Spicy White Bean and Chicken Chili with Sriracha

This may sound ridiculous, but last week in Charleston, the weather was really cool. When I say cool, I mean mid 80s with no humidity. It was amazing! We enjoyed every bit of it knowing that just around the corner came nasty weather. Look at this week:

Gross, right? But it’s perfect weather for soup, chili, and cookies, so let me share a chili with you. Amanda and I made this last Thursday after work and it was excellent. I hope you like spicy food…

Spicy White Bean and Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lb. ground chicken
• 2 tbsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 (15 oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 (32 oz.) container fat-free, low-sodium chicken stock
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for topping
• Sriracha, for extra heat!

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the ground chicken, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and salt.  Stirring frequently, cook until the chicken is cooked through.  Add the beans, kale, corn, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. Top with Parmesan cheese and Sriracha!

Can we talk about Sriracha for a minute? I’ve tried it a couple times in the past and liked it, but while Amanda and I were housesitting, I become obsessed. I think we went through half a bottle in the 5 days we were at her parents’. We put it on everything: this chili, breakfast sandwiches, avocado dip, and veggie burgers. There were several times this weekend that we were at the table eating with tears popping out of our eyes, wiping our noses from the burn. It’s so hot, but so good you can’t stop!

I even put this book on hold at the library, so don’t be surprised if you see a lot of Sriracha recipes in the near future.

Are you a fan of Sriracha hot sauce?

What’s your favorite thing to put it on?

Black Bean Company–Mt. Pleasant location

Late July, Black Bean Company opened a third location in Mt. Pleasant. Though the restaurant is right up my alley, I’d only been to the James Island location once because it’s a bit far. When I heard the news about their location in the new MUSC East Cooper building, I was excited to give it a second try. Black Bean specializes in fresh wraps and salads and has many vegetarian and vegan options.

Last Friday, Amanda texted me saying she had just picked up a wrap. I knew there was no way I couldn’t go after hearing her tell me how great her Black & Blue wrap was. So an hour later, there I was inside MUSC, thankfully only for a wrap and not hospitalization.

I debated between several options, but ultimately chose the Southwest Chicken wrap – Roasted chicken, black beans and Jasmine rice, fresh local sweet corn, roasted tomatoes, southwest chipotle sauce, shredded carrots, parmesan cheese, mixed greens.

This was one of their pricier wraps, at $9.95; that’s a bit steep for my taste. The wrap itself was fresh and flavorful. The Greek yogurt and granola that I chose as a side (other options include potato or macaroni salad) was incredibly thick and creamy. Addictive. My only qualm was that they skimped on the corn and tomatoes. There were only a few kernels of corn and TWO tomato chunks. Odd. The spicy dressing had a nice kick to it.

Over the weekend, I was wishing Black Bean was open, but this particular location is only open Monday-Friday, 8 to 5 pm. Luckily I work from home on Mondays, so, you guessed it…I went back on Monday.

This time around I ordered The International – turkey, hummus, guacamole, artichoke hearts, pico de gallo, goat cheese, Spicy Goddess sauce, mixed greens.

I really liked this wrap as well, but it had the same issue with lack of ingredients. There was ONE artichoke and ONE chunk of guac in the entire wrap. Sad! They were pretty liberal with the cheese though, and I didn’t mind that.

Last year when I attended the Best of Charleston party, I was given a coupon for a free order of Vegan spring rolls, so I redeemed that.

The spring rolls are simply purple cabbage, carrots, and greens in a soy wrap served with a spicy sauce. They’re good, but kind of boring. Had it not been for the sauce, I wouldn’t have really cared for them.

Overall, I’m happy with Black Bean and will continue to try new wraps. I just wish they wouldn’t be so conservative with the fillings! If a menu says something is in a wrap, it should be in there, and not just a small amount. I read reviews on Urbanspoon, and a lot of people commented saying they had issues with missing ingredients too. Hopefully they’ll work on that!

Have you ever been to any of the Black Bean locations? Which is your favorite wrap or salad?

Do you typically choose wraps or salads when dining out1?

Do you fancy a fancy dinner?

I feel absolutely miserable. So miserable I can't even say the whole word, so for now I am MIS. Three syllables is just too much, right?  I have had this silly cough for over 2 weeks and now I'm suffering from Spring allergies. Is Mother Nature out to get me? I recycle and use a Camelbak. I thought we were friends?

When I'm sick I become an extreme introvert and want to hide under a blanket. Weird. Despite this temporary state of introversion, I couldn't resist Lucy's invitation to eat dinner with her family. Those Brits are fun. I may not understand half of Lucy's dad's jokes nor am I able to pull off the card trick he taught me, but I have enjoyed spending time with them while they are here on "holiday."

For an appetizer, we had toasted French bread topped with a lovely mixture of tomatoes, red onion, garlic, virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and salt & pepper.

I ATE RED ONIONS AND I LIKED IT. Or maybe I’ve lost my sense of taste?

We also had an arugula salad with pear, pine nuts, and flaked parmesan tossed in a honey balsamic vinaigrette. Lucy’s uncle took one bite of the salad and said, “This cheese is sock cheese!” Funky?

All five of my senses were revived once Lucy’s mom started making our main dish. Believe your eyes – this is beet risotto.

She boiled the beets in water with a couple tablespoons of each balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. She reserved the beet juice and, along with white wine and thyme, added it to the Arborio rice. Many stirs later and topped with a dollop of goat cheese, we had our risotto!

After dinner, Lucy and I took some stale pita chips out back for the ducks. It was so pretty out tonight.

I'm so glad I didn't stay home under a blanket. Lucy's dad made me laugh so much I forgot I was sick. He really likes getting his photo taken. Here he is showing off a poster from the race he and Lucy's uncle sailed in.

Here he is posing with the vanilla granola he picked up from Whole Foods. This doesn't even have anything to do with dinner?!?

And later he made a really special face as he brought Lucy's and my dessert outside.

Love,

The American.