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Final Day of the ‘In the Kitchen’ Giveaway!

Posted by DishragDiarist on November 12, 2010 in Book Reviews, Main Dishes/ Meals with 17 Comments


I’m going to do things a little differently today. Let me jump right into the Chili recipe from Kate Tietje’s In the Kitchen – Real Food Basics:

Chili

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. kidney beans, soaked overnight
1 lb. grass-fed ground beef
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. molasses
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. sea salt
6 C. tomato juice, OR 3 C. puree and 3 C. filtered water

Directions:
The night before you want to make chili, pour the beans into a glass bowl and cover with water by at least 1″. They need to soak at least 6 hours. In the morning, cook beef and onion in a frying pan with olive oil over medium heat until beef is no longer pink and onions are soft. Put meat mixture into a slow cooker. Drain the beans and add them. Add all the spices, vinegar, and tomato juice. Cook on low 6 – 8 hours, or high 3 -4 hours. Serves 3 – 4.

Prep time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 3-8 hours

Serving Suggestion: Top with onions and raw cheddar cheese and serve with sprouted cornbread!

Doesn’t that sound fab?! Now, I’d like you take a look at the very first ingredient. And then the very first line of the directions. Pretty easy to spot that you need to begin this the night before, huh? Not for me! So I was very surprised when, around 5pm yesterday, I set about to make chili for dinner and  – oh crap! (Luckily I had yummy chicken salad leftover from Tuesday, so that, along with some mustard greens, was our dinner.) So, I began soaking my beans last night and put it all in the crockpot this morning. I’ll have to give you the verdict on Monday (but it looks good, no?).

Now that I’ve made myself sound completely incompetent (in my slight defense, it’s been a looooong week), please listen to my expert notes on this recipe. :)

Canned beans wouldn’t be a good substitute. The canning process, although it softens them, does not break down any of the anti-nutrients in the beans. (See this FAQ for more information about soaking beans, as well as grain, seeds and nuts.)

Hopefully you’ll be using grass-fed, pastured ground beef. Remember that it is naturally leaner and won’t brown the same as fattier meats. You really don’t want to overcook grass-fed beef.

In lieu of olive oil, I used a bit of butter (it was left in my pan from this morning’s pancakes) and bacon grease. I try to avoid heating olive oil (although the Weston A. Price Foundation indicates it is safe to moderate temperatures), and instead use it for salad dressings and cooler dishes. (Some of you may also have found that with your unique physiology, you gain weight when adding olive oil to your diet. This is due in part to the long-chain fatty acids in olive oil.)

I also threw in a whole onion, and substituted apple cider vinegar for the red wine vinegar. Finally, I had a bunch of tomatoes from our CSA and so I opted to make the puree. I cleaned and cored my tomatoes, and threw them in the food processor, skins and all, and came away with a beautiful, smooth tomato puree. I’m very much looking forward to dinner tonight!

The contest to win In the Kitchen – Real Food Basics closes at midnight tonight (11.12.10). I will place all of the entries into a big hat (actually, probably a stockpot) and the winner will be chosen at random by my daughter, Abigail. She is four years old, full of integrity and cannot be swayed (unless you happen to be a Disney princess) so this system is beyond reproach. :) The winner will be announced on Monday, along with a coupon code for those of you who don’t win. So, here are the ways to get your final entries in:

1) If you haven’t already, visit my first post this week for up to two entries.

2) Use the ‘Share’ button below to share this post on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, your blog or through email. (Remember to leave a separate comment for each one!)

3) Comment below and tell me about a time you royally screwed up dinner, and what your family ended up eating.

Just a note: Following the giveaway, I’ll be switching to a new host for my blog. Stay tuned for news on that so you don’t miss a post!

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  1. LauraNovember 12, 2010 - 11:54 am #1

    I think I have missed something along the way – will you do a post about anti-nutrients?

  2. Dishrag DiaristNovember 12, 2010 - 12:11 pm #2

    Yes, I definitely will. I think I made mention of them in the Peanut Butter post but I will definitely do a whole post discussing. Writing it in the plan now. THANKS!

