This delicious chili is easy to make and loaded with flavor. I love the combination of the creamy avocados with the smokiness of the chipotle pepper. Mmmm, this recipe is a winner!

I started with cooking the beef most of the way then added the onions to the pot while the beef finished cooking (therefore eliminating the remove-the-beef-from-the-pot step). I then spooned off as much fat as I could and discarded it. Since my chili was a bit thicker than I wanted it, I added more broth and some beer to thin it out, then added a little more chili powder and cumin. I used beef broth instead of chicken broth to bump up the beef flavor.

The recipe calls for using a food processor to blend some of the beans with the tomatoes and chipotle pepper. If you don’t have a food processor, chop the chipotle pepper and use a potato masher to smash the beans. The mixture will be chunkier than the original recipe but that’s ok…it’s chili. This recipe is easily doubled and is great for entertaining because it can be made the day before and reheated. Garnish each serving with avocado and your favorite chili toppings.

Beef & Black Bean Chili with Chipotle & Avocado
-recipe from finecooking.com

Serves four.

3 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14-1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 medium chipotle pepper plus 2 Tbs. adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce)
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. 85% lean ground beef
Kosher salt
1 large red onion, finely diced
1-1/2 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ripe avocado, cut in a medium dice

Put one-third of the beans into the bowl of a food processor, along with the tomatoes and their juices, chipotle, and adobo sauce. Process until smooth and set aside.

Heat the oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or similar heavy-duty pot over medium-high heat until it’s shimmering hot, about 2 min. Add the beef, season with 1/2 tsp. salt, and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat, until it loses its raw color, about 3 minutes. Transfer the beef to a large plate using a slotted spoon. Add half of the onion and 1/4 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring, until it begins to brown and soften, about 3 min. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook for 20 seconds. Add the remaining black beans, the puréed bean mixture, and the beef to the pot and simmer for 10 min., stirring frequently. Add half of the lime juice, half of the cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. If the chili is thicker than you like, it may be thinned with water.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the remaining lime juice and onion with the avocado. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve the chili topped with the avocado mixture and remaining cilantro.

Serving Suggestions:
Coarsely crumble about 3 handfuls of tortilla chips in a zip-top bag, and use them as an additional chili topping.

Tags: black bean, chili, chipotle, ground beef

I was recently thumbing through Fresh Every Day: More Great Recipes From Foster’s Marketby Sara Foster when I came across a recipe for Chipotle-Squash Soup. I love winter squash in just about any form and was intrigued by the use of chipotle peppers and rosemary for flavoring in this soup. It turns out that they work great together!

This delicious soup will definitely warm you up, especially if you go overboard on the chipotle pepper like I did. Since I really like the heat and flavor of chipotle pepper, I found a few big ones in the can, chopped them up and added them to the soup. Then, just to throw caution to the wind, I added a few more teaspoons of adobo sauce to the boiling broth. Needless to say, my soup turned out fairly spicy. If you follow the directions, though, I’m sure your soup will be much milder than mine.

To keep the soup mild, start by adding just a small amount of chipotle then taste the broth. You can always add more if you’d like more spice or smokiness.  As far as the rosemary, I only added about 1 tablespoon because I didn’t want it to overwhelm the other flavors. I garnished each bowl of soup with a dollop of sour cream. Yumm!

Chipotle-Squash Soup with Fresh Rosemary
-recipe from Fresh Every Day: More Great Recipes From Foster’s Market by Sara Foster

Chipotle chiles give this soup a pleasant heat and smokiness without making it too spicy. I often dress it up with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream mixed with fresh lime juice. Serves 8 to 10 (makes about 2 1/2 quarts)

1 small winter squash such as pumpkin, butternut or acorn (2 to 2 1/2 pounds), halved and seeds removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1-2 chipotle chiles in adobo, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted and salted, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet with sides. Add 1 cup water and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan and roast the squash until it is soft to the touch, 40 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onion is very soft and light brown. Add carrots and bell pepper and continue to cook and stir until the carrots are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes, until it is fragrant but not brown.

Add broth, chipotle chiles, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring the soup to a low boil over medium-high heat. While the soup is coming to a boil, scoop out squash flesh with large spoon. Discard skin and add the flesh to the soup. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove the soup from heat and stir in the rosemary. Allow the soup to cool slightly before pureeing. Working in batches if necessary, pour the soup into the bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade and puree until smooth, or puree the soup directly in pot using immersion blender. Reheat if necessary and serve warm, garnished with toasted, salted pumpkin seeds.

