101 Chilies to Try Before You Die: Book Review

I recently received a copy of the new book by chile savant David Floyd called 101 Chilies to Try Before You Die. It's a small book at only 4.5 x 7 inches, and one that I'd classify as a reference book. Filled with facts about chilies that span the Scoville scale, it's not just for heat seekers and chile heads, though I imagine it would be a welcome addition to their library.

Stuffed, Wrapped JalepeñO for Ovarian Cancer Awareness

When I saw this post by Cathy of The Dutch Baker's Daughter, I was very inspired to get involved and show my support for Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, as well. I do not know anybody who has directly suffered from Ovarian Cancer, but I know that it can affect myself or someone I know and love in the blink of an eye. Knowledge is power.

A while back I saw these tempting Jalapeños cooked up by someone, somewhat popular. I know that you know that that was tongue-in-cheek. Everybody knows The Pioneer Woman.


Stuffed & Wrapped JalapeñO's
Jalapeño Peppers- halved lengthwise, remove seeds & ribs...leave a few for heat, if you wish
Cream Cheese- HOMEMADE or store bought
Bacon- cut into 3rds (2 pcs. for every 3 jalapeños)

Preheat your oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with foil and slide a rack on top.
Line up your ingredients and begin by packing some cream cheese into each jalapeño half. Next, wrap each stuffed half with a piece of the bacon. You can secure with a toothpick if you'd like.

Or simply place on prepared baking sheet.

Place in oven and bake 20-25 minutes...until the bacon is perfectly browned and melded to the outside of the chili. Eat 'em hot or at room temp....as a snack...or made as a component of a whole meal like this... A friend of ours made a huge batch of tamales. I adore tamales, especially when you heat them on a comal until the outsides are golden and crisp and the innards are all warm and toothsome!!Simply plate them up with some salsa and a dollop of crema, sour cream or even homemade cream cheese (like I did...to bring them together with the jalapeños...which I used as a sort of garnish) and add a few stuffed, wrapped jalapeños and you've got an amazing, soul warming, mouth watering meal!

Want a bite?

O Foods Contest for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and for the second year in a row, Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso are hosting the O Foods Contest to raise awareness of this important health issue.
There are TWO WAYS to take part in the O Foods Contest:
ONE: Post a recipe to your blog using a food that starts or ends with the letter O (e.g., oatmeal, orange, okra, octopus, olive, onion, potato, tomato); include this entire text box in the post; and send your post url along with a photo (100 x 100) to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on Monday, September 28, 2009.
PRIZES for recipe posts:
◦1st: Signed copy of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen by Gina DePalma, Executive Pastry Chef of Babbo Ristorante in NYC, who is currently battling ovarian cancer, inspired this event, and will be choosing her favorite recipe for this prize;
◦2nd: Signed copy of Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home by Mario Batali (winner chosen by Sara);
◦3rd: Signed copy of Vino Italiano: The Regional Italian Wines of Italy by Joseph Bastianich (winner chosen by Michelle).
OR
TWO: If you’re not into the recipe thing, simply post this entire text box in a post on your blog to help spread the word and send your post url to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on Monday, September 28, 2009.
Awareness posts PRIZE:
◦One winner chosen at random will receive a Teal Toes tote bag filled with ovarian cancer awareness goodies that you can spread around amongst your friends and family.
———
From the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:

◦Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women; a woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 67.
◦The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and subtle, making it difficult to diagnose, but include bloating, pelvic and/or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly; and urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency).
◦There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms.
◦In spite of this, patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years. Only 19% of cases are caught before the cancer has spread beyond the ovary to the pelvic region.
◦When ovarian cancer is detected and treated early on, the five-year survival rate is greater than 92%.
Please help spread the word about ovarian cancer.
Together we can make enough noise to kill this silent killer.

Whew...it's HOT in here! Chile Pepper Roundup & Giveaway Winners!

