It’s been 2 weeks (tomorrow) since the little guy was born and I’m finally feeling well enough to be on my feet long enough to chop an onion or brown some ground beef! Lucky for me, this week’s CEiMB recipe was very simple and very quick. It was chosen by Lauren and Paul of I’ll Eat You.

My husband and I have very different ideas of what chili should be. I like beans, lots of beans, and I’d prefer no meat at all. He likes a lot of meat and no beans. This chili included a pound of ground beef and 3 cans of beans so it made both of us happy.

I thought the flavor was a little weird. It didn’t really scream chili to me, I guess because it had no chili powder in it. It did have a chipotle pepper and some adobo sauce which gave it a nice smoky flavor but still not the traditional chili flavor that I love. Next time I would definitely add some chili powder.

Looking for other chili recipes?

Turkey Chili
Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili

Confetti Chili
adapted from FoodNetwork.com

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced (1 cup)
2 carrots, diced (1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 pound extra-lean ground beef (90 percent lean)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup water
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the can of chipotles
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion and carrots, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the ground beef; raise the heat to high and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink. Stir in the tomatoes, water, chipotle and adobo sauce, oregano and salt. Cook, partially covered, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes. Stir in the beans and continue cooking, partially covered, 20 minutes longer.

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This week’s CEiMB recipe comes from Pam of Lobster and Fishsticks. She chose Ellie’s Tuscan Vegetable Soup which is a recipe that I always skip over when looking through the cookbook. As a general rule, if it doesn’t have a picture, it doesn’t appeal to me. ;) I was glad to see that Pam had chosen it.

The soup was so easy. The whole thing was ready in about 30 minutes. Just saute some veggies, add some broth, boil, and done.

Changes I made… along with the canellini beans that the recipe calls for, I also threw in a can of chick peas. The chick peas kept their firmness and were a really nice addition to the soup.

Overall, good stuff. My favorite herb is thyme and the flavor really came through on this one. The sage not so much. All the flavors went well together and like I mentioned, I think the chick peas really added a texture that was needed. Next time I make this, I think I’ll add a little orzo for even more texture.

Head over to Pam’s if you want the recipe!

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