cream.

While the chili is simmering, whip up some easy corn bread using this recipe from The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook:

Cornbread

1 1/2 cups cornmeal

1 1/2 cups flour

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sweetener (sugar, honey, or agave nectar)

1 tsp salt

2 1/4 cups soymilk or water

1/4 cup oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients well, stir in the milk and oil. Pour into greased muffin tin and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Serve with Earth Balance Buttery Spread. (I added that last part ). I added some frozen corn to the batter to make them corny corn muffins. If you like, some shredded cheddar cheese can also be added with the corn to make them cheesy and corny.