Last week was a long week. Good – great, actually. But long.

So when I came home from work last Friday night, I opened a bottle of good red wine (not something I often do), and poured myself a glass.

Then I poured myself another.

I wouldn’t usually encourage drinking and using sharp objects, knives in this case, but every chef drinks and cooks now and again, right? Or perhaps more often then now and again…

Anywho, I had just done a big grocery shop at Trader Joe’s, and I needed to use all the veggies I had in the fridge and on the counter before I headed into another busy week and neglected my cooking duties.

Yams. Red peppers. Black beans. Zucchini. Swiss chard. Mustard Greens. Kale. Spinach.

Hm…

How can I use all of these things in one dish that will last the week so I don’t have to cook again for 5 days?

Um…Veggie Chili? Yes. Yes that’s what I decided to make.

I won’t lie to you. You will have to invest about an hour into chopping and cooking. But pour yourself a glass of wine or brew yourself some tea, put on your favorite music, and you will be just fine.

This recipe makes enough to feed a large family for 4 night’s worth of dinners. If you live alone, or there are only 2 of you in the household, just keep what you think you will eat in the next 3 days in the fridge, and freeze the rest in portion sized containers. Label and date each container, and pull each portion out of the freezer as you want it. You can defrost it directly in the microwave or on the stove, or pull one out the night before and stick it in the fridge for lunch or dinner the following day.

YAM VEGGIE CHILI

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, small diced

2 red bell peppers, small diced

2 tablespoons minced garlic (3-4 cloves)

2 medium zucchinis, small diced

1 lb portabello mushrooms, cleaned and cubed (** NEVER clean mushrooms under water – just clean the dirt off with a towel. The water makes the mushrooms gummy.)

3 medium yams, cubed

3 cups Kale/spinach/mustard greens/chard mixture (or whatever you have on hand)

2 tablespoons fresh sage, roughly chopped (you can use dried if that’s all you have on hand)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 can diced tomatoes (or whole tomatoes, but just chop them up)

1 can black beans

1 can white kidney beans

1 15oz can tomato sauce

1 – 2 cups veggie stock, depending on how thick you want your chili. Start with 1 cup.

GARNISH

-Fresh avocado

-Fresh cliantro

-Sour cream or yogurt (for those of you who eat dairy)

-Green onions, chopped

1. In a heavy sauce pan, heat the oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and peppers. Stir so that it’s all coated in oil. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Stir in the garlic. Cook another minute.

3. Stir in the zucchini, mushrooms and yams. Cook another 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

4. Stir in the sage, thyme, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Once it’s all combined, add the tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce and veggie stock.

5. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, uncovered.

6. Stir in your greens and cook another 3-5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning.

7. Serve with desired garnishes.

I had mine with fresh avocado, and it was so good! The creaminess of the avocado was so yummy against the flavors and textures of the chili.

And when all else fails, you’ve had a tough week, and a glass of red wine and a night of cooking just isn’t cutting it, you might consider jumping in the car and heading out on a one night adventure to somewhere special. This weekend, I chose San Diego, warm chocolate croissant bread pudding with chocolate chocolate chip ice cream at Extraordinary Desserts, and…well…a stomach ache because I couldn’t just stop at one bite. Oops.

Your crazy friend,

Lauren

xxx