​Servings 6
2 tablespoons olive oil 
2 pounds ground beef
2 cups onions, chopped-about 1 large onion
4 garlic cloves, chopped 
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
½-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper or chipotle powder (for a smokey flavor)  
3 15.5-ounce canned beans, drained and rinsed-red, black or white beans, and garbanzo beans can be mixed 
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes with juice
3-4 cups broth-chicken, beef, or vegetable-Add more or less broth depending on how thick you like your chili. 
2 ounces dark chocolate
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
For serving:
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 bunch scallion, chopped

1. Heat an 8-quart pot or Dutch oven over medium flame, with olive oil.  Add the ground beef and cook until browned. I like to leave the meat in larger chunks, but you can break it down as it cooks if you like it finer. When fully cooked, remove the ground meat and set aside. Leave 3 tablespoons of fat in the pan.
2. Add the onions and sauté 5 minutes or until the onions are soft. 
3. Add the garlic and spices and cook stirring for 1 minute until fragrant. 
4. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, and chocolate to the onion mix. Bring the chili to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. To thicken the chili, roughly puree 2 cups of the chili using an immersion or regular blender. Add the puree mix back into the chili along with the cooked beef. Heat to warm through. 
6. To serve, ladle the chili into bowls. Serve with cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and scallions on the side. 

 
Additions: Red peppers, zucchini, butternut squash, mushrooms, shredded chicken.

There is nothing better than a recipe that does double or triple duty.  To find a recipe that starts as one recipe and then becomes something very different by adding or subtracting just a few ingredients makes meal planning so much easier.
​   
Makes about 2 cups

2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tbs of fresh ginger, chopped
1 can of black beans (15 ounces), drained and rinsed 
1 cup chicken stock or water
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce or Bragg's Aminos
Pinch crushed red pepper
2 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
2 pieces of scallion, sliced thin on the diagonal.

1. Heat oil, garlic, and ginger in a saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring for 2 minutes (do not brown).  
2. Add the rinsed black beans, stock, sesame oil, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.  Add more stock if you would like a saucier consistency.
3. Finish with fresh cilantro and sliced scallions.

Serving options:
Serve over fish, chicken, beef, or pork.  You can also serve it over rice, spaghetti squash, or steamed broccoli.  Add chicken or vegetable stock the sauce and it create a soup.  Take that soup and puree it, add some left over chicken and it becomes an Asian chili.  To take this recipe and turn it into a Mexican or Latin dish, leave out the ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil and add in chipotle!  The possibilities are endless. My Asian Black Bean Sauce is one of my favorite multi-use recipes.  The ingredients are always part of my pantry supplies. This recipe freezes well for later use.

Serves 6
¼ pound smoked thick-cut bacon, diced
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
2 medium *potatoes, unpeeled, ½ inch dice
1 tsp kosher salt
4 cups whole kernel corn (about 4 ears of corn)
4 cups whole milk 
1 cup potato water
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ cup parsley, chopped

1. Heat a large heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-low heat. Melt the butter and add the bacon, onion, celery, and thyme.  Sauté until the onions and celery are soft, about 8 minutes.
2. In a separate saucepan, add the diced potatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add enough water to cover the potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are fragrant and just fork tender.
3. Add the potatoes, 1 cup of their water, corn, milk, salt and pepper to the cooked onions and celery in the soup pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes to heat through and cook the corn. Taste to see if you need more salt and pepper. Add the chopped parsley just before serving.
   
   *Yukon Gold, Russet, or Red Potatoes, sweet potatoes can be used as well.

Additions: Cherry tomatoes (sliced in half), cooked shredded chicken, raw or cooked seafood-if using raw, add to the soup in the last 5 minutes of cooking to cook through. 

Serves 4
1 bundle Soba Noodles
1 Tbs sesame oil
4 cups vegetable, chicken, or beef stock
1 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced thinly or chopped fine
1 garlic clove, sliced thinly or chopped fine
2 Tbs soy sauce or Bragg’s Aminos
2 Tbs Oyster Sauce
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
2 small bok choy, white parts separated and sliced. Greens chopped and set aside.
½ package tofu, cut into small cubes
 6 ounces cooked protein-hard boiled egg, chicken, pork, sirloin, shrimp, scallops or other fish.

Extras if you like:
1 carrot, shredded
1 cup sugar snap or snow peas, sliced thinly
2 scallions, sliced thin on the bias
4 Eggs, poached or hard boiled-peeled and cut in half

Options for garnish:
Sesame seeds
10 leaves Thai basil or sweet basil, sliced thinly
½ cup cilantro, chopped
1 lime, quartered
Sesame oil
Sriracha sauce

1. Cook the soba noodles according to package directions (about 5 minutes). Drain well, rinse with cold water and drizzle with sesame oil. Divide the noodles between the bowls.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the stock, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, mushrooms, bok choy (white parts and leaves), and tofu. Heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. 
3. Divide the soup over the noodles and top each serving with the carrots, peas, scallions, and cooked protein of your choice. Serve the soup hot and offer garnishes at the table.