White Bean Chili

Here's another good recipe for left-over poultry. The original recipe calls for cooking dry beans before assembly of the soup but we made it in one step. Add 1lb of dry white beans to a slow cooker along with 4C chicken stock and 2C water. Set the heat to low. Saute 1C chopped onions in 1T olive oil. When the onions are softened add 2T ground cumin, 2T crumbled dry oregano, 1/4t cayenne pepper (or to taste) and 4 cloves minced garlic. Continue to cook until the spices are fragrant. Add this mix to the beans in the slow cooker and also add a can of green enchilada sauce, a small can of diced green chilis and 2C diced cooked poultry. Cook until the beans are tender; perhaps 4 hrs or so. Garnish with grated cheese and chopped cilantro. Serve with crusty bread or corn bread.

Black Bean Soup/Chili

The point is you can adjust the "soupiness" any way you wish. Brown 1/2 lb of bulk chorizo sausage in a soup pan. Remove the sausage and add 1C diced onion and saute until soft and then add 2-3 cloves minced garlic. Add 1T ground cumin, 2T chili powder, 1T oregano and 2T chipolata in adobo sauce(be careful with this stuff, it is very spicy). When the mixture is fragrant add the meat back to the pan. While this is going on puree 2 cans of black beans, and 1 can of diced tomatoes in a food processor. Add the bean mixture along with another can of drained black beans to the pot. At this point add beef stock, beer or water to adjust the thickness to your liking. Cover and simmer for at least 1 hour. Garnish with such things as diced onion, shredded cheese and chopped cilantro.