Vegetarian
Chili tastes so much better if left to slowly cook in a thermal cooker so please don’t rush this recipe.
Chili con carne (chili with meat) or more commonly known as simply “chili” is a spicy stew containing chili peppers, meat, tomatoes, often beans with seasoning’s that may include garlic, onions, coriander, cumin and paprika. To get a really good tasting chili it is important not too skimp on the amounts of these spices.
My venison chili con carne recipe, cooked without power in an energy saving thermal cooker is easy and quick to prepare and can be made for supper any day of the week. The recipe can also be cooked in a slow cooker or crock pot but it with both of these methods, unlike the energy saving thermal cooker, it will need a power source for the slow cooking process.
If you don’t want to use venison you could use beef, chicken or pork. For a vegetarian version you could substitute the venison for a selection of different beans and use a vegetable stock cube or my favourite a vegetable Knorr Stock Pot. I however put venison the top of my favourite chili list and it is certainly worth trying.
You should be able to get venison mince on line or from your butcher but if you have problems you can purchase it on line. In the recipe I have used tinned kidney beans but if you would prefer to use dried remember to soak the kidney beans overnight (a minimum of 5 hours) before boiling for a minimum of 10 minutes to make sure you remove any toxins which can make you ill.
Serve the venison chili cooked in your energy saving thermal cooker, slow cooker or crock pot on a bed of rice and topped with sour cream or grated cheddar cheese and you will have the ultimate comfort food.
Happy thermal cooking,
Mr D
ingredients
- 1½ cup of rice
- 3 cups of water
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 1 small chili, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 200g chopped smoke bacon pieces
- 500g minced venison
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 70g tomato purée
- 200 ml water
- 1 beef stock cube
- 400g tin kidney beans, drained
- salt and pepper
method
- Heat the rapeseed oil in the inner pot over a medium-high heat and add the bacon pieces and cook until they start to crisp slightly.
- Add the onion, chili and garlic. C cook until the onion softens.
- Add the venison and cook until it colours.
- Stir in the cumin, coriander and smoked paprika and cook for a minute.
- Add the tin of tomatoes, tomato purée, water, stock cube and kidney beans.
- Bring to the boil stirring occasionally.
- Turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and place the inner pot into the vacuum-insulated outer Thermal container.
- Shut the lid and leave while you start the rice in the top pot. If not using a top pot leave to cook for a minimum of 2 hours.
- Add the rice and water to the top pot and bring to the boil, stir and turn down the heat and simmer for 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat, open the vacuum-insulated outer Thermal container and place the top pot into the inner pot.
- Put the lid on the top pot and shut the lid of the outer container.
- Leave to thermal cook without power for a minimum of 2 hours.
- Serve the chili on a bed of rice with a spoonful of sour cream or grated cheddar cheese on top.
Other Venison Recipes
Continue reading about The Best Venison Chili – Cooked in Mr Ds Thermal Cooker
Mr Ds TV is now up and running after a complete re-vamp so if you would like to see how the Mr Ds Thermal Cooker works and ideas as to what you can cook in it the site is well worth a visit.
So far there are 26 videos on the site. Some are showing how to cook in a Mr Ds Thermal Cooker and other how to cook in a Thermos Shuttle Chef. Both of these cookers are the same size and perform in the same way so you can use either.
Over the next few months I will be adding a lot more videos and these will include ideas for November the 5th (firework night in UK), Christmas pudding and cake making and just after Christmas how to make marmalade in a thermal cooker. I am also along side a good friend Paul Peacock from City Cottage looking at how we can use a Mr D’s to make cheese.
One area I am very keen to cover is recipes for our vegetarian friends. Although I have in the past done a few I have been remiss lately and not published one for many, many months. I have a number waiting to be published so to address this you can expect to see some in the coming months.
Finally if you want to automatically find out when new videos have been released please subscribe to Mr Ds TV.
Happy thermal cooking
Mr D
Continue reading about Revamped site for Thermal Cooking Video Recipes now up and running
DAY FIVE – Lentil and Cheese Roast.
