With winter in full swing now, weekends are mostly spent indoors doing projects around the home, enjoying time with your family or perhaps having friends or family over to watch a football game on TV. It’s always nice to have a tasty snack while spending that time at home with friends and family.
If nacho chips and dip and a steaming bowl of chili sound like something you’d enjoy on one of those cold, winter days, here are two recipes you may like to try. They are both fast and easy to prepare.
REFRIED BEAN DIP
2 cups (or one 16-ounce can) refried beans
1 cup (about 4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons taco sauce (to taste)
Tortilla chips
In a small pan, mix together refried beans, cheese, onion, salt and taco sauce. Cook, uncovered, over low heat, stirring, until heated.
Keep warm and serve with tortilla chips to dip. Makes about 3 cups.
THREE-BEAN TACO CHILI
2 pounds ground beef
2 cups water
1 (16-ounce) can refried beans
1 (16-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (16-ounce) can chili beans, undrained
1 (15.5-ounce) can golden or white hominy
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup chunky salsa
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 (2 1/4-ounce) can sliced ripe olives, drained, divided
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes (for garnish)
A few sprigs of fresh cilantro (for garnish)
In a Dutch oven, cook the beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
Stir in the water, beans, hominy, tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa, taco seasoning. Reserve 1 tablespoon of ripe olives for garnish and add the rest to the chili, along with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Garnish with 1/3 of the chopped tomatoes, a sprinkling of the shredded cheddar cheese and a few sprigs of cilantro.
Ladle servings of chili into serving bowls and evenly divide remaining sliced olives, cheddar cheese and chopped tomatoes for a garnish on top of each serving bowl.
Brotherton offers website readers one stellar recipe a week in the “My Leader Yummy” feature. Looking for a recipe you can’t find? Email me at kbrotherton42@gmail.com and I’ll see if I have it.
