Chocolate Coconut Freezer Bites

I have been so busy this week trying to get all my housework caught up from the last several weeks of history play chaos!  I haven't had much time to be creative in the kitchen, though I have had a lot of ideas playing around in my head.  Also, my sister, Sarah, and her children came up to visit from New Jersey this week, so that has been another draw on my time.  We have actually had a lot of fun this week.  We had a birthday dinner at my mom's house to celebrate my birthday which was last weekend on the same day as the history play.

Going to my mom's or my sister's is so much easier for us than for many with dietary restrictions because my mom and sister have similar restrictions, with various other differences.  I don't have to worry about whether or not we can eat the food or whether we are going to have to deal with strange looks or frustrating conversations regarding our diet.  My mom and stepdad made a delicious lentil stew while my sister baked a wonderful birthday cake for me.  It was all very nice.  The cake was an orange creme cake based on this recipe by Gluten-Free Goddess.  I think she may have doubled it in order to make it into a 9x13 cake.  It was delicious.  Since Nathan can't have oranges, and I have been really in the mood for cheesecake which I can no longer have being dairy free, I decided to try a recipe for a dairy-free cheezecake that I found in an awesome book called Ani's Raw Food Kitchen.  It was soooo good.  Everyone loved it, and my nephew who has recently had to go dairy-free as well as gluten-free asked for seconds!  I did modify Ani's recipe a little and have a couple more changes I want to make for the future, so I am not quite ready to share it yet.  I will post it soon.

Elijah had his first baseball game yesterday.  My sister and her kids decided to meet us at the game.  Having everyone around us eating all the food from the snack shop is like torture when you can't eat or drink anything they have to offer.  I decided to bring our own snacks and drinks.  I made my own version of sports drink (It was very hot outside.) and my Dairy Free Cheeze Dip to go with organic corn tortilla chips.  My sister and her family had not had a chance to try my cheeze dip recipe yet, so I took extra for them.  They absolutely loved it and can't wait to make some once they get home from their visit up here.

For dinner last night, Chuck wanted MEAT!  The rest of us just felt like it was too hot to eat anything cooked, but he really felt like he wanted burgers or something.  I threw on a couple of burgers for him.  When they were done, I used my Cheeze Dip as a condiment in place of a slice of cheese.  I heated up a couple of Food For Life Brown Rice Tortillas, put some lettuce on them, added the burger with Cheeze Dip, ketchup, and mustard.  Voila!  Dinner was served!  He absolutely raved about the Cheeze Dip.  I think it's not going to be so hard to transition the family to dairy-free.

Sorry I don't have any pictures of any of these great things, but I will try to make some of this stuff again some time and add pictures.  I just really wanted to get an update on my blog since some of you might be wondering what's been up with us.

One thing I do want to add, though, is a great recipe that was inspired by Averie at Love Veggies and Yoga.  She makes these lovely Raw Vegan Chocolate Coconut Snowballs.  I have really been so impressed by her raw vegan recipes.  She makes such lovely, simple desserts that require no baking and minimal dishes and appliances, and with a heat wave upon us I was looking for something that would fit that description.  I decided to try her snowball recipe tonight but with a few small changes.  This is what I came up with.  They are delicious, and they sort of remind me of the Girl Scout Samoas minus the caramel (I'll be working on that).  Chuck absolutely loved them.  He said they remind him of the German Chocolates he used to get.  This was his "the kids are in bed, now, treat!"  Of course, I saved plenty for the kids to try tomorrow.  I'm sure there will be no complaints.

Chocolate Coconut Freezer Bites

3/4 c. agave (I was out of maple syrup and honey, but you could certainly use them instead)
1/4 c. coconut oil, melted
15 drops NuNaturals Alcohol-Free Vanilla Stevia
a dash of pure GF vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. unsweetened shredded dried coconut
1/2 c. blanched almond flour
1/4 c. + 2 Tbs. cocoa powder
2 t. chia seeds

Mix the liquid ingredients together.  Stir in the dry ingredients.  Spread in a freezer-safe container to cut into "bites" or shape into balls.  Freeze.  If you froze it in a container, you may have to allow it to thaw a couple of minutes before cutting into bars, or take it out of the freezer after 15-20 minutes to cut into pieces before it completely freezes. Enjoy!

