Vegetarian Slow Cooker Chili

I realized the other day that I had 178 recipes pinned to my Recipes board on Pinterest.  Of these 178 I had made approximately none.  Ok maybe three...ish.  But why am I hoarding recipes if I'm not going to make them?

So since I'm out of the cast and into the annoying-ass boot (which, by comparison, is awesome, but still may befall a fate which will render it accidentally and unavoidably...um...burned) I've decided I need to start cooking again.

So I started out slow and easy, with an easy slow cooker recipe.

I saw a post on Skinny Ms.' Skinny Slow Cooker Facebook page showing a delicious looking Chicken & Dumplings recipe which, like most slow cooker recipes, called for a cooking time of 6-8 hours.  I commented that it looked great but it would be burned before I got home from work and two things happened:

The site admin posted a bunch of recipes which called for more like 8-10 hours.

I found out that they make slow cookers with timers just for this reason.  Who knew?

So last weekend I bought the ingredients for both that chicken & dumplings recipe and a chili recipe which had a significantly longer cooking time.   And I committed to cooking and writing about it.

And...here we are.

I made this chili recipe for last night's dinner, but instead of using ground turkey I used six Boca All American Flame Grilled Burgers, and I opted for the vegetable broth option, making the recipe vegetarian.  If not for the cheese in the Boca burger it might be vegan but, alas, no.

I cooked it a total of 10 1/2 hours and when I got home I was disappointed to find that it appeared to be burned.  But when I stirred it I found that it was fine.  A tinch on the dry side, but I only used 1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth and the recipe says to use 2 cups if you prefer a thinner chili.

Being the OCD numbers geek that I am, I ran the nutritionals and it comes in a bit higher calorie than Skinny Ms' version.  Next time I might cut back to four boca burgers, because it was super...umm..?  faux-meaty?  And maybe next time I'll use water.

The best thing about slow cooking, aside from good food, is coming home to a house that smells like Becky Homecky has been slaving away all day in your kitchen, and this definitely fit the bill for that.  Making some nice homemade (or even a Jiffy mix) cornbread would have enhanced the effect, but my Friday was just a big ol' dollop of cold gravy topping on a shit sandwich of a week, so I stopped at Giant Eagle and got some of their pre-made cornbread muffins.

Becky Homecky can kiss my ass.

So 10 minutes after I walked in the door I was on the couch with my feet up, wearing my jammies, with a nice a hot bowl of clean-eating, healthy, low-ish calorie, extremely tasty chili that includes no ingredients that ever had a face.

And to think some people go OUT on Friday night.

Served on my bejammied lap with cornbread mixed in, as God intended chili to be served.

It was so good I'm having it again tonight.  

Oh yeah, and today I bought a crock pot with a timer.  Because really who DOESN'T need three slow cookers?  

Chicken & dumplings here I come. 

You Say Obsession. I say....well, yeah..Obsession

First....I am in a MUCH MUCH MUCH better mood today than I was the last time I wrote. Because holy CRAP was that ever a gigantic bummer-y bummer or what?

Getting my stupid birthday behind me probably helped a bunch with my mood.  And my super duper awesome friends who have come and got me out of this depressing-ass house have brought enormous relief to my woe-is-me-ness.  And the fact that I have only nine days before my cast will (the doctor said MIGHT but trust me...it fucking WILL) come off and I will be able to get places without being a pain in the ass to all involved.  And finally because I have found a few more things to keep my brain busy.  But the thing is that when one is home-bound the majority of the time, it's really hard to walk away from something that is good and doesn't cost a bunch of money or make your ass wider (it's hard to walk way from the things that DO cost a bunch of money or make your ass wider, but let's not talk about that, mnkay?) so there are times when I realize holy crap I just watched six episodes in a row of The Good Wife, is that healthy? Is this an obsession?  Yes (obsession) and no (healthy)....but throwing myself down the basement steps isn't super healthy either and that might well have happened if I didn't find a way out of the funk I was in...so we make do.

So yeah, The Good Wife.  Holy crap why didn't anyone tell me how great this show is?  Ok yeah someone did but I don't like her so why would I listen?  Oh and if YOU told me about it, I don't mean you.  You're awesome.  Clearly I just don't pay attention.  Bygones.

John Green and, less specifically, Vlogbrothers (ok yes that link was from Brotherhood 2.0.  Don't be difficult.  It's the same guys).  These guys vlog several times a week....and they talk really fast.  I blog maybe once a month and it takes me FOR. FREAKING. EVER.  They, therefore, are brilliant.

Broscience.  Funny stuff.  And it's as close as I can come to going to the gym right now.

Firefly. Because it's awesome.  But it does it make me sad that something with such brilliant dialogue could be cancelled after only 14 episodes.  What's wrong with the world?  Sigh.

Not a NEW obsession but OH MY GOD YOU GUYS ALLIE BROSH IS BLOGGING AGAIN!!!  All is right in the world.  Maybe.  Almost.

Why are you still here?  I just pointed you to oodles and oodles of awesomeness!!!

Today's lunch:  Garden Lites Veggie Chili & Cornbread Melt.  Looks NOTHING like this...but tastes really good.