White Bean and Apple Chili

This is another excellent Stephanie O'Dea recipe. The original can be found here. I have pretty good success with her recipes. She keeps the spices pretty tame for her kids, so I typically have to kick it up a few notches. Unfortunately, I kicked this soup up more than a few and it was too spicy for the kids. 

2 cans of white beans, drained and rinsed (or dried beans soaked overnight and then rinsed)

1 onion, chopped 

2 apples, chopped, no need to peel

3 cloves chopped garlic 

3 T butter

2 tsp chili powder 

1/2 tsp ground thyme 

1 tsp cumin 

1/4 tsp salt 

1/4 tsp pepper 

3 cups stock (I used chicken stock because I still have a ton in the freezer)

1/2 cup plain yogurt 

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

Put the butter into the bottom of your slowcooker. Dump in the drained and rinsed beans. Add the onion, apple, and garlic. Add the spices, and pour in the broth. Stir in the yogurt.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours. I used dried beans, so it took a little longer than 8 hours for the beans to cook. When everything is tender use an immersion blender and blend a few times to thicken the soup. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Serve with Homesteader Cornbread.

Can you tell I'm playing with lighting techniques?

Review - This was good, but better the second night for one of two reasons, either a) the chili powder calmed down or b) my taste buds were still numb from the night before. This soup was not supposed to be spicy. When I make it again I won't free-pour the chili powder. I also think I'll skip the butter. I love butter, a lot, but I'm not sure it really added anything to this soup. 

The first night was too spicy for me. I added a dollop of plain yogurt to try and kill some of the fire, but it didn't work. There was a lot of water consumed and a lot of nose wiping. Sorry, was that TMI? For those of you who are afraid of trying savory dishes with fruit in them, don't be. You couldn't taste the apple at all. It adds the slightest hint of sweetness, but it's barely noticeable. Jay really liked this soup, heat and all. I didn't even try to give this to the kids because that would have been mean. Instead they ate frozen peas, apple slices and crackers with peanut butter.