Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small jalapeño pepper, minced (or to taste)
1 28-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 12-ounce bottle Tecate or Dos Equis beer or other light lager
1 15-ounce can dark kidney beans
1 15-ounce can light kidney beans
1 15-ounce can pinto beans
1 12-ounce package vegetarian burger crumbles
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon freshly ground cumin seed
¼ teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
1 tablespoon cocoa
In a large pot, brown onion in oil. Add peppers, minus seeds and veins, and cook until softened.
Add tomatoes (including liquid), tomato paste and beer (stay away from heavier beers that will overpower the flavor) and mix well.
Add beans (rinsed and drained), burger crumbles (we prefer Morning Star Farms Grillers Recipe Crumbles) and remaining ingredients except cocoa and mix well. If too thick, thin with more beer or water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for one hour.
Remove from heat and mix in cocoa (which loses impact if added earlier). Allow to cool for several hours before reheating.
Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips and fresh chopped cilantro.
Makes 8 servings.
— Peter Walkley of Omaha developed this recipe, the traditional chili winner at the Benson Farmers Market chili cookoff last month.
White Chicken Chili
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ cup chopped roasted Anaheim and poblano chili peppers (or to taste)*
4 to 6 cups chicken stock
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled and chopped
4 to 5 cans white beans (cannellini, navy, Great Northern, pinto)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 to 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Sauté onions and garlic in oil until translucent. Add cumin, oregano and cayenne. Then add chilies and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.
Pour chicken stock in crock pot. Add onion-chili mixture, chicken and beans. Cook on low for about 1 to 2 hours. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and chilies, to taste. Add cheese. Serve.
*Note: a 4-ounce can of jalapeños also works.
Makes 8 servings
— Deb Davis of Omaha developed this recipe, the white chili and grand prize winner at the Benson Farmers Market chili cookoff last month.
Sweet and Meaty Midwestern Chili
8 ounces ground chuck
8 ounces ground pork
8 ounces sirloin, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 bell peppers (red and green), diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin, divided use
3 teaspoons ancho chili powder, divided use
2 14-ounce cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 30-ounce can chili beans in chili sauce
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
Juice of half an orange
8 drops Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon or more cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Brown ground meats and sirloin in a large pot with half of the cumin and ancho chili powder and a few pinches of salt. Add onions, bell peppers, garlic and more salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, chili beans and sauce, oregano and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add remaining cumin and ancho chili, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or more. Add orange juice, Worcestershire, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves. Serve with cheddar cheese and cinnamon rolls (optional).
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
— World-Herald staff writer Nichole Aksamit developed this recipe, tested it in a home kitchen and tasted it with cinnamon rolls, which she strangely enjoyed.
Cinnamon Rolls
1 package dry active yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 cup hot water
1 egg
¼ cup oil
2 to 4 cups more all-purpose flour
For the filling:
4 tablespoons softened butter
2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon
For the frosting:
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups powdered sugar
Milk, enough to thin
Mix first five ingredients together. Beat the egg and add it, with the oil. Mix thoroughly. Then add about 2 cups flour, a little at a time. Knead when the dough begins to form, adding more flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to your fingers.
Roll dough out in a large rectangle (about 18 inches by 10 inches). Spread evenly with butter and sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Starting from the long side, roll up the dough into one long log. Cut into 1½-inch slices and set in an oiled 9-by-13-inch pan or rimmed baking sheet with some space between each slice. Cover loosely and let rise until doubled in size — 45 minutes to an hour in an 85-degree oven or (preferably) overnight at room temperature.
Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Beat the butter with vanilla and add the powdered sugar gradually. Add milk to thin. Beat until creamy and fluffy. Frost the rolls when they have cooled slightly.
Makes: 12 large rolls
— Recipe tested in a home kitchen by Nichole Aksamit and adapted from a version World-Herald staff writer Rhonda Stansberry has been making for four decades. Stansberry got the original recipe from her sister-in-law's mother, Olive Tomlin of Moravia, Iowa.
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