Tags: chipotle, Soup/Stew, winter squash

Here’s a delicious, Mexi-inspired steak just in time for grilling season!  I can usually find flatiron steaks at Fred Meyer. New York strip steaks or rib-eyes would be a good substitute if you can’t find flatiron steaks (adjust the cooking time to the size of steak you use). Flatiron steaks are best cooked to medium-rare and sliced across the grain.

The sauce is a flavorful mix of smoky chipotle chiles and roasted red peppers, and it’s a bit spicy so you may want to start with half a chipotle chile and add more to taste (if the sauce is too spicy for you, just add a bit of sour cream to tame the heat). You can use jarred roasted red peppers for the sauce instead of grilling fresh ones…just dry them thoroughly with a paper towel before processing them or your sauce will be runny instead of thick. Grilled red potatoes, corn on the cob and rustic bread are delicious accompaniments to the steak and chipotle-red pepper sauce.

Chile-Rubbed Flatiron Steaks with Chipotle-Red Pepper Sauce
-recipe from Weber’s Real Grilling Cookbook by Jamie Purviance

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Sauce:
2 large red bell peppers
2 large garlic cloves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 canned chipotle chile pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 flatiron steaks, about 1 pound each and 1/2 inch thick
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons prepared chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To make the sauce: Grill the bell peppers over Direct High heat until they are blackened and blistered all over, 12 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Place the peppers in a large bowl and cover with plastic to trap the steam. Set aside for at least 10 minutes, then remove the peppers from the bowl and peel away the charred skins. Cut off the tops and remove the seeds. Place the peppers in a food processor or blender along with the remaining sauce ingredients. Process until smooth. Transfer to a small serving bowl.

Allow the steaks to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling. Lightly brush or spray the steaks all over with oil and season with the chili powder, salt, and pepper. Grill over Direct High heat until cooked to desired doneness, 4 to 6 minutes for medium-rare, turning once. Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes before cutting into 1/4-inch slices. Serve warm with the sauce.

Tags: chipotle, flatiron steak, Grilling, Quick Cooking, red pepper, steak

Wow…this salad is good! The dressing is smoky, slightly sweet and slightly spicy with a nice tang from the balsamic vinegar. I love the combination of southwestern flavors: cilantro, chipotle, avocado, red onion, corn.

I used a mixture of baby romaine and regular romaine lettuces. Other good additions to the salad would be chopped red pepper, diced tomato or sliced green olives. Handy Hint: Since the recipe only calls for 1 chipotle chile, you can freeze the remaining chiles and sauce. I put a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet, then I place 1 or 2 chiles in a mound and spoon a little adobo sauce over them. Continue this with the remaining chiles then put the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, remove the little chipotle mounds from the wax paper and seal in a freezer baggy or plastic container. Keep frozen and thaw out what you need when a recipe calls for chipotle chiles.

Baby Romaine Salad with Spicy Chicken & Warm Chipotle Vinaigrette
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine

Serves four.

6 oz. baby romaine, washed and spun dry (about 8 loosely packed cups)
1/4 lb. iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced, washed and spun dry (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 chipotle chile (from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce), chopped, plus 2 Tbs. adobo sauce
3 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. light brown sugar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup plus 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. fine cornmeal (preferably white)
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1-1/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 small), cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick strips
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
1 ripe avocado, cut into 3/4-inch dice
1-1/2 cups cooked fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels (from about 2 ears)
1 lime, cut into quarters

Toss the romaine, iceberg, and half of the cilantro in a large bowl. In a blender or food processor, purée the chipotle chile and adobo sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar, and mustard. With the machine running, slowly pour in 1/2 cup of the oil. Transfer to a measuring cup; season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a shallow dish, mix the flour, cornmeal, chili powder, and cumin with 1-1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Season the chicken with 1 tsp. salt and then dredge in the flour mixture.

Heat 2 Tbs. of the remaining oil in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it’s shimmering, about 1 minute. Add half of the chicken strips, evenly spaced, and cook without touching for 2 min. Flip and cook until the strips are just cooked through and firm to the touch, 1 to 2 min. Transfer to a large plate lined with ­paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil, and cook the remaining strips in the same manner.

Discard the fat from the pan and wipe it clean with paper ­towels. Set the pan over low heat, add the vinaigrette, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula, until warmed through, about 1 min. Return the vinaigrette to a liquid measuring cup and whisk to recombine.

Gently toss the greens with about 14 cup of the vinaigrette or enough to lightly coat. Portion among four plates and top with the chicken, onion, avocado, corn, and the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro. Drizzle with some of the remaining vinaigrette (you may not need it all) and serve with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over the salads.

Tags: chicken salad, chipotle, romaine, Salad, spicy