you're on notice!

Oh I love Stephen Colbert! You too can make your own personalized "On Notice" boards.

It's been a busy week here at Sandwich HQ. Not only have I been working outside the home during the day, but I've been having loads of adventures around town in the evenings. There hasn't been much time for cooking or blogging...but last Sunday I did manage to gorge myself on some blackberries! Now that the week is over, I've got one evening to get organized for a 5-day camping trip to the Okanagan, the East Kootneys, Nelson and the Slocan Valley. We'll be camping and thrifting and hitting up the luscious fruit & vegetable stands as we head out to south-eastern BC. If anyone has any tips or restaurant recomendations, I'm all ears! Did I mention that I leave tommorrow morning? Gulp! I've got some lists to check off, packing to do and a bit of food preperation. I've already made some amazing granola to take with us, but I'm also going to be trying a new camping recipe. Before I went on my last camping trip, Helios of Tales from a Veggie Kitchen suggested I make this veggie chili, perfect for camping trips. Unfortunately, it would have been too much to carry with us for our biking trip, but this time, we'll be car camping and I'm definitely going to try this out. And if you aren't planning a camping trip anytime soon, it can definitely be made in any indoor kitchen too!

vegetarian cashew chili
(reprinted from Cooking Light)
The ingredients for this quick-and-easy chili travel well. Place all the chopped vegetables and measured spices in heavy-duty zip-top plastic bags.

3 c chopped onion
2 1/2 c chopped red bell pepper
1 1/2 c chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c red wine vinegar
1 T molasses
1 1/2 t dried basil
1 1/2 t dried oregano
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t salt
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 T olive oil
2 (15.5-ounce) cans red kidney beans, undrained
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, undrained
2/3 c cashews, coarsely chopped

1. At home, place first 4 ingredients in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Combine vinegar and next 8 ingredients (vinegar through bay leaf) in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Place in cooler or backpack.

2. At campsite, heat oil in a large Dutch oven over hot coals (or in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat if at home). Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Add vinegar mixture, kidney beans, tomatoes, and pinto beans; cook 20 minutes, stirring often. Discard bay leaf. Stir in cashews.

warm up a little

It's dark and gloomy and the weather is always threatening rain, but this simple meal really hits the spot. This recipe originally comes from Martha Stewart's little magazine, Everday Food. I've made it several times and have played with the ingredient list so many times, that I think I've truely made it mine. You can increase the heat all you want (I usually do) and it's best served with a really good hunk of crusty buttered bread. A nice pumpkin ale (or ipa) would also be totally delicious and very seasonal.

chicken & bean chili

1 T olive oil
3 lbs ground chicken
2 onions, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large red pepper, chopped
1/2 head of garlic, minced or chopped
2 medium fresh jalapeño chiles, minced
3 T chili powder
4 T unsweetened cocoa powder
4 t ground cumin
1 t ground chipotle powder
2 cans (28 ounces each) whole tomatoes, broken with a spoon
3 T unsulfured molasses
salt & pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Heat olive oil in a heavy 5-quart pot over medium heat. Add ground chicken, stirring and breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Add onion, red and green peppers, garlic, and jalapeños; cook until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cocoa powder, and cumin; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes. Add molasses, salt, pepper and hot sauce if using; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook, partially covered, 30 minutes. Add beans; continue cooking, uncovered, until meat and beans are very tender, and chili is thick, about 30 minutes more.