Eating well is a habit I learned later in life.
As a sixth-grade kid back at Fram Township School No. 3 in Wellsburg, N.D., my favorite teacher, Margie Weisser, once advised me not to wolf down my lunch, if for no other reason than to better enjoy the taste of the food.
And although it pains me to admit it, there were times when I was living alone that my main dinner course was cold spaghetti straight from the can, perhaps washed down with a mediocre beer (nothing but India Pale Ale these days).
But as a result of a quarter-century of being around Dorette Kerian, a wonderful cook, my attitude has changed. In fact, there are quite a number of dishes I can cook from scratch.
One is Texas Two-Bean Chili made in the slow cooker.
The recipe is from the legendary vegetarian Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, N.Y. If it’s still in business, I intend to pay homage in person someday to its chef, David Hirsch.
I won’t get into the fine details of the recipe here (if you’re interested, private message me and I’ll mail you a copy).
A list of the ingredients will give you an idea of what makes this dish manna from heaven.
Olive oil, onion, garlic, jalapeno, red and/or green bell peppers, celery, cumin, oregano, diced carrots, finely chopped tomatoes, barbeque sauce, canned black and red beans, with grated Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, crumbled tortilla chips and hot sauce on the side.
Don’t tell Hirsch, but I’ve been known at times to add some thinly sliced Italian sausage.
