culinary adventures

I just had to rave about the chili I made on Thursday night. I used to completely hate cooking, but since we've moved to Saint Louis, it's started to grow on me a little. It's definitely making me put "dishwasher" on our list of must-haves when we move out of this place. Anyway, I've been reading a recipe site called Epicurious, and made Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Orange and Cumin. I'm a big fan of orange flavor surprising me in foods, so it was awesome. I'm posting the recipe so that you can try it and love it - because it wasn't hard, and it was yummy. The only change I made was to half the amount of onion, which I felt was a good choice as the onion remained subtle. Subtle onions are always better. p.s. I sold my aforementioned jeans on ebay for more than what I paid for them. I'm afraid that I'm about to turn into the kind of person who sells stuff on ebay for their entire income. And that I'm also going to start being all Martha Stewart posting recipes on here. Get ready!

Vegetarian Chili with Orange and Cumin (from Bon Appetit)

yield: Makes 4 servings (plus leftovers)

active time: 30 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 oranges
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 4 teaspoons chili powder
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 15.5-ounce cans seasoned black beans, drained
• 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
• Hot pepper sauce
• Sour cream or plain yogurt
• Chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Grate enough orange peel to measure 1 1/2 teaspoons. Juice oranges. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté 5 minutes. Mix in garlic and spices. Add beans, tomatoes, and half of orange juice. Simmer over medium heat until heated through and flavors blend, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Mix in orange peel and remaining orange juice. Season to taste with hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Ladle chili into bowls. Top with sour cream and cilantro. Pass extra hot sauce alongside.