It all began on the first day of May with this simple plate of Chile Rellenos. I'd only recently had the pleasure of winning a copy of a fabulous new Tex-Mex cookbook by Gloria Chadwick called Foods and Flavors of San Antonio...when Gloria asked me if I'd like to do a giveaway so that someone else could have their very own copy of her book. Well, yeah!! Since May is National Chile Pepper month, and since Tex-Mex cooking uses plenty of chile peppers, I decided to make turn this giveaway into a month-long event. I send out a call for all of your fabulous recipes made (mostly) during the month of May that included chile peppers in some shape or form...resulting in a tasty, spicy, amazing Chile Pepper Roundup! So, we have a giveaway...patience...to get to, also. We'll get to that after the Chile Pepper roundup. I want to apologize to a few of you who sent me your links and photos as I could not get a few of the photos to show up clearly, and believe I tried everything!! They were clear if they were the size of a thumbnail, but it was so hard to see them this way, so I made them a bit bigger so hopefully everybody could taste that food right through the screen. Please click on the links and visit these fabulous foodies to see clear, drool-worthy photos- you will not be disappointed. Let's take a look at where it all began, with these tasty Chile Rellenos, straight from the grand-prize cookbook. During the month of May, I made these: And then I used some of those top-blowing habaneros to send you over the edge with Robert Rodriguez's Puerco Pibil... My very own mexichef whirled up some reconstituted dried chiles to make a spicy sauce to brush onto these bolillos and turned them into addicting Pombasos... With all of the heat we've been feeling this month, we headed to the grill and roasted some poblano chiles, peeled them and seeded them, then cut them into strips and ate them in tacos and tossed them in a yummy, grilled Southwest Salad. Next up we have Dee from the blog that spans two countries, Texas to Mexico. Dee used Chiles de Arbol and ground Chipotle chiles (with Thai rice noodles, shrimp and veggies) to bring Cinco de Mayo Drunken Noodles to the table this month. Are you a fan of TV dinners? If not, why not try this amazing dish that includes chopped green chiles and chile powder made by Reeni at Cinnamon, Spice & Everything Nice?! Although Reeni doesn't normally turn to TV dinners, her Santa Fe Style Rice & Beans was inspired by "the best TV dinner known to man." I'm in. From another blog that spans the borders...Mexican American Border Cooking, Teresa brings us bundles of sensory joy with her Asadero Chicken Bundles. Strips of green chiles, chicken and Asadero Cheese..oh my! The ever innovative Karen from Domestic Muse came up with an original way of transforming a guy's love of chili cheese fries into a hearty bowl of Chipotle Cheese-fries Chili. Oh yes, Karen combines Serranos, chipotles in adobo and chipotle chile powder to make a dish you can't (well, I can't) resist...and can I add two more words- tater tots and Velveeta (okay, that's actually 3 words, but you get my drift)!!! Not only does she give amazing restaurant reviews, Natasha also uses and creates food in new and innovative ways! Our favorite 5 Star Foodie brought us her Grilled Lamb Chops with Chipotle Mustard in which she utilized her favorite chile pepper. Don't even get me started on her side of Gorgonzola mashed potatoes... Kristen from Whatcha Eatin? has outdone herself with a big pan of Mexican Casserole...can you say comfort food! Your favorite Mexican flavors are tucked into this tasty dish...can you say green chiles, kidney beans, corn and tomatoes? The Ungourmet (or so she says) used serrano chiles to make an amazing Jerk Chicken with Jamaican rice and Peas! Kim couldn't find a scotch bonnet chile for her dish, but I bet the serrano still brought the heat...I can feel it! Chef E not only cooks us some amazing Tandoor/Tiki BBQ, as is her style...she takes us to school and gives us some good old fashioned learnin'! It seems I never click away from Cook Appeal without some new knowledge under my belt...this round included plenty of ground, dried chiles. Coleen sent a simple, delicious side dish over for the round-up...Chipotle Coleslaw! Refreshing with a kick in the seat...that's my kind of slaw. Head over to Coleen's Recipes to see her work her magic with chipotle chile powder. And next we have, I believe an award winning Roasted Yellow Tomato, Garlic & Fingerling