Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

Baby its cold outside!

It was -4 degrees when I got into my car this morning. That's not counting windchill. By the time I got to the highway a couple minutes later, the temperature had dropped to -6 (I didn't take another picture for fear of running off the road, so please take my word for it). The walk into work (about 8-10 minutes from my parking lot) was so cold that I felt sick to my stomach as I reached the front lobby. 

By the time I left work today it was a balmy 12 degrees out. I'm so ready for spring! Instead of going to the gym like I'd originally planned, I decided to take today as a rest day, since I did my long run (8.5 miles) at the gym yesterday. I'm not following a strict training program for the Hyannis Half Marathon in February, but I am structuring my long runs as I have in the past, and as I've read in several articles in Runner's World magazine: increase the distance of your long runs for two weeks, then cut it back on the third week, and so on. Two weeks ago I ran 8 miles, last weekend I ran 10, so this weekend I cut it back to 8.5. Next weekend I'll probably run 11 or 12. Anyway...back to the freezing cold and my nice warm meal...

Yes, instead of going to the gym I think I'd like to dig into a big bowl of Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili!

I came across this recipe on Serious Eats a week or two ago (in the "Eat For Eight Bucks" section, which often has great ideas) and have been excited to make it. I pretty much stuck to the original recipe, except excluded the cilantro, swapped out the chipotle pepper (I couldn't find one), and almost all of my ingredients were organic.

I started by dicing, mincing, peeling, and chopping all of my ingredients so they'd be easily accessible as I needed them. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onions and peppers until soft and beginning to caramelize, about 8 minutes.

Add garlic, cumin and chili powder and continue to saute until very fragrant - about 2 minutes.

Stir in beans (after draining and rinsing), tomatoes, chipotle (or other hot pepper) and salt.

Turn heat to high, pour in beer. Believe it or not, I didn't have a bottle of dark beer in my fridge. Then I remembered that there were a couple bottles of beer leftover from the last time Pat and I made beer at home (home brewed IPA=deliciousness). I opened a bottle (luckily it was in the cold hallway outside our side door), took a sip, and was surprised at how good it was!

Simmer for 10 minutes, then add sweet potatoes and continue to simmer for about 20 minutes - until potatoes are tender but not falling apart.

 

When finished, spoon chili into bowls, squeeze a wedge of lime on top, and add a dollop of sour cream (or for something better tasting and better for you - use 0% vanilla or plain Greek yogurt - that's what I used.)

This chili is really good...and really spicy! It came out to be a little spicier than I normally eat, but after adding a little more Greek yogurt, it was the perfect balance of spice and creaminess.

After indulging in a bowl and then some, I'm liking this more and more each bite. To better explain myself, I've come up with a list of things I like about this chili, in no particular order:

• Filling, hearty, and really warms you up
• Full of protein, fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants
• Beautiful colors for a drab white winter day
• Mostly organic (everything in this is organic with the exception of the spices and the homemade beer)
• Great alternative to meat chili and is more exciting than just plain vegetarian bean chili
• Inexpensive! I got most of my ingredients at Trader Joe's

Now that you know this, I think you should make yourself a pot. There are reports that we could be getting more snow tomorrow night, Wednesday, and maybe Thursday...a nice bowl of this chili would certainly help get you through another cold winter day.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 small sweet onions, diced
• 1 orange and 1 red pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• (1) 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
• (3) 15 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 minced hot pepper (or 2 tbsp minced canned hot pepper)
• 1 bottle dark beer (or homemade IPA!)
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• salt
• lime
• vanilla or plain Greek yogurt (for topping)

Directions

1. Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion and peppers until soft and beginning to caramelize, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and chili powder and continue to sauté until very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans, hot pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Turn heat to high, and pour in beer. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add sweet potatoes.
2. Continue to simmer until potatoes are tender, but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Spoon chili into bowls, squeeze some lime in bowl and a add dollop of Greek yogurt.
   
   

Bacon Mac and Cheese

There's nothing quite like comfort food, especially on cold winter days. After a day full of running around, cleaning, and a couple hours at the gym, all I wanted was something warm and cheesy. And a little bacon never hurts, right?

