Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

Our local run store,  Run In , hosted their first annual Chili Cook Off on Saturday afternoon. We could not pass up the opportunity to use our crock pot (and make our house smell yummy) so we entered the cook-off with our "Meat - ain't no body got time for that" chili (vegetarian).   My only role in making this chili was soaking the bag of mixed beans/lentils over night.  Not too hard of a job!  Karel took care of the rest as he always makes a GREAT vegetarian chili for us to yum over. As you can see from the picture above, he includes the traditional chili recipe ingredients, like peppers, onion and beans but in addition, celery root, parsnips and leeks (very European). He uses a mix of spices for flavor but the key is sauteing and cooking all the veggies on a skillet (with olive oil) first before letting the crock pot take over with the beans. Cooking the veggies on the skillet brings out a lot of flavor.  While this may not be your ...

Brrrrr, it's cold out! When the weather makes your bones cold, you know it's time to get out a big pot (or crockpot) so you can make yourself a big bowl of chili.  I love chili. And this is coming from a vegetarian! When it comes to making chili, here are a few tips to consider when making your favorite chili recipe: -Soak your bean mix (I use Goya 15-bean mix) overnight. Although this step isn't necessary, especially if using a pressure cooker, soaking the beans will decrease overall cooking time (without sacrificing flavor) and will make beans more digestible (reducing gas/bloating).  -To enhance the flavor of chili , s autée  onions, mushrooms, peppers and garlic in a skillet before adding to the pot. You can still add raw veggies but this step will really take the flavors up a notch.  -Season early. Although it's hard to know how much herbs and spices to add to give the chili the right flavor (without it being overloaded), you are l...