soup from Jennifer at Savor the Thyme. Look for this delicious, heart-warming soup with mouth-warming green chiles at Jennifer's site...in all of it's soup-er glory! Christo aka DoggyBloggy also got busy with the Rellenos...I hear he does that quite often. At Chez What? you have two glorious Chiles Rellenos to choose from...one even includes crab cakes with a delicious "gloppy red-chile mayo"...just throw it all on one plate, I'm not picky! I don't think anything having to do with chile peppers would be complete without a showing of tacos!! Lauren smothered her Cinco de Mayo Chicken Fiesta Tacos with a gorgeous salsa that included pineapple and mango...I bet it complimented the 3 types of chiles (jalapenos, chipotles and chile powder) perfectly! Go visit her at Bytes from Texas and you can be the judge. And let me tell you, it would be a pleasure to have an angel in MY kitchen, especially if it was Alyssa whipping me up a batch of her Chipotle Cheddar Mashed Potatoes! I think I may be able to live on these...I mean, come on...mashed potatoes alone have been a favorite since childhood, but add garlic, cheddar and chipotles and not only does there HAVE to be an Angel in the Kitchen, I imagine it'd be heaven's kitchen. Beans, beans the magical fruit...okay, I totally haven't grown out of that rhyme...but I truly do think beans are magical. Good, good for you, versatile...they are a wonder. Just ask Teresa at A Blog About Food. She found a great recipe for Black Bean Soup that contained Serrano chiles and look how simple & delicious it looks! Do you know somebody who eats hot sauce on everything? I live with somebody like that. Well, I hear that if you make Kathy's No1Here's Hot Sauce, you'll never be able to leave the house without that recipe in hand again! Go check it out at Three on Food and see if you can resist the flavor punch the Serranos give it. I think that the perfect way to wrap up this Chile Pepper Roundup is with a few dishes from the inspiration for this giveaway...Gloria Chadwick from Food and Flavors of San Antonio. The winner not only gets to salivate over her home style Tex-Mex food online, now they can just wipe it up with their very own cookbook containing a zillion (okay not a zillion, but I swear it's close) of her recipes. Here's a preview...you'll find jalapenos in this Chili Carnitas... And you'll encounter some chipotle chile in her Chicken Chimichangas... Why not end full circle with the very same Chile Rellenos, but made in a casserole form... I started the round-up with? Seems fitting to me. I hope you take some time to go visit all of these amazing foodie-bloggers who participated in my very first round-up!! Thanks everybody for sharing your talents with us...and sharing the chile pepper love. And now, the moment we've waited for all month long...the winners of the Giveaway!! Remember, you had several chances to win. You received 1 entry just for being a follower of my blog and leaving me a comment on the original Giveaway post on May 1. You also received 1 entry for being a follower of Gloria's blog and leaving me a comment to let me know. And all of those people who sent over an entry into the round-up...they all received 5 entries just for sending those my way. I used my very own random-draw system...I've used it before and it works flawlessly. The first thing I had to do was write down all of the entries on little slips of paper...130 little slips of paper. I actually do not know where to find a free computer random-draw, so I'll make that sacrifice. A few pins & needles never hurt anybody. So, 4 winners were drawn...1 at a time. And the winners are: 1. Spryte- You won the Foods & Flavors of San Antonio Cookbook! 2. Katy- You won a chile pepper infused sea salt...I know you're not big on spicy, but the salts just add a hint of flavor, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised! 3. Teresa J. (A Blog about Food)- You also won a chile pepper infused sea salt 4. Teresa Cordero Cordell (Mexican-American Border Cooking)- you won some of my favorite mixed, dried chiles...isn't it funny how things work out! Each one of the winners is also getting a cool San Antonio Chile Pepper refrigerator magnet that Gloria sent along for the winners. CONGRATULATIONS LADIES!! Shoot me an email: girlichef at yahoo dot com with your shipping information! Thanks again to all who entered the round-up and everybody else who entered the giveaway...this was so much fun and I hope to do something like it again in the future. :)