  3. CorrieNovember 12, 2010 - 12:15 pm #3

    I don’t think I have ever royally screwed up dinner, can I have a point anyway? Kidding, I’m sure I have, just have to think of it… btw, this recipe looks great! Can’t wait to try. Thanks for sharing.

  4. Dishrag DiaristNovember 12, 2010 - 12:19 pm #4

    You are always bending the rules! :) OK, one entry. (It smells really good in the crockpot…)

  5. Ashley HNovember 12, 2010 - 9:05 pm #5

    I really screwed up a pot roast one time. It was completely black. I think we ended up eating grilled cheese sandwiches.

  6. MaryNovember 12, 2010 - 9:59 pm #6

    Oh dear once I was making roasted sliced beets (I love beets, I was so excited for the beets!) and I forgot about them and they went all black. It was tragic. Fortunately, we had enough other veggies that no one noticed we didn’t have enough beets, but I was embarrassed!

  7. JenniferNovember 13, 2010 - 2:17 am #7

    It’s been a while since I made chili, so I’m thinking this might have to be dinner tomorrow (I can start those beans before I go to bed).

    I know there have been a few screw-ups in the past. The one that sticks out the most was when I planned ahead 3 days to have a specific meal with grilled chicken (defrost chicken, marinate, etc). Had the chicken all ready to go, then found out the grill needed gas. Ran to the store for gas, which pushed dinner 45 minutes later, but that wouldn’t be TOO bad. But after I got home, my husband fiddled with the grill for over an hour (it was about 8:15, I think, by then) before coming in to announce that the grill was dead in the water. I cried in my room for 20 minutes in frustration! Then the kids ended up having french toast for dinner (raw milk, pastured eggs and *gasp* store-bought unsprouted bread) because it was already way past their bedtime.

  8. Dishrag DiaristNovember 13, 2010 - 9:10 am #8

    I had a similar grill disaster night! Thanks for sharing!

  9. Dishrag DiaristNovember 13, 2010 - 9:13 am #9

    Oh, and it’s terrible when you’re very excited for something and the disaster happens! (I love beets, too! Have you ever tried making/ drinking beet kvass?) Thanks for sharing!

  10. MaryNovember 13, 2010 - 8:32 pm #10

    I had never heard of beet kvass until just now. I looked it up, and it sounds so interesting! I love fermented raw foods so I bet I would love beet kvass! Thanks so much for the great idea!

  11. Dishrag DiaristNovember 14, 2010 - 11:50 am #11
  12. noelleDecember 13, 2010 - 9:55 pm #12

    this chili is delicious! even the mild version (1 T. of chili powder instead of 2). i soaked the beans overnight, but even though they were covered with water, they were crunchy, as they absorbed all of the water in the bowl. i suppose i’ll add alot more water next time. this was my first taste of organic pastured ground beef- delicious! i used lard to brown the beef.

  13. DishragDiaristDecember 14, 2010 - 7:07 am #13

    I’m so glad you liked it! I had the same experience with the beans. I didn’t mind too much, but next time I will add more water and maybe some more time. Do you have raw sour cream yet? Mmmmm.

  14. noelleMay 4, 2011 - 9:41 am #14

    ok, i soaked the beans in alot of water for 24 hours,and alot of them are still crunchy. should i add a splash of vinegar to the water?
    i’m ordering raw sour cream from my farmer this week…it sounds yummy!

  15. DishragDiaristMay 4, 2011 - 9:46 am #15

    As far as crunchiness goes, soaking with vinegar, while it may have other benefits, makes the exterior of beans more tough. The only thing I can suggest is longer cooking. If you did it on high, try doing it on low next time. If you did it on low, try a longer period of time, and/ or switching to high for the last hour or so. Let me know how it works out!

  16. AngelaSeptember 12, 2011 - 9:22 pm #16

    Love this chili! I’ve made it several times and finally got my beans nice and soft tonight. Like Noelle I didn’t really like the crunchiness of the beans. I cooked them on the stove in the morning for about an hour and then added them to the crock pot. I set the crock pot to 10 hours and after about 6 hours they were soft and chili was ready to eat. :) Just thought I’d pass that along in case you want to try it Noelle.

  17. DishragDiaristSeptember 13, 2011 - 12:17 pm #17

    Thanks, Angela! Just in time for chili/ crockpot weather!

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