Chili-flower

Spring is trying really hard to settle in Minnesota. The birds are singing, the snow has melted, and there are days when one can venture outdoors without a heavy coat, or in true Minnesotan-style, with no coat at all. Who needs it when the sun is out and the temperature is above freezing?

I wanted to sneak this recipe in for the last few cold days that pop up unexpectedly. It is a warm, satisfying dish. So warm that my husband had to open the windows yesterday when we were eating it! I call it "chili-flower" because instead of meat, I opted to use the SuperFood cauliflower.


Ingredients:

Drizzle of olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large bell pepper (whatever color you like, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/2 head of cauliflower*, cut in tiny, tiny pieces
2-3 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
a sprinkle of salt and pepper
splash of white vinegar
cayenne pepper to taste (I use 2 teaspoons)
2 cans red kidney beans, drained
2 cans pinto beans, drained
1 huge can of tomato sauce (29 oz)
1 huge can of diced tomatoes

Directions:

Drizzle olive oil in a big stock pot on medium heat. Add peppers and onions and saute until shimmery (about 5 minutes). Add cauliflower and sprinkle chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper on top of the veggies and add a splash (about 1 Tablespoon) white vinegar. Mix it up and let cook while you open all those cans.

Rinse off beans and add them to the pot. Immediately add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Bring to a slight boil and then simmer as long as you like. (You can eat it after 30-45 minutes, or you can let it simmer for a couple of hours. The flavor gets stronger the longer it simmers.) Garnish with green onions and avocado and serve with crackers, corn bread or toast. Absolutely delicious and oh, so good for you!


*I use cauliflower as a "filler", since I opted out of meat. So I chop, chop, chop it up into tiny pieces that resemble what browned meat would look like. I'm not trying to trick myself into believing it is meat, because it doesn't taste anything like it. The fun thing about cauliflower is that it really picks up whatever spices you add, so it fills out the dish nicely while filling your body with vital nutrients. How great is that? The leftover half of cauliflower I typically use as a version of "mashed potatoes" because I just LOVE it and have become addicted...

Here's THAT recipe --> Smashed potatoes, no, CAULIFLOWER!

As far as the spices go, I don't really measure those. Once I have added the cauliflower, I sprinkle enough chili powder over it to cover it up in red (without stirring it) and then I sprinkle about half that amount of cumin on top.

One more note: you can add more vegetables to this dish if you are feeling adventurous or if you have lots of veggies on hand. Zucchini, squash, and carrots all work well. You can also change up the beans. I use pinto beans because I adore their buttery taste, but you can add black beans, great northern beans, chickpeas, or whatever you like.