Yes, I did it again.

Have you ever had a Pambazo? Well, for those of you who haven't...I recommend trying one. Pronto! If you visit me, even occasionally, you know that I love Mexican food. In all my years of eating it though, I had never even heard of a Pambazo. It is basically a torta (big, awesome sandwich)...where it differs is the bread, or the outside of the bread. It is dipped or painted with a sauce made up of chiles and then fried, well sauteed really until slightly crusty on the outside. It gets your fingers and mouth all red and messy...ah, fun with food! Mexi has been talking about how much he wants one...for what seems like months. So, finally he decided to give it a go. He said they turned out pretty well for his first try, but that they'll be even better next time...bring it on!!!

So, like a sandwich or a torta, you can put anything you like in between the two bread halves. Mexi chose chorizo with papas (potatoes) this time. You can use chicken breast, veggies, pork, steak, ham- You name it! Here's the basic process:

Pambazos

basic ingredients (mix & match as desired):

bolillos or telera bread

dried chiles (such as ancho)

tomato or tomatillo

garlic

Your choice of filling (such as chorizo & potatoes)

various toppings (such as lettuce, avocado, crema, queso)

Make a sauce from some dried chiles, garlic and tomatoes &/or tomatillos by tossing a few some in a pot with a little water and simmering to soften. Mexichef used 1 ancho chile, 1 tomato and couple cloves of garlic. Once they are softened, transfer the solids to a blender with a couple of Tbs. of water (just enough to let the blades move through it all) and some salt to taste; blend until smooth.

In the meantime, get your filling ready. In this case, crumble fresh chorizo into a skillet and cook until browned. At the same time, cook up a couple of potatoes and dice once tender and cool enough to handle. Add the potatoes to the pan with the chorizo.

Next, brush some bolillo or telera bread halves with your chile mixture. Or dip them in (I think we may dip next time). Have a hot, large pan ready. Add a bit of oil, just to coat the bottom then add your chile-covered bread to pan. Let each side crisp up and get some nice, golden color. (This doesn't really show in the photo, but I promise, it happens...and it's goooood.)

Now, add your filling and any other toppings you may like to the inside of one half of the bread. We used avocado, lettuce and crema this time.

Crumble some queso fresco over the top (or just put it inside) and prepare to get messy. Bite, chew, groan, lick your fingers. Repeat.

Thanks for joining me for more Mexican food...and speaking of chiles on this beautiful (yet chilly...ha ha) day in the month of May (National Chile Pepper Month)....if you haven't checked out my GIVEAWAY, full of tasty Chile Pepper Stuff and an awesome Tex-Mex Cookbook by Gloria Chadwick...what are you waiting for?!

Chiles in May and another Giveaway!

Happy May Day to all! May brings many beautiful happenings each year...planting season (here in Northern Indiana), birthdays galore (4 in the family alone!), Cinco de Mayo fiestas, end of the school year, warmer weather...need I continue? There's something in the air around our house; I suppose it could be Spring Fever. But, about this time I start thinking about chiles and what types I am going to put in the earth this year. I love all sorts of chiles whether they are fresh, dried, pickled, used as an ingredient...whatever! Last month, I was fortunate enough to win a copy of a great cookbook by Gloria Chadwick... Foods and Flavors of San Antonio. She also has a blog by the same name (if you did not already know). I grew up loving Mexican food. I love authentic Mexican cuisine, but I also love Tex-Mex (I'm not too picky). It has been so much fun paging through my new cookbook, trying to figure out what to make! Well, with thoughts of chiles on my mind, I chose to make Gloria's Chile Rellenos with Sauce. I still have to run over to the Mexican Supermercado to pick up chiles since it's too early for any to be in my garden, but that's a fun trip for me...I get lost in the market, no matter which kind it is. Okay, a little background on what else has been happening around here...I've been feeling pretty run-down and I finally went to the doctor yesterday and it turns out I have a bit of the flu (not of the swine variety, no worries). I've been getting a bit dizzy and fatigued and need my rest, so after a while of being up I've felt the need to go back down (this will tie into the story later). Chile Rellenos with Sauce by Gloria Chadwick from Foods and Flavors of San Antonio my changes in this color

6 large poblano peppers

3 Tbs. butter

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 1/2 c. coarsely chopped tomatoes

1/2 c. chicken broth

salt and black pepper to taste

1 3/4 c. grated cheddar cheese 12 oz Oaxaca cheese, grated

1 large egg, separated 3 large eggs, separated

1/4 c. flour plateful

1/4 c. vegetable oil 1" deep vegetable oil in pan w/ sides

sour cream

Make a slit down one side of each poblano. Do not cut all the way through. Place them in a 12" skillet over medium, turning frequently until skin blisters. I like to do this over an open flame, so I just put them directly over my gas burners, turning until blackened and blistered. Place them in a plastic bag and seal to keep in steam. Set aside for 20 minutes.

When cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and remove seeds through slits, keeping peppers whole. Dry gently with paper towels and set aside. Gently rub off the skins. I usually do it under slow-running water, it helps. Some people say this washes away some flavor...I don't think so...up to you.

