Easy Peasy Chili

If you want a recipe that is really good but a little more involved CLICK ON THIS LINK it is great! I love Wendy's Chili and this tastes really good!

If you're wanting something even more quick and just as tasty, try this next one:

Sooooo easy. And a crowd pleaser.

This recipe doesn't use meat. Why? Because I'm cheap. I don't buy a lot of meat and I think chili tastes just as good without meat. But you can surely add a pound of ground turkey (my choice) or ground beef and it will be just as delicious.

Make this with a pan (or 2) of This Cornbread to go with!

Ingredients:

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cans (14.5 oz) beans of your choosing (kidney, pinto, etc...)
1 can tomato paste
1-2 cups water
1 packet chili seasoning

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a crockpot on low for a few hours.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

I made this yesterday when all of my family were here to celebrate my birthday. Everybody said they loved it. So, unless they were just being nice because it was my birthday, it must be good. I only got to taste the dregs of what my sister left in her bowl when she realized that I hadn't gotten any, but what I tasted was really good! It's a spicy dish. I didn't even try to make my kids taste it.
So this is what I did different because of ingredient limitations: I didn't have ground chicken so I diced up some chicken breasts into small pieces. I used a can of diced tomatoes and just cut them up into smaller pieces. And, we didn't do the cheese - just the chips.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 2 pounds ground chicken
• 2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 ribs celery with leafy tops, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup hot sauce
• 1 can tomato sauce (15 ounces)
• 1 can stewed, fire-roasted or crushed tomatoes (15 ounces)
• 1 sack whole grain tortilla chips, lightly crushed
• 3/4 pound Maytag Blue cheese, crumbled
• A handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

Place a large pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the ground chicken and break it up, lightly browning it for 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, paprika and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 7-8 minutes. Add the chicken stock and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot.

Add the hot sauce, tomato sauce and the stewed, fire-roasted or crushed tomatoes to the chili and bring up to a bubble. Simmer for 8-10 minutes more to let the flavors come together.

While the chili is simmering, pre-heat the broiler.

Spread the chips out on a cookie sheet. Top with the crumbled blue cheese and transfer to the oven to melt the cheese, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Top each serving of Buffalo Chicken Chili with a few blue cheese chips.

This was found on Rachael Ray's website.

Crockpot Bean Pot

This recipe is kind of like chili, but it has a little bit of a sweet taste to it.

Bean Pot

1 ½ - 2 lb. Ground Beef
1 purple onion, sliced
2 16 oz. Cans of Pork and Beans
1 Can Kidney Beans
1 Can Pinto Beans
1 Can Chili Beans
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Ketchup
1 Can of mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 lb. Bacon (optional)
2 pkgs. String mozzarella sticks

Brown ground beef, salt and drain. Pour all of the beans in a strainer over a bowl; pour the beans in the crock-pot. Measure the liquid that is in the bowl, pour half of it in the crock-pot, and throw the rest away. Stir in the brown sugar, ketchup, mushrooms and bacon. Cook on high for 2 hours. Tear the mozzarella sticks into strips and add them to the pot, continue cooking on high for 2 more hours.
Total cooking time in crock-pot is 4 hours on high.

White Chicken Chili

Zippy White Chili: SERVES 4

1 lb. cooked, cubed chicken
1 small onion, chopped
1 3/4 C. chicken broth
1 can (4 oz.) green chilies
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. minced fresh parsley or cilantro
1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 can (15 oz.) white beans (any variety) rinsed and drained (or use dried beans, soaked and cooked)

In a saucepan, stir in chicken broth, chilies, garlic powder, oregano, cilantro, cayenne, and chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 30 min. Stir in beans and cook 10 min. more. Top with cheese and sour cream, if desired.

I always (at least) double this recipe. (Who wants to go to all that trouble to make homemade soup that only serves 4)!
You can get away with doubling the recipe without doubling the chicken. Also, I use as many fresh ingredients as possible (i.e., minced garlic instead of garlic powder, etc.) This is really one of the easiest soup recipes ever and tastes great!