Within the last few weeks, one of the posts that got the most hits was the BBQ Tofu Pitas. One can conclude from these statistics that either you A. Really like BBQ or B. you were really bored on January 5. Chances are its the latter but I’m just going to pretend that your obsession with BBQ sauce is as pathetic as mine.
I could have said C. really like tofu, but let’s be honest. No one really likes tofu. It’s just kind of a wiggly mass of soy you use as a vehicle for awesomeness like BBQ.
Now, since I’m banking on A. being the reason that that post got so many hits, one can hypothesize that by posting this BBQ chili recipe, that it will also get above average hits per day.
Clearly, I was super good at science…
BBQ Chili
directly from Oh she glows, because this recipe was too frickin’ good to change!
serves 5
ngredients:
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
- 2.5 tbsp chili powder, or to taste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or crushed red pepper flakes)
- 1 1/4 cup dry/uncooked black beans*
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes, liquid drained
- 2 tbsp tomato paste, to thicken
- 1 tbsp chia seeds (or ground flax), to thicken (I used ground flax)
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 tbsp your fav BBQ sauce (I used 1/4 c. Bone Suckin’ Sauce)**
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
- couple handfuls of chopped spinach, or other greens like collard, kale, etc (I used baby spinach)
1. Soak the beans in water overnight or for at least 3-4 hours. This part is optional, but it helps reduce cook time and makes the beans more digestible. Rinse and drain beans before using. In a large pot, add the oil and sauté the onion and garlic over medium-low heat for about 5-6 minutes, until translucent.
2. Add in the pepper and optional jalapeno and sauté for another 3-5 minutes.
3. Stir in the spices (chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne) and sauté on low another couple minutes. If you want, you can add just a bit for now and then add the rest to taste after it has cooked.
4. Add the dry black beans, broth, and drained diced tomatoes. Stir well. Now stir in the tomato paste. Simmer on low with the lid ajar for about 2.5 hours, checking often to make sure it doesn’t dry out. If it does, add a bit more broth to thin out.
5. About 15 minutes before it’s done cooking, stir in the flax, corn, and chopped greens. Also stir in the BBQ sauce, starting with 1 tbsp at a time and tasting as you go. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Can be made 2-3 days in advance and frozen if preferred.
Note: You can probably use canned beans, but you won’t need as much broth. I would add it slowly.
*Oh She Glows original recipe called for 1/2 c. dried black eye beans and 3/4 cup of black beans. I couldn’t find dried black eye beans anywhere in whole foods so I just used black beans. I think it worked really well. There’s so much going on in the chili, one type of bean was not a problem.
Also, I think I’m a total dry bean convert! Yes, I had to soak them over night but how is that any different from remembering to take the chicken out to thaw for dinner or something? They were so fresh and had a nice bite to them and weren’t slimey at all. I’m totally switching to dry beans…you know…until I grow super lazy and stalk up on cans…
** I’m OBSESSED with Bone Suckin’ sauce. OBSESSED! I just needed to repeat that incase you missed it capitalized the first time. It taste JUST like the McDonalds BBQ which I never get to eat anymore because I would rather commit some heinous crime then eat there. But, their BBQ sauce was always my favorite. I liked to get french fries at Burger King and BBQ sauce at McDonalds. It totally worked! The only thing about this Bone Suckin’ Sauce (which despite the name is totally vegan) is that it is thinner then most BBQ sauce so I added 1/4 c. into the chili…and then I may have added a few more TBSP to each bowl of this I ate because I love it so much…and then I may have had a spoonful one night at like 12 pm when I was aimlessly meandering around the kitchen for something to eat.
I’m weird though, so I wouldn’t recommend doing that.
Chili is one of my favorite dishes, but I never thought of adding either greens or BBQ sauce. I am intrigued 🙂
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