While peppers are cooling, make the sauce. Melt butter in a 10" skillet over medium-low. Add onion and saute until soft, ~7 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 more minutes. Set aside and keep warm. I actually added about 3 scoops of SECRET SAUCE to this step. It's not secret because I don't want to tell you what's in it, it's secret because I DON'T KNOW what's in it...tee hee. Mexichef made it a couple of days ago, and I wasn't paying attention. It's basically dried chiles, garlic, cumin and tomatillos, I believe; all cooked and blended. We like extra heat and that is why I added it.

This is the Oaxaca cheese that is great for melting (it's basically a Mexican version of Mozzarella). Grate it up.

Mold cheese into 6 sausage shaped logs. Insert into each pepper. Fold the pepper tightly around the cheese filling and flatten slightly. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg white until it peaks. Add the yolk and beat to incorporate.

Put the flour on a dinner plate and roll the peppers in the flour to dust them all over. I found it necessary to hold my poblanos closed with a toothpick at this point...they just didn't want to stay shut! Holding the stem of the pepper, carefully twist each poblano in the egg mixture to coat it thickly. Not sure if mine was beaten too thickly or what, but I needed to add a couple more eggs. I would say 1 egg per 2 poblanos. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the poblano peppers, 2 or 3 at a time, for about 3 minutes on each side, using tongs or spatula to turn.

Spoon the sauce onto a dinner plate. Arrange the poblano pepper on top of the sauce and top with a dollop of sour cream. Okay, remember earlier when I told you I've been getting dizzy and fatigued easily with this flu? Well, I started to feel this way while frying the poblanos, so mexichef offered to take over. I was happy that he did, but I didn't tell him how I wanted the poblanos plated (to show off the pepper itself), so they ended up slathered in the sauce instead of sitting on top of it. I didn't have the heart to scold him since he was doing me a favor, so I gladly accepted my (paper!) plate, LOL, and took some photos of the lovely chile rellenos!

These are absolutely delicious. I love that earthy, roasted flavor of roasted chiles! And then add the ooey, gooey cheese filling and a crisped outside with some lovely sauce and I'm in heaven. Yummy, Gloria!

This brings me to my GIVEAWAY! If you think these sounded good and find yourself wondering what other great Tex-Mex recipes are in this book, Foods and Flavors of San Antonio...WONDER NO MORE! Gloria has graciously sent me another copy of her book to give to one of you! Since I'm dreaming of chiles and their many uses, I decided I would LOVE to hear about YOUR favorite uses for chiles...any type of chiles...doesn't have to be Mexican or Tex-Mex...use them anyway YOU like!

1. For 5 (yes 5) entries into this giveaway, a chance to win this cookbook, I would love you to do a blog post using or featuring chiles. Use them in a recipe. Feature your favorite kind in a history lesson. Show us beautiful pictures. Do whatever you like, but be sure to include a mention and link back to THIS POST! Then shoot me a quick email with your permalink and a photo so I can include you in my chile round-up at the end of May (enter by May 27 please)! Remember, this will earn you 5 whole entries!

But, all this talk of chiles has me excited and I thought I would throw in a couple extra prizes. I have a big jar filled with dried chiles. My favorite kinds are the ones that are still pliable...they are so easy to work with, and when I open the jar...ahhhh, a big whiff of earthy delight. Anyway, I thought I'd send a couple of different kinds of dried chiles to another lucky winner.

2. So, for another entry, leave me a comment if you are a follower of this blog (I know who you are, but my random generator will not). Or if you become a follower, leave me a comment letting me know.

3. For yet another entry, head on over to visit Gloria at Foods and Flavors of San Antonio and become a follower of her blog. Come back and leave me a separate comment on this post letting me know that you are her follower also. **quick update: Gloria has added some more heat! Head over to read her latest post and see what she's adding to the winner's prizes!

I think I may actually throw in another prize, as well. Do you remember my post on Sea Salt? Well, many people commented that they'd like to try the Chile Verde sea salt. SALT also carries a Smoked Serrano sea salt and a Habanero Heat sea salt...what do these salts have to do with this post? Yup, they all contain CHILES! So, I'll pick an extra winner or 2 to receive one of these chile-fusion sea salts.

DEADLINE FOR ENTERING IS MAY 27!!!! This gives you almost a whole month to blog up something delicious with Chiles (and mention/link back to this post). Be sure to drop me an email at girlichef (at) yahoo (dot) com to let me know the link to this post and send me a photo...I'll feature all of them in my Chile Roundup and announce the winners at the end of the month!

