A yummy, nutritious dinner; as a vegetarian chili or with meat. We often double this recipe as it tastes even better the second day.
Makes two-three servings.
Ingredients:
• 1 oz Kombu, cut into ¼” pieces
• 1 cup dried beans of your choice or two 15 oz canned beans (drained) (we like Cannellini beans or kidney beans)
• ½ -1 lb ground beef (optional)
• 3 cups tomato sauce
• 1- 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots
• 1 medium sized onion or leek, finely diced
• 1 sweet red pepper, chopped
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp oregano, ground
• 1 tsp sage leaves, ground
• 3 Tbsp olive oil or butter
• 2 tsp salt, or to taste
• Sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado wedges or chopped tomatoes for toppings (optional)
• Hot sauce to taste (optional)
Directions:
Soak the beans overnight. Snip the Kombu into small pieces (about ¼” or smaller) with scissors and set aside in a bowl.
Drain and rinse the beans. Cover with hot water and bring to a boil in a 4-6 quart size pot.
Simmer for 15 minutes, then drain the water and add the tomato sauce and tomato paste, Kombu, chopped carrots and and red pepper, diced onions or leeks, olive oil or butter, salt and spices.
Cover the pot, bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours or until beans are tender.
• Add your favorite hot sauce to taste and top with sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado wedges and/or chopped tomatoes.
Notes:
Dried old beans don’t cook tender very easily. The best beans are from the previous growing season. Try to get some from a local farmer or farmer’s market.
If using canned beans, add them to the pot after 1 hour and cook for an additional ½ hour together with the other ingredients.
