Shuga’ Mommas: Recipe for Success, and Chilli Mac!

My husband has been going through a particularly busy patch with grad work this semester and while it is safe to say that I do see him off to work every weekday morning, our time to spend together has all but dwindled to about an hour and a half in the evenings. We make the most of this meaningful time, though: this is when we cook dinner!

Cooking for me is a fairly new endeavor. My husband deserves the accolades for cooking in the past but, given our current season of life – I was excited to step up to the plate (ha!), and have started creating our weekly dinner menus. Because of this, I truly look forward to this time together because it not only gives us a set “dinner date” nearly every night of the week, but also has given me the confidence to do something that I was so weary of before. Sure, we eat a little later than most, but the time we get to spend in the kitchen and subsequent dinner together is totally worth it. I’m even finding that I love all this cooking going on in my kitchen! :-)

The first recipe I want to share is one of our recent favorites. We can usually save some for a following evening because there’s definitely enough for leftovers.

One Pot – Vegetarian Macaroni Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 3 fresh garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb. ground veggie crumbles or ground turkey (I use Lightlife: Smart Ground)
• 2 Tbs chili powder (I used powdered red chile, found at Whole Foods)
• 2 tsp taco seasoning (optional)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) stewed tomatoes
• 1 can rinsed black beans
• 1 ½ Cups macaroni noodles
• 2 ½ Cups water
• 1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for topping

Instructions:

1. In a large pot (I used a dutch oven) heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, green pepper, and garlic. Sauté until softened, approximately 2-3 minutes.
2. Add veggie crumbles or turkey and break into small pieces. Cook until brown.
3. Add chili powder, taco seasoning, cumin, salt, tomatoes, beans, noodles, and water. Stir to combine, bring to a boil and then reduce to a medium low heat.
4. Cook until noodles are soft, approximately 10-12 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese.
6. Serve with more shredded cheese on top.
7. Enjoy!