This is a delicious dish and will be loved by both vegetarians and non vegetarians. On a hot summer day this will be the perfect accompaniment to a fresh green salad.
I have used a tin of ready cooked green lentils but you can use dried if you prefer. You will of course have to boil them and let them cool before adding them to the mixture.
To make this loaf you will need a loaf or pate tin that fits in the inner pot. The tin will need a cover of Eco friendly aluminium foil to stop the droplets of water from dripping on the surface of the roast. I used a Mr D’s bread tin, which has a lid and therefore is ideal.
INGREDIENTS
- oil or butter to coat the inside of the loaf tin
- 100g fresh breadcrumbs, toasted until they are golden colour
- 225g tin green or red lentils, cooked and drained. If you are cooking your own they must be allowed to become cold before adding to the mixture.
- 225g grated vegetarian cheddar cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 leek, finely chopped
- 125g mushrooms, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
METHOD
- Grease the loaf tin well and coat with half the toasted breadcrumbs making sure that they stick to the sides.
- In a bowl mix together all the rest of the ingredients.
- Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin. Smooth the surface and cover with a layer of the toasted breadcrumbs.
- Cover the tin either with Eco friendly aluminium foil or a lid.
- Put a trivet in the inner pot and place the loaf tin on it.
- Fill with hot water ¾ of the way up the side of the tin.
- Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer.
- Put on the lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and place the inner pot into the insulated outer container.
- Shut the lid and thermal slow cook without power for a minimum of 4 hours. It can be left longer.
- Serve hot with cooked vegetable or cold with salad.
Continue reading about Lentil and Cheese Roast cooked in Mr D’s Thermal Cooker
DAY FOUR – Thai Red Curry with Cashew Nuts.
The curry dishes of Thailand are eaten with plain jasmine rice or kanom jeen (round rice noodles). This helps to reduce the heat and the intensity of the flavors.
Curry is eaten like soup and diners normally share a bowl of curry which is accompanied by dishes with mild, salty, bitter and sweet tastes.
There are dozens of different types of curries in Thailand. They vary by the use of different types of curry pastes, the addition of coconut or water and different combinations of ingredients.
Although I have used a ready made red curry paste for this recipe I have also included a list of ingredients for those who wish to make your own. All you will need to do is grind all the ingredients together in a large pestle and mortar.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tbsp red curry paste (if you are not making your own)
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 400 ml tin of coconut milk
- 1 kaffir lime leaf
- ½ tsp light soy sauce
- 60g baby corn cobs, halved length ways
- 125g broccoli florets
- 125g French green beans, cut into 5 cm lengths
- 25g cashews nuts
- 15 fresh basil leaves
- 1 tbsp coriander, chopped
- 1 tbsp roasted peanuts, to garnish
Red Curry Paste (if you want to make your own)
- 7 fresh red chillies
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 2.5 cm piece galangal, chopped
- ½ stalk lemon grass, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- grated rind of 1 lime
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
METHOD (this recipe needs very little simmering before putting the inner pot into the outer container. If you simmer for too long it will break up the broccoli.)
- Over a medium heat, add the red curry paste and the onion. Cook for 2 minutes stirring frequently.
- Add the coconut milk and bring to the boil.
- Add the light soy sauce, baby corn cobs, broccoli florets, French green beans and the cashews nuts. Put on the lid (if using the top pot for the rice use it instead of the lid).
- Bring back to the boil then turn down to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes maximum.
- Turn off the heat and put the inner pot into the insulated outer pot. Leave to thermal slow cook without power for 2 hours.
- Before serving, remove the kaffir lime leaf and stir in the basil and coriander.
- Serve with jasmine rice and garnish with peanuts.
If cooking rice in a top pot – put 1 cup of washed jasmine rice and 1½ cups of water in the top pot. Bring to the boil, stir, put on the lid and turn off the heat. At stage 3 above, instead of putting on the lid, use the top pot as the lid and then continue to stage 4.
Continue reading about Thai Red Curry with Cashew Nuts cooked in Mr D’s Thermal Slow Cooker
