Wendy's Chili

Wendy's Chili 
OP BasilPerfume

1 medium onion diced
1 green pepper diced 
2 celery stalks diced 
2 14 oz cans crushed tomatoes 
32 oz tomato sauce
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can northern beans
1 pack McCormick mild chili seasoning
1 TBL chili powder
2 lbs ground chuck
Salt & pepper 

Saute onion, green pepper, & celery in a splash of oil until tender & set aside in a bowl. (I do everything in one big pot so less mess.)
Brown ground chuck & season w/ salt & pepper. 
Add all canned items, seasonings, & veggies in pot w/ meat. 
Simmer on low for 1 hour. 

Serve w/ favorite toppings. Mine are shredded cheddar & fritos. Also good: oyster crackers, hot sauce for those who like spice, extra diced raw onion. Whatever you like on your chili.

Cowboy Caviar

Cowboy Caviar! (hadjeb)

Dice 1 each: green, yellow and red pepper
1/2 red onion
4 stalks celery

Add (drain juice):
1 can pinto beans with jalapeno
1 can black-eyed peas
1 can shoe-peg corn

Heat to dissolve:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar

Add: 1/2 cup canola oil

Best with Fritos Scoops

**The first time I made it, I made it with the beans as the recipe has.  The second time,I made it with one can of red beans and one can of black beans (drained well and rinsed well).  I liked it better that way actually.  I also made it with some thawed frozen corn instead of canned because that is what I had.  Yum!

**Oh I love that cowboy caviar!! It's my hubbie's favorite. Another way to serve it to spread a layer of cream cheese across a plate and put the "caviar" on top so you can scoop it up with a tortilla or cracker.

Sweet Potato with Fiddlehead Fern

JunqueGirl--"I made a really nice meal last night with one of the choicest and rarest of spring vegetables – the fiddlehead fern. The still-curled fronds of the ostrich fern only make an appearance at the farmer’s market for two weeks all year, so we grab ‘em up when they show. Could be made with green beans or asparagus.

I cubed a sweet potato and tossed with some olive oil, salt and pepper and put it in the oven to roast, and rinsed a can of pinto beans and left ‘em in the colander to drain. A big handful of fiddleheads got steamed to kill any unknowns (they’re foraged, so who knows?) and then sautéed in a mixture of olive oil and butter with some diced red onion to get them nice and browned. When they looked close to being done, I added the beans and let them warm up. Then I turned off the heat, tossed in the roasted sweet potato and dressed the whole thing in a honey, lime and chili powder vinaigrette I made. It was really tasty – the luscious green fiddleheads, hearty and nutty beans, the sweetness of the yam and the really bright, tangy vinaigrette… yum."

Kitty's Kick Ass-Refried Beans

Kitty’s Kick-Ass Refried Beans
Sharon via myhusbandhatesveggies.com

2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 large sweet red pepper, diced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1-2 canned chipotle peppers, in adobo sauce, finely chopped
ground cumin, chili powder, Adobo powder – to taste
1/2 cup stock (chicken or veggie, water if no stock on hand)

1) Saute the peppers and onions in some olive oil, adding the garlic after a few minutes. Add your ground seasonings, giving them a few minutes to toast. Add the chipotles (one for mild, 2 or more for spicy, but remember, a little goes a long way!). Allow chipotles a minute or so to incorporate with the veggies.

2) Stir in the beans.

3) Add stock or water, partially cover, and leave on medium low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until liquid has mostly absorbed.

4) Using a potato masher, mash the mixture until it is almost smooth, but leaving the appearance of crushed beans. You may either serve it as-is, OR, what I like to do is:
5) Spoon mixture into a small casserole dish, cover mixture with shredded cheddar cheese, and place in a 300 degree oven, covered for 10 – 15 minutes. Mmmm…