Cooking To seek... the impossible (chili) recipe...

[kaytieeldr]

I'm great at putting things off until the last minute, but in fairness to me I just learned about this yesterday.

We're having a chili cook-off at work Tuesday. I know what I want to make, but I can't find a recipe for it.

It needs to be made in a crockpot and transported to work fully cooked (and relatively quickly ). Don't worry, work starts at 2.

I'm looking for a recipe that doesn't require ANY precooking - I don't really care to be browning beef at 5 AM. I want to be able to just put one of those Reynold's liners in the crockpot, add the ingredients, stir if necessary, cook, and walk away - maybe even go back to bed for a few hours.

Now, the ingredients: I want either something that uses hot dogs as the meat ingredient - vs. a chili topping for hot dogs - or I want something entirely vegetarian that, again, doesn't require ANY advance preparation, including but not limited to soaking dried beans.

Thanks in advance!

cross-posted on Budget Board due to there being prizes involved.

 

[Ericandjenng]

If you have Bush's brand beans available, they make "chili beans" in a can that you can add to any recipe to avoid soaking of dried beans. Or you could buy either refried beans or black beans from the Mexican foods section.

I've not tried making chili either veggie or with hot dogs but it seems like you just need to add sufficient seasonings. For a veggie chili, I'd start with the chili beans and add crushed tomatoes (once again from a can) and tomato sauce, add minced onion (available in the spice section) garlic, chili powder and red pepper flakes or hot sauce. Because everything in the can is "pre-cooked" you only have to put it on low and let it simmer so that the flavors meld.

Good Luck!!!!

 

[LindaBabe]

That's easy but it won't be very interesting if you're not willing to chop veggies to put in it. You can start it when you get up in the morning.

Just open half a dozen cans of assorted beans into your crock pot. Add 1/2 cup dried chopped onions, a couple cans of seasoned diced tomatoes, and up to 4 cups of leftover brewed coffee or water depending how "wet" you want it. Before you leave for work, taste it and put in Chili seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.

If you were willing to chop veggies, I would use fresh onion instead of dried - ~1 cup, plus a cup or two each of some combo of chopped celery, chopped broccoli stem, chopped carrots and some chopped parsley. The fresh veggies would add to the nutrition, flavor and become an interesting set of 'mystery' ingredients that add that "je ne ce que" to the taste.

 

[MazdaUK]

You can brown and drain meat in advance and freeze it in a ziplock baggie - it takes next to no time to defrost (even no prob putting it in frozen if you're pushed for time) and prepare veggies the night before and put in the fridge in a ziplock or tupperware. I often do this if I know I need to load the crockpot before work

 

[disneyhand]

You can find frozen chopped onions and bell peppers in the frozen veggie aisle of most markets. That's a great time saver. Frozen corn is good in chili too. If you do add frozen veggies to your chili, you need to allow some extra time for it to heat up.

I always use canned kidney beans when I make chili. I've never used (and soaked) dried beans for mine.

 

[Ericandjenng]

Hey OP, what did you finally make? and how did you do?

Hopefully Great!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Oops!! I made LindaBabe's - thank you!!! - but, coincidentally a supervisor won

No, really - it was a blind tasting contest, entirely fair. Seven entries ALL were good, all disappeared by the end of the shift.

Thank you all for the suggestions!

 

[LindaBabe]

Oops!! I made LindaBabe's - thank you!!! - but, coincidentally a supervisor won

No, really - it was a blind tasting contest, entirely fair. Seven entries ALL were good, all disappeared by the end of the shift.

Thank you all for the suggestions!

Sorry you didn't "win", Kay - but very pleased you used my recipe