My first job was as a housekeeper at the Fairmont Empress, which is a job I held all through high school, university and the start of my teaching career.  It was the best job I could have ever asked for and one that I am so thankful to have had.  Working at the hotel taught me the power of hard work, how to work under pressure and how to interact with people from all over the world.  All the while I got the opportunity to work with my best friend Sarah and meet some of the more exceptional people I now have the pleasure of knowing.  That being said I had to quit earlier this spring as we prepare to move to New York.  So last night we had a little Empress Housekeeping get together at our house so that we could catch up on the latest hotel news and warm our new home with those we cherish.

We lazed on the lawn in our back yard with some appies, homemade black bean chili and a few glasses of wine.  This chili was a hearty, rich vegan recipe that is simmered in the slow cooker for 8 hours.  With virtually no hands on prep time and yielding lots of leftovers when cooked for two people, this dish has become one of our staple meals for busy weeks.

Jay is a carnivore while I am a pescatarian , so we have become adept at combining our differing diets at meal time.  So with this in mind for last night’s meal I set up a chili.  The chili itself was vegan and I laid out an assortment of fresh chives, parsley and cilantro from our garden, hot sauces, spiced pulled chicken, taco chips, cheese, sour cream, avocado and crushed chilies for them to choose from.  The result was a chili that suited everyones preferences and dietary needs -whether vegetarian, vegan, (almost) paleo, dairy free or gluten free.  I would  have to say the meal was a hit because even after doubling the recipe there wasn’t any left to spare.

Slow Cooked Black Bean Chili

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 cups of diced tomatoes
• 3 bell peppers
• 1 red onion
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp of ginger root
• 1 tsp of red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp of chili powder
• ¼ tsp of fresh ground chili
• 2 tsp of cumin
• 2 tsp of oregano
• ½ tsp of paprika
• 1 tbsp of soy sauce
• ½ cup of salsa
• 2 cans of black beans
• 1 can of kidney beans
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 cup of corn

Directions

1. Dice the tomatoes, bell peppers and onions and add to the bowl of a slow cooker.
2. Finely, mince the garlic and ginger and add to the chili.
3. Add all the red pepper flakes, chili powder, fresh ground chili, cumin, oregano and paprika.
4. Stir in the soy sauce and salsa.
5. Turn on the slow cooker on low and cook for 7 and a half hours.
6. Stir in the black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas and corn.  Then cover and let cook for another 30 minutes.