Chili with Beef

Hearty Black Bean Chili

Made: January 29, 2011

Ingredients:

1 pound dried black beans
1 pound ground beef
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cubed
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 cups water
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14 1/2oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 & 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 & 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese & thinly sliced green onions - optional

Directions:

- Sort beans & rinse with cold water.
- Place beans in a Dutch oven; add water to cover by 2 inches.
- Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes - remove from heat, cover & let stand for 1-4 hours or until beans are softened.
- In Dutch oven, cook the beef, chicken and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
- Add the water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes & seasonings; mix well.
- Add the beans & bring to a boil. Reduce heat.
- Cover and simmer for 3 1/2 - 4 hours or until beans are tender.
- Serve with cheese and green onions if desired.

At the beginning of making this recipe, I didn't have a dutch oven and planned to make this in a slow-cooker. So I sorted, rinsed and cooked my beans in a slow-cooker on low for about 4-5 hours as I had a couple things that had to be done while cooking. This worked out well for the beans, as they were nice and soft by the time I was home and ready to start making the chili.

To my surprise today, my Dutch Oven arrived early! So I was able to finish the recipe in there. Which really saved me a step from cleaning out the pan of the bean goo. (Or whatever it may be called, it's kinda gross to be honest). So I used a slow-cooker bag/saver and it worked to my advantage with draining the beans into my strainer to rinse/drain.

The Dutch oven is pretty amazing, as this was my first time cooking with one. I'll definitely be using more recipes requesting it. :)
(Recipe used came from Taste of Home)