Here we are once again, enjoying another Crock-Pot Monday! But this one comes with a special kick: It’s also a March Madness Monday, wherein my beloved Florida State Seminoles women’s basketball team earned a berth to the Sweet 16!
Normally, I polish off a bowl of our Crock-Pot creation du jour, then hustle out the door to my tai chi class, leaving LeeLee with the dishes. But this morning, I dashed off a note to my instructor to inform her that I’d be spending the evening watching the Seminoles instead. As she, too, spent the weekend following her college team, she understood fully, to my relief. I ask you, how often does one have the opportunity to watch one’s basketball team advance in the NCAA tournament? (Don’t answer that, UConn.)
And so it came to pass that tonight I lingered over my bowl of piping-hot Tequila Sundown Chili, made fresh from Robin Robertson’s One-Dish Vegan cookbook, as I waited for FSU to take the court. This time it was LeeLee’s turn to dine and dash instead; he had an evening meeting to head off to. So the cat and I cheered on the home team all by ourselves, and judging by the final score, we must’ve done OK.
Now, on to the dish at hand. This chili is one unlike any other I’ve made so far in my life! First of all, it calls for pinto beans instead of kidney, which threw me for a loop initially. Secondly, it has no faux meat product of any kind, which is also an ingredient I’m accustomed to adding to my chili. And, finally, it contains tequila. Which I can absolutely get behind when the rubber meets the road!
Before work this morning, I added every ingredient except for the orange juice and lime juice to the slow cooker, flicked the switch to Low, and headed out for the day. By the time I got home, the chili was piping-hot and had thinned out just a tad, which was to be expected. (I also added a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes instead of the 14.5-ounce version, primarily because the Safeway didn’t have any smaller cans and I like crushed tomatoes so who cares.) Then I added the orange juice and lime juice, gave the wheel a final spin (as they say on Wheel of Fortune), and waited about 10 minutes for the flavors to mingle.
As is customary on Monday nights, LeeLee and I busted out our TV trays for our meal and feasted while watching a mix of news and The Golden Girls. We both were immediately smitten by the taste and texture of this chili! We loved the light, tomato-sauce base blended with the creaminess of the pinto beans. And the tang of the tequila and juices really added a wonderful second layer of flavor that made the dish much more complex. Topped with some vegan cheese and sour cream, and served with tortilla chips on the side, it would have easily fortified me for tai chi, but it also gave me the stamina to cheer loudly for two halves of the basketball game! And, ideally, it has given LeeLee the energy to endure what’s sure to be a boring meeting (sorry, LeeLee).
So once again, Robin Robertson hit it out of the park with this one. Why am I not surprised? This cookbook (and recipe) is just amazingly good. I can’t wait for our next culinary adventure together!
:)