Bean and Rice Chili

For this month, I made Chili. My family rarely eats this dish but we all agreed upon venturing out of our comfort zone and experience something new. With this delicious mixed bean soup we are glad we took the jump. With a thick consistency; thanks to Carla's tip of mashing some of the beans into the broth in order to thicken it; it was amazing. Even if you're not a big Chili fan like myself you should try this dish. It was delicious and very easy to make.

Recipe (Serves 8)


Ingredients:
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 cups Chopped Onion
2 Carrots, chopped
4 Cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Dry red wine
1 can Diced tomatoes, with juice
4 slices Chopped Bacon
1 can Whole black beans
1 can Whole pinto beans
5 cups Chicken stock
2 cups Water
1 tsp Dried oregano
1/2 tsp Hot pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Ground cumin
1/2 tsp Chili powder
2 tsp Salt and ground black pepper
4 cups Cooked white rice
1/4 cup Fresh cilantro, minced
1 Lime cut into 8 wedges

Preparation:
1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until softened. Add carrots and celery, saute until starting to soften. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Add wine, tomatoes with juice; cook until liquid is reduced by half.
2. Add bacon, beans, stock, water, spices; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until beans are tender and bacon has flavored the soup; about 1 hour and 30 mins. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
3. Divide rice among bowls and top with soup. Garnish with cilantro and lime.

Snapshot of my bowl.

Snyder, Carla, and Meredith Deeds. 300 Sensational Soups. Toronto: R. Rose, 2008. Print.