Buffalo and Vegetable Chili

 Hello everyone!

Though I am sharing these recipes with you guys, I am simultaneously teaching AJ how to cook. He requested to learn how to make chili, since it is "man food." So for this particular preparation, AJ actually followed my verbal cues and made it with his own hands and took the pictures!

You will need:

1 medium onion, diced

1 lb of ground buffalo (or turkey or beef or elk, or whatever you like)

3 cloves of minced garlic

2 cups of cooked anasazi beans (or pinto, kidney, black, chili beans--- any combination, I had just made these in my slow cooker for tacos and had some leftover)

Chili powder

Cumin

Ground Cumin

Coriander

Celery or Garlic Salt

Salt

Pepper

1 zucchini, diced

2 green bell peppers, diced

1 32 oz. can of organic whole, peeled tomatoes

1 can of tomato paste 

Beef broth, veggie broth or water

Saute the onions in olive oil or grapeseed oil until translucent in a soup pot, over medium heat. Add the ground meat and begin to brown, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly so that it doesn't stick (it is more likely to stick if it is a lean meat especially). Add the garlic, and spices (I don't measure, hardly ever, I am trying to take note as I write this blog, but truly, just FEEL the ingredients, and season by feeling. With salt, when in doubt always put less in than you think or feel and you can add more as you go, but with chili especially, I give you permission to go hog-wild with your intuitive cook and season as it feels right with the suggested seasons above).

Mix in all seasonings and let the meat brown almost all of the way through (no pink) and add the diced vegetables. You can add a few tablespoons of stock or water to keep the ingredients from sticking as they cook. Stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until they begin to soften.

Add the beans. I also had AJ throw in more cumin at this point because we felt like it.

Stir and add a few more tablespoons of stock or water to keep everything lubricated and unstuck form the bottom of the pot. 

Without waiting for the beans to heat up, add your whole tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir thoroughly, while paying special attention to smashing the chunks of tomato with our spoon. Check the consistency of the chili, if you think it needs to have more liquid add more stock or water at this point as well.

 Let it simmer, covered for at least 30 minutes, but up to a few hours if you have time, it will only taste better the longer it cooks altogether. Taste freely as it simmers and add more seasoning if you find it necessary.

(sidenote: AJ had a lot of fun making this)

Homemade Vegetable Stock

We are going to make a lot of soup this winter. A lot. And it is so nice not to have to purchase broth or bouillon or stock (because it is literally a kitchen waste product and you can make it at home with your compost).

So, save your vegetable skins, onion skins, garlic bits, carrot tops, even wilted lettuce: THAT'S RIGHT! EVEN WILTED LETTUCE. I am trying the new tactic of having a tupperware in my fridge that keeps my vegetable compost for a few days until I am ready to make stock.

First step: put all of your vegetable trash in a pot. Since I know I want to use this for a pho recipe that I am making tomorrow, I even put in some wild shit like ginger skins. Be mindful of what you want to make, for example, if you are making a delicate butternut squash soup, I wouldn't put red beet tops in your stock unless you want a pink colored soup. So...be a bit mindful. The no-fail ingredients are carrots, onions, garlic, celery-- in this one you see pictured I also have old cabbage, wilted Napa cabbage and old turnips.

Second step: cover your veggies with water completely!

Third Step: Simmer your submerged veggies for about two hours, covered.

Fourth Step: Drain the veggie chunks out of the stock. (Look how steamy! Mmmmm!)

Congratulations! You now have vegetable stock for any occasion! Let this cool and use it in any recipe that calls for broth! :)

(Tomorrow we will use this particular stock for vegetable pho!)