Bean Chili Holiday Gift

A hearty holiday gift basket that’s as beautiful as it is delicious to cook and eat.

Turn this meatless stew into a hearty meal with the addition of diced ham or pulled meat from a rotisserie chicken.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup great northern white beans
• 1/2 cup split green peas
• 3/4 cup black beans
• 2 cans (14.5 oz. ea) fire roasted tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup red kidney beans
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1/2 cup pinto beans
• 10 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 3/4 cups dried Shitake mushrooms
• 1/4 cup dehydrated onion, minced
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 1/2 teaspoons dehydrated parsley
• 1 teaspoon dehydrated garlic, minced
• 10 cups water
• Salt, as needed
• 1 loaf baguette (optional)
• 3 ounces Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation

• 1 PREPARATION OF GIFT BASKET:
• 2 In a 6 cup glass mason jar, carefully add beans in layers starting with red kidney beans and ending with pinto beans.
• 3 Place unwrapped bouillon cubes on pinto beans and cover with dried mushrooms.
• 4 Close lid and secure over mushrooms.
• 5 In a clear bag or sachet, layer black pepper, parsley and minced onion. Secure bag to jar with ribbon.
• 6 Arrange in a gift basket with two cans of diced tomatoes, a baguette and wedge of Parmesan cheese.
• 7 PREPARATION OF BEAN CHILI MEAL (Cooking Instructions):
• 8 Remove dehydrated mushrooms and bouillon cubes from top of jar.
• 9 Empty all of the beans, peas and lentils into a large cooking pot and cover with water to a level 2 inches over the beans.
• 10 Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, skim and discard foam. Set aside for 2 to 3 hours.
• 11 Once beans have hydrated and softened, drain and rinse them. Add 10 cups of water, bouillon cubes, seasonings, mushrooms and tomatoes.
• 12 Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 to 2 hours until beans are tender. Adjust seasoning with additional salt if desired.
• 13 Split the baguette, shred the cheese. Cover baguette halves with cheese, melt cheese on the baguette in a hot oven and serve with remaining cheese to garnish chili.