Now that the weather has started to turn cooler, we're all at the pumpkin patch and it's almost Halloween! We've been dying to start cooking with butternut squash, pumpkin and our fall veggies so I of course, could not wait to make chili and make it vegetarian, cause sometimes (okay most of the times) I don't eat meat. I can live on veggies, legumes and the like but I occasionally have meat. And I cannot nor will I be the meat police to others.  To each his own.

Anywho, I decided to make this chili with what I had in the fridge, cause most of the time I'm cooking for others and forget about eating. That's right. I forget to eat. I'm always at the grocery store, the farmers markets, seafood markets for others and hardly have time (or make time) to prepare my own meals these days. 

I just happen to have a butternut squash, 1 sweet potato, a few organic carrots, a can of corn, black beans, onion and garlic and spices. Viola! The makings of a perfect vegetarian chili, if I do say so myself. May I say, this chili messed with our (my families mostly) heads because the flavors and veggies were way out there when we think of traditional chili. But sometimes I like to go out in left field and do something different. And it really did work. It was a little spicy from the turmeric and chili seasonings, yet the squash, carrots and sweet potato calmed it down, along with the sour cream. I seared the corn at the last minute and threw that on for good measure. It seemed to give it another texture and flavor dimension as well. 

So, if you're feeling a little risky and want to try something super flavorful for Fall this is one great recipe you'll want to try! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did. And, it's so easy to make you can whip it up in no time. Don't forget to comment below and let me know if you're going to make it, or come back and let me know how you liked it or hated it, for that matter :)

​Bon Appetite! 

AUTUMN CHILI RECIPE

Ingredients:
1 small Butternut Squash (peeled and cubed)
1 Sweet Potato (peeled and cubed)
1 - 2 med Carrots (sliced)
(1) 14 oz can of Tomatoes with juice
(1) 14 oz. can of Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
(1) 14 oz. can of Corn (drained)
4 cups of veggie broth
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 small - med onion (chopped)
1 clove of garlic (minced) more if you like garlic
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of coriander
1 tsp of turmeric 
1 Tbsp of chili powder

Top: with sour cream, cheese, and whatever - serve with tortilla chips

Instructions:
Heat your oil in a medium to large dutch oven or soup pot, add your onion saute until translucent, then add garlic for about 5 minutes. Add your seasonings, cook this for about 2 - 3 minutes then add your veggies. Saute this for a few minutes then add your tomatoes, then your beans, then add your veggie stock and bring to a boil. Then turn down to a simmer and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, you don't want to overcook your veggies, you will want them to have a little crunch but to be cooked. While this is cooking, sear your corn in one tablespoon of butter (or coconut oil) on med to high heat to char it. Add your chili to bowl, your cheese, sour cream, and serve with tortilla chips or cracker. 

If you are lazy, you can opt to roast all the veggies with a little oil and salt in the oven at 425 degrees beforehand. Once the veggies are roasted, you can start the chili as above and then add the veggies at the last minute, then cook for about 20 to 25 minutes. You will get a nice roasted flavor but be careful not to overcook as your veggies may come out mushy when you put them with the stock and cook.  But, it still works either way. I chose the lazy way (ha ha). 

When we hear the terms "Personal Chef" and "Private Chef" most of us really don't know how to distinguish the difference. I think sometimes the two get intermingled and thrown into the same pot all too often. I'm here to settle this dilemma! You're welcome. 

A Private Chef is one whose job is to cook / work for one family EXCLUSIVELY. Perhaps they cook all the meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Some may only prepare dinner. The point is, their job is based solely around cooking for that ONE individual or family. If may often include traveling with the family on holidays, cooking for private dinner parties or cocktail parties. They become very closely knit with the family they work with and for. 
When you hire a PRIVATE CHEF you will typically need to be able to pay them a good base salary because this becomes his/hers only job. 

A PERSONAL CHEF, on the other hand, cooks for multiple families per week. He/She will go to 4 to 5 clients homes in a week cooking 4 to 5 entrees for their clients. The Chef could alternately, cook and deliver the food, but either way, every meal is customized specifically with each particular client/family in mind and their individual desires, dietary needs (if any), etc. 

