erebus chili.

it's been a while since we took a hike with crosbi and we've been feeling bad about that. we decided to stay close to home and head up to what i still call knapp estate. it's a large parcel of land on the east side of lake george that the state of new york purchased from the knapp family around 1941.
we chose to hike erebus mountain. unfortunately, nothing of interest happened. except for the fact it rained. we aren't even sure we summited. here is one of the few good pictures we took.

a chilly and wet fall day screams for a bowl of chili, so there was no question what dinner would be.
here is my basic recipe, adapted over time from Robin Robertson's book, Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. please note that when i say basic, i really mean it, as i change/add to it every time i make it.

29 ounce can of tomato puree
three 15 ounce cans of beans, drained and rinsed (i usually use black, garbanzo & kidney)
1 can chipotle in adobo sauce
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup frozen corn
3 fresh chile peppers, diced
3 TBSP vegetable oil
14 ounces Gimme Lean ground "beef" (or your choice of veggie "meat")
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
black pepper to taste
1/2-1 cup water

place the tomato puree in a slow cooker. add cumin, cayenne, paprika, allspice, black pepper and cinnamon. add two tablespoons of the adobo sauce and two diced chipotles. add beans and corn.

saute the onions, chile peppers and garlic in the vegetable oil for a few minutes over medium high heat. add the "beef" and saute for a few more minutes. if you use Gimme Lean then be sure it gets "chopped up" into small pieces. add to slow cooker.

set slow cooker to high and add 1/2 cup water. add more water to achieve desired thickness.

cook for 4+ hours.