Ruby’s Chili

This recipe will feed several people who will all be happy when they’re done. The more people show up, just add extra ingredients. It’s a very forgiving recipe and accommodates a lot of substitutions, variations (vegetarian, etc.)

Just a word to start: TRY to use organic ingredients wherever possible. I just found out there’s an additive to can linings called BPA that you really want to try to avoid ingesting. And if you use vegetarian TVP (textured vegetable protein) instead of meat, be sure to get the NON-GMO kind at the health food store or online. It takes a lot of work to protect our health these days but I think it’s important.

OK, that said…

SAUTE THE FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS in olive or safflower or peanut or other vegetable oil:

2-3 yellow onions
Many cloves of garlic, chopped
2-3 green peppers, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped (optional)
2-3 stalks celery, chopped (optional)
1-2 pounds chopped beef, or turkey, or bison meat or TVP for the vegetarian version
1 TBSP ground cumin if you have it
hot pepper – flakes, fresh – cut up fine, or powdered

ADD and stir in:

2-3 large cans tomatoes, crushed or whole, whichever you prefer, or one of each.
2-4 cans of kidney beans, or pink beans or black beans or cannellini – be sure to rinse them off first. Even better is to use dried beans that have soaked overnight and cooked ahead of time – but what hippie thinks that far ahead?
Chili powder to taste (I buy a pound at a time of Frontier chili powder and keep it in the freezer) – depending on how much cumin and hot pepper you use, you’ll need anywhere from 2 TBSP to ¼ cup or more.

Salt to taste.

Cover and simmer 20 minutes or so. Serve with rice or bread and butter or – again – whatever you happen to have on hand.

Grate some cheddar cheese and chop some red onion and put in bowls so people can garnish their own servings.

You’ll probably want chocolate chip cookies or brownies for dessert.

Enjoy!