Chipotle Black Bean Chicken Chili (favorite)

Crushed tomatoes, black beans, onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, roasted peppers, chicken, corn, chipotle powder, smoked sweet paprika, sea salt and cheddar cheese.

Brine* the chicken for 1 hour before starting the recipe. Brining makes the chicken much more tender and juicy.

In a Dutch oven, saute the onions, jalapeno, garlic and chipotle until tender, about 7 minutes.

Add tomatoes and peppers, simmer 10 minutes.

Brown the corn with cilantro.  Browning releases the sugars and intensifies the corn flavor.

Add the corn, drained black beans and a large spoonful of nutritional yeast flakes.  Stir and simmer 10 minutes.

Cook the (rinsed and patted dry) chicken in hot oil with smoked paprika until almost done, about 5 minutes per side.

Cut the chicken into bite size cubes, add to the chili and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Serve topped with shredded cheese and slivered scallions.

* “The brining process forces water into the muscle tissues of the meat by a process known as diffusion and osmosis. This additional moisture causes the muscle tissues to swell and hold more water. The resulting water in the muscle tissues will make the meat more moist and tender. Any spices herbs or other flavorings you add to the brine solution will get taken deep into the meat with the water.”

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Local Food

From Wikipedia

Local food (also regional food or food patriotism) or the local food movement is a “collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies – one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution, and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental and social health of a particular place” and is considered to be a part of the broader sustainability movement. It is part of the concept of local purchasing and local economies, a preference to buy locally produced goods and services. Those who prefer to eat locally grown/produced food sometimes call themselves “localvores” or locavores.