This is another Cooking Light recipe. I originally saw it and thought of Pat, since he's a die-hard mac and cheese lover, but as I looked at the ingredients I knew I would love it, too. I consider myself a lover of all cheeses (except blue cheese) but extra sharp cheddar cheese has been my favorite since I was a kid. This recipe calls for 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar, so it was off to a good start.

I used this bacon from Trader Joe's because it doesn't contain any nitrates or nitrites (which are often found in deli meats and have been shown to cause cancer) and no preservatives were added to it.

Get your penne pasta cooking on the stove, until al dente. As that is going, prepare the ingredients for your cheese sauce. Cook and chop your bacon, slice your onions, shred your cheese and get out your favorite hot sauce! (Sriracha has become a favorite of ours).

Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat.

Gradually add 1 cup milk and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and let stand for 4 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese.

Add salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper and bacon; stir.

Add cooked and drained pasta; toss.

 

Spoon into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining cheese and bacon. Broil 7 minutes.

Once you have all of the ingredients ready, this mac and cheese was fast to prepare. I steamed some broccoli as I broiled the dish for a delicious meal.

At first I was a little bit skeptical about adding hot sauce to mac and cheese, but it gave the dish just a little extra warmth that was very good. The onions were another addition that I wouldn't have thought to put in, but added a lot to the depth of this dish (and normally you don't use the word "depth" to describe your average mac and cheese!). I loved this and so did Pat, and leftovers the next day were just as good! I'm sure this will be made many more times this winter.

Recipe

Original Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 4 tsp all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk, divided
• 2 cups finely shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 small sweet onion, diced
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 slices center cut bacon, cooked and chopped, divided
• cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Bring 6 quarts water and 1 tbsp salt to a boil. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes or until al dente.
3. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 1 cup milk; bring to a boil.  Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until it cools to 155 degrees. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Add 1/4 tsp salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper, and 2 slices bacon (chopped); stir. Add pasta; toss.
4. Spoon into a 2-quart broiler-safe dish coated with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup cheese and remaining piece of bacon. Broil 7 minutes.

Stella Blu, I Love You

Gina and I met up for another girls night at Stella Blu last night. Now, I realize that I don't need to blog about every trip we take there, but I must tell you about what we got last night.

I thought about what I'd be eating and drinking all day (as I normally do) so I'd really worked up an appetite and a thirst by the time we met last night. I stuck with my favorite dirty martini to drink, but when it came time to order, I was completely stumped. Even after thinking about it all day I still hadn't reached any conclusions! Gina was debating between pulled pork sliders and a BLT flatbread when the waiter suggested that she get pulled pork on the flatbread! What a great idea! I ordered the roasted beet salad to start with while I spent some more time looking at the menu...when it hit me that I could order a custom flatbread, too! I called the waiter over, told him to nix the salad, and instead put it on the flatbread. He looked at me like I was crazy, which wasn't what I was expecting at all. Didn't he know that this would be the greatest pizza idea ever??

I need to backtrack for a moment. The last time we ate at Stella Blu, I told you about our great waiter Dan who was very funny and gave us free cheesecake. Obviously he made quite the impression on us. Gina and I were both disappointed to learn that Dan wasn't working last night. When our waiter came over (who was bearded, just like Dan) we asked where Dan was that night (yep, slightly stalkerish of us, but we weren't bothered by it). He first did an amazing impression of Dan, and then walked away laughing. Gina and I couldn't believe it - the impression was uncanny. Perhaps all bearded waiters at Stella talk alike? So we got to prodding (as I usually do) and learned that this waiter's name is Mark, and guess what? He is Dan's roommate! Not only that, but Mark actually recognized Gina from a pool party back in 1994 at her house because two of her older brothers had coached him in baseball. Crazy! Now that we were confident that we were in good hands with Mark, we were able to fully relax and enjoy our evening!

We started with a crab and cheese dip, which was pretty good.

But then the true masterpieces came...our custom pizzas!

My flatbread was first smothered in goat cheese, then layered with roasted red and yellow beets, and  topped with mixed greens and a splash of dressing.

Gina's pizza was some of the best pulled pork I've had, covered in cheese, scallions and carrot shavings.

