Cashew Chili

I am going to be in a chili cook-off this weekend at work.  I entered last year and my cashew chili was a hit... with everyone who got to try it.  When I got there all the heating elements were in use, so I missed out on an hour of votes.  Grrrrr...

 This year I am bringing my own crock pot (well I am borrowing my mother-in-law's because I broke my crock pot, which is another very interesting, yet silly story).  I've adjusted the recipe a bit, and I am aiming for gold!!

I came up with the idea of cashew chili back when I was on a vegetarian diet.  My man, Mitch, who is also my trusting guinea pig loves cashews.  It was winter, I wanted chili without meat, and I found a few recipes online for cashew chili.  Of course I have to adjust anything I make, and wham, bam, next thing you know I have the best damned vegan chili I've ever tasted.

The original recipe had no jalapeno or serrano peppers and used raw cashews.  I've found that adjusting the spice levels, adding the peppers and going with roasted unsalted cashews is the way to go.  At a quick glance, this might seem to have a ton of ingredients, but most are spices and other items I have in my pantry.  Make sure that you get all the membranes and seeds out of the peppers before you add them in or you will have one hell of a kick in your mouth.  If you live in the Dallas area don't forget to come to Whole Foods Lakewood this Saturday from 1-3pm to try my chili in person!!

** According to one of the local beer gods that I work with, Joe, this pairs well with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

½ cup red pepper

2 cups white or yellow onion

1cup green pepper

2 jalapeno peppers

1 serrano pepper

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 ½ tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. dry basil

1 tbsp. dry oregano

1 tbsp. chili powder

1tbsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. cumin powder

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1tbsp. + 1 pinch salt

¼ tsp. paprika

16 oz. can diced tomatoes w/ juice

16 oz. Can kidney beans in water

2 bay leaves

1 ½ cups roasted unsalted cashews

1 tbsp. hot sauce (recommended: Cholula Original)

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Chop onion and peppers and saute with olive oil in large skillet or dutch oven over medium to medium high heat for 15 min or until tender. Add garlic and spices and saute for another couple minutes. Add tomatoes & beans (with their water), cashews, bay leaves, hot sauce, vinegar and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat to simmer for up to an hour. Remove bay leaves before serving.