Sweet and Spicy Chili

A while back, I was one of the fortunate bloggers to be contacted by Diana of POM Wonderful. She asked me if I'd like to try POM....um, YES! I actually had always wanted to try it...don't know why I hadn't gotten around to it yet. Just one of those things, I suppose. When Diana told me she was going to get a case (A CASE!!) shipped out to me, I was super excited. I think this may have been the first "promotional"-type item I was offered as a blogger...and I felt cool. I told hubby.... see, I told you this blogging thing was awesome ...he nodded and smiled. I probably sounded like a gushing-goofball when I thanked Diana and told her I'd let her know as soon as I posted something about POM. She was very kind and though she would no longer be in this position once I posted, she told me to send my info along to Molly and Janny who would be handling all the POM Blogger fun...so, Molly and Janny I am sorry it took me so long....I didn't forget!

When the case of POM arrived, the first thing I did was crack one open and take a big swig....WHOA...tart! But you know what? Addicting. I keep drinking and actually realized I really enjoyed the tartness of the juice. It is sort of reminiscent of cranberry juice, but with more punch to it. I ended up drinking a couple of bottles...the rest survived the move with us...and I finally decided it was long past time for me to figure out what I actually wanted to make with it. I browsed the POM website and was amazed by the number of recipes posted there! I found lots that I wanted to try (of course) and decided I wanted to make chili with it. I liked a chili recipe I saw on the site, but decided to make my own chili recipe somewhat inspired by the one there.

Sweet and Spicy Chili

w/ the flavors of pomegranate, star anise, allspice and peppers

Yield: ~3 quarts

20 oz. ground turkey

3 Tbs. Olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 c. pearl onions, peeled (frozen will work)

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 bell peppers, chopped (preferably several colors)

1-2 jalapenos (to taste), chopped...seeds & all

5 allspice berries

1-2 star anise, whole

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 c. ancho chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 bay leaves

6 oz. can tomato paste (pref. no salt added)

2 c. POM Wonderful juice

1 quart broth/stock (of your choice)

1 can (15 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained

1 can (15 oz) white kidney beans (cannellini), drained

Sea Salt- to taste

Garnish...choose your favorite chili toppings

First, brown your ground turkey in a dutch oven. Add olive oil, then both types of onion and garlic and stir occasionally for a couple of minutes, until just starting to soften. Add bell peppers and jalapenos. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring from time to time.

Grind up your allspice in a mortar.

Add it to the pot, along with your star anise, cinnamon, chili powder, cumin, black pepper and bay leaves. Stir around for a minute or so, letting the spices bloom. Add tomato paste and stir it in good, letting it cook for another minute or so...this will cook down that tomato flavor and make it nice and sweet.

See all that gorgeous color on the bottom of the pan...it is NOT burnt! It is flavor...and it has been building up the whole time you've been adding more ingredients. Add the POM to the pot, stirring up the fond (brown bits) from the bottom as you go along. Let it cook down for another couple of minutes.

Now add your broth/stock to the pot, followed by the beans.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and let it cook, partially covered for about 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for a bit to cool down. Discard cinnamon stick, star anise and bay leaves. Season to taste with salt, if you think it needs it.

Ladle into a bowl.

Garnish with your favorite toppings. I love to add garnish...it brings a note of brightness to compliment the earthy flavors of the chili. I used two types of cheese (have I ever mentioned how much I love cheese?): shredded cheddar and crumbled queso fresco, avocado, cilantro and a few squeezes of lime.

This chili is both sweet and spicy at the same time. The pomegranate and the spices add a sort-of warmth as well as sweet....so it's not a cloying sweetness. The jalapenos with their seeds & ribs and the chili powder bring that underlying heat...you know the kind...it makes your nose run a little while you can't stop yourself from wanting more.

I like to use big, rustic cuts for chili...look at those large chunks of vegetables paired with the gorgeous beans...oh yeah. It is a feast for the eyes and the soul...as well as being satisfying to the tummy.

Do you know that some cultures in history believed the Pomegranate held profound and mystical healing powers? I believe it! I want to say thanks again to the folks at POM Wonderful. I really enjoyed getting to sample your product...and I will definitely buy it on my own.

If you don't believe me, just see what I do next...I'm going to send this over to Deb at Kahakai Kitchens for Souper Sundays, too!!!