We each tried a piece of the other person's pizza. Soooo good. I don't know what else to say. Both of these custom flatbreads were amazing. We told Mark that they should be added to the menu, he said it wasn't going to happen. Fine. Well now I'm sharing this with all of you so that if you ever go to Stella Blu, or another flatbread restaurant, you can request these toppings and taste for yourself. Or make it at home! I'm definitely going to make the roasted beets and goat cheese pizza at home soon!

We topped off our delicious meal with some freshly made (and melt-in-your-mouth warm) donuts.

Here's Gina, enjoying a bite of donut! She said they tasted like fried dough, and then laughed at herself, because obviously donuts are fried dough. But fried dough is different than donuts and these really did taste like little treats you'd get at the fair!

Today for lunch I had my leftover pizza with a side of steamed broccoli and cauliflower (dusted with some ground red pepper and garlic powder).

I think this was even better today than it was last night! The combination of the crisp flatbread, the creamy goat cheese and those roasted beets is just amazing. PLEASE do yourself a favor and make/order a pizza like this ASAP! This is definitely my new favorite!

After finishing lunch I wanted something sweet (I've totally fallen off the wagon and have had sweets every day this week) and remembered that a package from my sister had arrived today! If I know Laura, there's something edible and delicious in there! And look what I found...

A bag full of Lindt truffles! It was wrapped in a beautiful red pouch, but I'll admit that I ripped it off quickly and immediately dug into this bag. Thank you Laura, and you'll be the death of me! Right as I finished all of my Christmas candy you've gone and restocked me!

Coincidentally, I'm sending Laura a package today! Over the weekend I did a test run of the Baked Apple Oatmeal Bread for Laura. I made her loaf this morning, and this time I didn't forget to add the oats! Here it is:

It got a little toasty on top, but I'm hoping that its still good! The bread wasn't done cooking so I didn't want to take it out of the oven when I saw it starting to brown.

After letting it fully cool, I wrapped it in two layers of saran wrap, then tin foil, and finally a large Ziploc bag. I want this baby to be fresh when it arrives in Virginia!

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

 

I saw these on another blog this winter and bookmarked the page so I could make them myself. I didn't have a specific occasion in mind until I remembered that Krissy's birthday was coming up in January. We've discussed our love of hot chocolate a few times, so I thought these would be the perfect birthday treat! She is due to have baby Colton in March, so this is her last birthday before she's a Mama!

Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

Beat butter and sugar with mixer on medium-high until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.

Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy.

Alternate beating in dry ingredients and milk until all are incorporated.

Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 full. Since I was making these to bring with me, I managed to get 13 cupcakes out of this batter so Pat and I could split one (have to make sure its safe before serving!).

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Remove when toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.

As cupcakes cool, make the frosting. Measure confectioners sugar, shortening and milk into a bowl and beat on low speed until smooth. Add more milk if necessary to reach desired consistency.

 

Get out your toppings - mini marshmallows (hmm, looks like someone already snacked on some of these, don't know who that could have been!) and mini candy canes.

Spread frosting on cupcakes, then top with marshmallows and stick candy cane into side of cupcake.

These cupcakes were so cute, and tasted amazing! I thought they might just taste like chocolate cake with marshmallows on top, but they really did taste like hot chocolate! I brought these to Krissy's party and everyone commented on how cute and creative they were. These are easy and a huge hit!

There were two other cakes there - coconut cream and red velvet!

Here's the birthday girl with one of the cakes!

Recipe
Makes 12 (or 13) cupcakes

Ingredients
For the cupcakes:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Ghirardelli's is the best!)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup skim milk

For the frosting/toppings:

• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 2 tbsp milk (plus a little extra as needed)
• mini marshmallows
• 12 mini candy canes, or 4 large candy canes broken

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a large bowl, with mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy, about 1 minute.  On low speed, alternate between beating in flour mixture and milk, until all are incorporated.  Fill each cupcake liner two-thirds full.
4. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.  Remove cupcakes from pan to wire rack; let cool.
5. For the topping, with a mixer on low-speed, beat confectioners sugar, shortening and milk until smooth.  Spread over cooled cupcakes and top with mini marshmallows and candy canes.  

**A special thanks to my dad and Laura, who gave me my new mixer (Dad) and cooling racks (Laura) for Christmas! Thank you! **