First off, this was supposed to be a Crock-Pot Monday contender. But LeeLee and I spent the weekend away in Roanoke, and by the time we got back yesterday we were in no mood to visit the grocery store for a resupply mission. So it took me until tonight to pick up the missing ingredients for tonight’s Flaming Firehouse Chili – which made it a wee bit late to use the good old slow cooker. But not to worry! It will be back in fine form next week.
As has become a custom around here, tonight I pulled another recipe out of Robin Robertson’s One-Dish Vegan, which is surely becoming a well-loved addition to our repertoire. Her chili recipes have yet to disappoint – actually, no recipe in the book has been anything close to a disappointment! – and so I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that tonight’s meal would be a winner.
So into the Le Creuset all the ingredients went, from diced onion to kidney beans to some Gardein “beef” tips to tomatoes and hot salsa and all the rest. (The woman has a cookbook to sell, of course! I’m not going to give away the store here in these pages.) Then I brought everything to a boil, turned it back down to a simmer, and let it cook for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Actually, if we’re being perfectly honest, LeeLee stirred occasionally while I ran an errand for a friend who was under the weather. Every few minutes he would text me, saying, “Stir?” and I would respond with “OK!” It was so nice to know the chili was being well-tended in my absence! And sure enough, by the time I got home, it was almost ready to go. So I assembled the side items – tortilla chips, extra salsa, cheese – and then we ladled two bowls’ worth, plopped down in front of our TV trays (that’s quickly becoming a Monday night tradition!), and dug in.
I was not at all surprised to find, and you shouldn’t be either, that this dinner was fantastic. We loved the spice of this chili, and the tomatoes-two-ways really gave it a lovely red color and sharp flavor that made the rest of the ingredients sing. The vegan beef tips blended in just perfectly while retaining their shape and texture, and the kidney beans softened up just slightly, giving them a wonderful chew. On top of everything else, the seasonings were on point – from cumin to chili powder to all the rest, the sauce couldn’t have been more flavorful!
I’m only too sorry that there’s only one helping left for tomorrow. Who will get it for lunch? May the best diner win!
:)