A PERSONAL CHEF may also include other services with their weekly client cook dates such as Private Dinner Parties, Cooking Classes, Meal Planning Services, and Food Coaching and Education on the importance of Healthy Eating. 

That's what we do here at Lean Bean Chef Personal Chef Services. We have specific clients that we cook for exclusively on a weekly basis. Every day is designated to one of our signature clients and we carefully plan out their menu for the week according to their wants, needs and desires. We then pick up the food either at the local farmers market or the local grocery store, and take it to the clients home and prepare the meals that they will eat for the week, which is typically 3 - 5 complete entrees (meals).

For 4 -5 hours a week our clients can have their very own "PRIVATE CHEF" come into their home and make life a little easier and less hectic. The difference being they are responsible for reheating their own food, and we aren't cooking and plating their food for them every evening. 

The food is fresh, of the highest quality and still a major improvement than what you would get from a meal delivery service (a place that makes food in large batches). YOU CAN'T BEAN SMALL BATCHED, HOME-MADE FOOD right from your own kitchen. And, it's fully customized. PLUS, we at Lean Bean Chef strive to search for local, sustainable and organic ingredients, which not only makes the food taste better and fresher, but adds to the nutritional value, overall. The cost of a Personal Chef can range from an hourly rate to a weekly rate but is significantly lower than that of a Private Chef because you pay them to show up at your home EVERY DAY. 

Being a Personal Chef is something I love. The money can be good, but we're talking long hours, hard work which can be physically and mentally draining and very taxing on the body. Think about how long you stand to cook! We at Lean Bean Chef do this every day because we are passionate about what we do and about helping people eat healthier!

If you are struggling with no time left to prepare meals at the end of the day, looking to change your eating habits or would like to learn more about our Personal Chef Services click HERE!

Photo Credit
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This post was written by Susan Avello, Personal Chef at Lean Bean Chef Personal Chef Services in Dothan Alabama - offering Healthy Meal Prep, Meal Planning, Private Cooking Classes, Private Dinner Parties and Education on Healthy Eating. ​

One of my goals to getting healthy was to cut out caffeine! HOLD UP, NOW! I know some of you are saying, "Wait a minute, didn't they just tell us that coffee is now good for us?"

In small, occasional cups there is possibly a case to be made for some benefits to coffee. If it’s fresh, high-quality and ideally organic (regular coffee is one of the most pesticide-intensive crops in the world) then studies have shown that it can improve alertness and long term it may reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, gallstones, and even kidney stones for heavy drinkers. On the other hand, it has also been associated with an increased risk of high cholesterol, heart disease, and osteoporosis.
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I'm not going to debate these issues with you. I know for me personally, caffeine is not my friend. It makes me anxious and jittery if I have too much of it and I don't sleep at night. For me, it's just not worth it. And, my doc has told me to cut back. 

Though I haven't cut it out completely, I have been able to cut back to one cup of really good organic coffee in the morning. For me, an avid coffee drinker, I think this is quite the achievement. Seeing how at one point I was at 3 - 4 cups (That's an average of 500 mg of caffeine a day - give or take) a day.

What I have tried lately is switching to tea in the afternoons. Though still caffeine, tea has only about 25 - 30 mg (half that of coffee) of caffeine. Baby steps, people. Baby steps. 

In the beginning, I started ordering these out and about at either Starbucks or a local coffee shop in town. I noticed they were TOO sweet for me. I also noticed they were using a premixed coffee liquid. I get it, it makes life easier. You can even save time and buy these in Target and other stores (TJ MAXX has an organic blend) and cut down the time it takes to make one old school. But I will tell you, there's nothing like the taste you get when you make it from scratch!

I hope you'll try it. I think once you do, you'll never want to have another relaxing afternoon without it!

​This post was written by Susan Avello, Personal Chef at Lean Bean Chef Personal Chef Services in Dothan Alabama - offering Healthy Meal Prep, Meal Planning, Private Cooking Classes, Private Dinner Parties and Education on Healthy Eating.