Alongside, I made her Venezuelan Black Beans, which required "sofrito" which is mostly just an aromatic base of cooked veggies. I chopped for a while...


And then I had vegetable confetti! You can celebrate something with any leftover vegetables. Just kidding. Don't throw vegetables.


I used my bamboo steamer to steam the foil packets of seitan for this, but they wouldn't all fit nicely inside. After this, I bought a huge steamer pot suitable for tamales and steaming anything else the size of or smaller than a regulation-size basketball. So now I'm set up in steam-town.


The beans just had to be soaked overnight, but other than requiring a labor-intensive sofrito, they were the easy part.


I served it over her Yellow Garlic Rice, with a huge scoop of guac, and a Mexican beer, you know, for authenticity...


Ta-da. Dinner for 20. People-- not dollars.

Alex got the chickn and waffles. He gets it every time. This doesn't help me in my mission to try everything. However, these chickn and waffles are pretty great.

It just goes to show that even though our chilies may vary from bean to spice blend to topping to side, the fact remains that we all are united in the chili-loving. Because we-are-connected. What is there to dislike about a warm, spicy bowlful of goodness that's actually quite nutritious? Why, saying you don't like chili, is like saying you don't like hugs, or puppies, or laughing or sunlight. In fact, if someone tells you that they don't like chili, don't trust that person.

Feel free to do chili how you do chili. If this post does nothing more than inspire you to make chili in your own and completely different way, then purpose served. But just in case, here's my recipe with all of the fix-ins.

Rice and beans sounds really boring, but really, it's so good! You can season it to taste and make it as flavorful as you want it to be. So what I'm saying is, if you don't like your rice and beans, it's your own fault! So just add some salt or something. Ooo or avocado. That'll fix it up.

Rice and Beans and everything else in the fridge:

1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups baby spinach
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
1 cup brown rice, rinsed
2 cups water
1 tablespoon annatto powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

1 avocado, diced (optional)

Bring rice and water to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Simmer about 40 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Don't stir. Just turn the heat off and keep covered.
Meanwhile, saute onion in olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and saute about 2 minutes. Add carrots, jalapeño and baby spinach. Stir until spinach is wilted and add beans. Stir in salt, pepper and spices (except annatto powder) and let cook about 10 minutes, stirring every few, until carrots are tender.
Add annatto powder to rice and stir. Add to veggies and beans and stir to combine. Top each bowl with some chopped avocado and serve!