Chili con Queso

Ingredients:

• 1 container of Hanna’s Cashew Queso- Mild
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (OPTIONAL- for oil-free use water)
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (OPTIONAL for SUPER Spicy)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
• 2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles (OPTIONAL for meaty texture)
• 3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
• ¼ cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

Directions

-Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.

– Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

-Serve Chili in soup bowls and top with a generous tablespoon of Cashew Queso. Stir in your Cashew Queso and enjoy creamy, flavorful Chili con Queso!

Fresh and delicious! Whenever possible, use farm fresh produce or better yet- produce from your own garden! Flavors are more intense as they are able to mature on the vine and nutrients are more plentiful the fresher the ingredients! So, does this mean we never use canned or frozen foods in the kitchen? No. While it’s always best to have home cooked beans and fresh picked produce, the reality is there are times when canned and frozen foods come in handy and this convenience may help you stay the course with transitioning to a plant based diet. After all, health (and life) is all about progress over perfection. I have canned beans and canned tomatoes (in BPA free cans) in my pantry for those days we need the shortcut! I have bags of frozen broccoli, stir-fry veggies, riced cauliflower and frozen veggie burgers for simple dinners and frozen power greens, bananas and berries for fast ice creamy smoothies. Of course, there is nothing like garden fresh veggies and the gratification you feel when you plant, nurture and harvest your own food. Baby tomatoes straight off the vine are my favorite and homegrown strawberries simply taste like a dream. I LOVE my home garden and I love local farmer’s markets too! So, enjoy the process, eat as close to the garden and farm as possible and remember to be grateful for the ability to preserve and consume a variety of nutrition foods year round. What a blessing to have so much abundance and access to nutritious plant foods!