SAN ANTONIO – She has nearly half a million followers on Instagram. Author Jessica Merchant is all about making meals easy, and affordable. Her third cookbook, “Everyday Dinners,” is out now.
Merchant creates her recipes with meal prep in mind to save you time. She also uses affordable ingredients, so you can feed the family on a budget.
Chipotle + beer veggie chili
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 bell peppers, diced
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
- 1 chipotle pepper (from a can), diced
- 1 cup chopped carrot
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from the can of chipotle peppers
- 1 cup beer
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- Cheddar cheese, for serving
- Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, for serving
- Fresh chives, for topping
- Lime wedges, for spritzing
Directions:
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the bell peppers, onion, sweet potato, chipotle pepper, carrots, garlic, salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, tomato paste and adobo sauce. Cook for 5 minutes more.
Stir in the beer, fire-roasted tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, pinto beans, kidney beans and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. You can simmer for hours if you wish.
Serve with cheddar cheese, yogurt, chives and lime wedges.