Not Just for the Superbowl Chili with Sausage, Mushrooms, and Olives

Makes Ten Servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 cups dried red beans, soaked 8 hours or more in cold water
  (or substitute 2 cans -15 oz. each- red beans)
• 1 1/2 tsp. chicken soup base (for cooking beans)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (for cooking beans)
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder (for cooking beans)
• 1/2 tsp. olive oil (for cooking beans)
• 1 can black beans (15 oz.), rinsed and drained
• 12 oz. low fat pork sausage
  (I use Jimmy Dean variety labeled 50% less fat)
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 2 cans (14 oz.) beef broth or 4 cups homemade beef stock
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1/2 can water (rinse out tomato sauce can)
• 2 cans (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp. olive oil (for sauteeing onion and spices)
• 1 med onion, diced small
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 1/2 T ground cumin
• 1 1/2 T dried oregano
• 1 1/2 T ground chile powder
  (or more, use New Mexico chile powder if you can find it)
• 1/2 T  Ancho chile powder (optional but very good)
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more, to taste)
• 1 T dried parsley
• 2 tsp. Epazote (optional but recommended)
• 8 oz. white mushrooms, cut in quarters (or more)
• 1 can (6 oz.) black olives, drained and cut in half lengthwise
• salt/pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional) plus additional cilantro or parsley to garnish (or use sliced green onion if desired if you’re not a cilantro fan)
• grated cheese, sour cream, or diced avocado for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. If you want to use dried red beans, soak overnight in cold water to cover by a few inches.
2. The next day, drain the soaking water and put soaked red beans in saucepan with enough water to cover.
3. Add chicken soup base, garlic powder, onion powder, and olive oil and bring beans to a gentle simmer.
4. Cook about one hour, until barely tender. (The small amount of olive oil prevents the “foam” that comes when dried beans are cooking. You can omit if you prefer.)
5. While beans cook, in very large frying pan, brown pork sausage well, breaking up with turner as it cooks.
6. Remove from pan, rinse if desired, and place in large soup pot.
7. Next brown ground beef well, breaking up with turner, rinse if desired, and place in soup pot. (You can cook the pork sausage and ground beef together if you have a large frying pan.)
8. Add beef broth, tomato sauce, water, diced tomatoes, and canned black beans and bring the soup pot ingredients to a gentle simmer.  (If you’re using canned red beans, you can add them now.)
9. Wipe out frying pan and add 2 tsp. olive oil.
10. Add diced onions and saute 5 minutes, until slightly browned.
11. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes, then add ground cumin, dried oregano, chile powder, Ancho chile powder (if using), cayenne, dried parsley, and Epazote (if using), and cook about 1 minute more.
12. Add onion-spice mixture to chili, along with chopped mushrooms and sliced black olives.
13. When red beans are tender, drain and add to the chili with about a cup water.
14. Let chili simmer on low several hours more.
15. Add cilantro if desired last 15 minutes of cooking time.
16. Taste for salt/pepper and serve hot, with cheese, sour cream, and avocado to garnish if desired.

This printable recipe from KalynsKitchen.com.