Four Bean Chili

Wow!  This was so good!  The seasoning was PERFECT!  The only bad thing, I didn't measure exactly how much I put in!  I KNOW what I put in, just not the amounts!  It really is also up to the person how much of something you like, less spicy, more spicy... 

I soaked 4 different beans last nite.  I just put it all in one pot, then cooked it.  SUPER easy!  It also makes it WAY cheaper! I got all the other ingredients (canned tomato sauce, a can of diced tomatoes) and then the green pepper was from the Farmer's Market.  I think I figured the whole crock pot of soup cost me right about $5, and I have leftover to use for tomorrow nites supper!  If I made enough I may be able to do ONE more meal!  Are you kidding me?  Atleast TWO suppers for a family of 6, for $5!  How COOL is that? 

I didn't measure out the beans, I just kinda guessed about how much I would need.  (In the recipe, I gave you exact amounts for using cans of beans)  I took black, white, kidney and pinto beans.  Just dumped them in a pot and covered with water overnight. Brought them to a boil and then dropped down to a simmer for 2 hours.  While they were cooking, I cooked my onions in olive oil, and then added the garlic once the onions were almost caramelized.  Dump those in the crock pot with the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and a can of tomato soup.  I added a can of tomato paste and added some cans of water. 

Once my beans were done, I added them to my crock pot.  Let it simmer on low for the rest of the day!  Boy did it smell GOOOOOD when we got home from SPEAR, that was at 3:!5, I still had to wait a little over 2 hours to eat supper!  :(

I then mixed up some homemade corn bread, which I already posted the recipe. 

What a yummy fall meal if I do say so myself!  And cheap to boot!  ;)  I like cheap AND good!  :)

Let me know if you try this, or if you have any questions!  :)

 Up close of this delicious soup!!!  :D

I couldn't wait to try the first bite, I'm not lying, the seasoning was absolutely PERFECT!!!  :)

This was my Gramma's bowl...  I used it ALL the time when I was at her house, she used it ALL the time too!  I remember one time we got into a little "fight" over who was going to use it!  haha!!  ;)

Here it is with the corn bread that I made!  :)  Very good filling meal!  BONUS, we have leftovers for tomorrow nites meal!  Can't wait!  Baked potatoes with this yummy chili on top, then sour cream and cheese, yummy!!!  ;oP








Four Bean Chili

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Large Onion, chopped
3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Lb Lean Ground Beef
1-15 Oz Can White Beans, rinsed and drained
1-15 Oz Can Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
1-15 Oz Can Pinto Beans, rinsed and drained
1-15 Oz Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1-28 Oz Can Chopped Tomatoes with Juice
2-15 Oz Cans Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Cumin
2 Tsp Salt


Saute the onion in the olive oil until it's just beginning to caramelize.  Then add the garlic, more or less to your taste!  ;)
Place everything in the crock pot and turn on low for 8 hours. 
Serve with corn bread.  Or you could add some sour cream, cheese, chives to this as well...  But since I am going to serve this on a baked potato, I'll use those toppings for that!  ;)

Pizza Soup

It's really good! Not gonna lie!

I didn't take pics as I went with this because my hubs had the camera packed away for his missions trip to Mexico, so I only have the finished product, but it's soooooo easy!

Let's just say it was HOT when I made this, but it was so good! You don't have to heat up your oven to make this pizza!!! So if you want some pizza, but don't want to go buy one, or have it delievered, or turn your oven on, you can make this is less than 30 minutes! :)

I also don't like soggy things, like oatmeal, cereal, and most of all, bread, yuck!!! This calls for bread, yeah, you brown it, but then you dump it in LIQUID, it's not gonna stay crispy... I was very unsure about this! I knew the kids would love it, but me, I was very hesitate to try it. But as I was cooking it and adding this and that, I would taste it (yes, I used a new spoon each time... ;)) and I was really liking it!

I added the bread, stirred it up, cooked it for a few more minutes and viola, it was done. I tired it one more time before putting it at the table and I LOVED it!! I can't tell you how easy this dish is! Seriously!

The cool thing about this is, you can make it vegetarian, or a meat lovers. I added mushrooms, onions and olives to mine, but this would be SO good with mini meatballs!







Pizza Soup

2 Tablespoon butter (I used coconut oil)
1 small onion, diced small
3-4 cloves of garlic, either minced or chopped, whichever you prefer
2-3 cups bread chucks, about 1 inch in size, can be any kind of bread, sourdough, leftover garlic bread, Italian bread or white-wheat...
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1/2-1 cup chicken broth
1 12 oz can tomato sauce (or if making your own, I used 3 medium sized tomatoes and blended them in my vitamix, but you could use a regular blender... blend until smooth)
1 can tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (if you don't have balsamic, you can use apple cider vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup
sea salt and black pepper to season
1/4 mozzarella cheese

Saute onion and garlic in coconut oil (or whatever oil you are using) until the onions are soft, but not yet turning brown. If using mushrooms, add them in as well at this time, or if using peppers, add them in too. While you are waiting for your onions to soften, cut or rip (I ripped mine..) bread crumbs into 1 inch cubes. When onions are ready, turn the heat up to high, throw in all bread crumbs and cook until the bread starts to brown (I'm not gonna lie here, mine really didn't brown too much...) Add the 1/2 cup chicken broth, stir and lower heat to low.
Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, maple syrup, salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning. Simmer for 15 minutes, add more chicken stock if it is too thick. Or if it's too thin, add more bread to thicken it up a bit.
It should be warm and ready to eat after the 15 minutes, taste to make sure the seasonings are just right, if not, add more seasonings, simmer for 5 minutes and taste again! ;)
Pour into bowls and sprinkle a little bit of Parmesan or mozzarella cheese on top and serve!

*Like I said, you can add WHATEVER pizza toppings you want to this! It looks like there is a lot to add to it, but it's sooooo easy! My kids LOVED it and they all asked for seconds!
I added mushrooms, olives and I forgot to add the cheese at the end, it was still good! ;)
I add just a little bit of leftovers, for the next day, I took my leftover, threw it in a pot, added more tomato sauce and more bread crumbs and it was just as good! I didn't saute the bread crumbs...
Let me know if you try it and if you like it! SUPER easy and so good! Whether is 90 degrees or 25 degrees outside, this will be good! :)