Store these in the freezer.

"Cheeze" Sauce and Chicken and Broccoli Casserole (DF)

Breakfast this morning was a bowl of Mesa Sunrise flakes with vanilla almond milk, a dash or two of cinnamon, raisins, and some cut-up dried apple pieces.  It was so good.  The combination of cinnamon with the vanilla almond milk reminded me of those sugar-filled cinnamon cereals you buy in the store.  The kids also ate some fresh fruit.

This morning was a nice, relaxed morning for me.  I spent some time on the computer and just making sure the kids were on track with school.  Then I came up with some ideas for tonight's dish-to-pass dinner at Boy Scouts.  I always have a hard time deciding what to make for these things since I know that many people don't want to eat the foods that we eat, and I feel like I want to make something that everyone will like.  To make things even harder, we had to bring a main dish as well as a side dish, and I had to take Moriah to Girl Scouts for a couple of hours, leaving little time to be creative and cook something awesome afterward.

I decided that the best thing to do would be to make a casserole of some kind, and since I already had some cooked chicken breasts and some broccoli, I figured it was time for me to create a nice "cheeze" sauce that I could use to bring it all together with some rice into a chicken/broccoli casserole.  This is something I have been wanting to do for a long time and have been putting off because I just didn't feel like I was at a point of knowing my dairy-free ingredients enough to create something delicious with them that would be a suitable substitute for cream soups and/or sauces.  However, I do feel confident now, and fully ready to embark on such a journey.  Let me tell you, my family is soooo glad I did!  This has got to be the best dairy-free cheezy saucy stuff I have ever had.  You can adjust the thickness and use it as a light sauce or a thicker sauce.  You can use it as a substitute for those canned cream soups in recipes.  You can flavor it with different herbs, garlic, etc.  You can use it to make cream of whatever soup.  This is going to be so versatile.  Tonight I used it to make Chicken and Broccoli Casserole, which I served with Honey Gingered Carrots.  Even Nathan loved it!  (My only thought of improvement with the casserole was to make sure I add enough of the sauce because the rice absorbs the liquid as it bakes, and I like my casseroles saucy.  I tried to make this adjustment in the recipe listed below, but you will have to gauge it for yourself, whether or not it's saucy enough for you.  Perhaps put a little less rice in it to begin with and then add more rice until it is the consistency you like.  It's very versatile for you to make changes as you see fit.)* 

Dessert was Gluten-Free Betty Crocker Brownies, which I made after we got home from the dinner.  Hey, I'm not perfect.  Sometimes I use mixes, like when it's 7:30 at night, and everyone around us at the dinner was eating chocolate cake and brownies, and I know I don't have time to bake brownies from scratch before the kids have to be in bed!

"Cheeze" Sauce 
1 (32 oz.) carton unsweetened MimicCreme*
5-7 Tbs. sweet rice flour (depending on how thick you want your sauce)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 onion
5 Tbs. nutritional yeast
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
1 Tbs. raw apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs. tahini
2 t. salt
1 t. curry
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 c. Earth Balance


Blend 1 cup of the MimicCreme with the garlic, onion, yeast, vinegar, tahini, salt, curry, and pepper until smooth.  Pour the rest of the MimicCreme in a medium saucepan.  Whisk the blender contents into the rest of the MimicCreme and continue to whisk over medium heat for about 10 minutes to thicken and get rid of the raw flour taste.  Stir or whisk in the Earth Balance until melted and well mixed.  Taste your sauce.  Does it need anything else?  What are you planning on putting it in?

*MimicCreme can be found at our local Down to Earth health food store.  Our Wegmans carries the sweetened version, but not the unsweetened.  The sweetened version can be used in place of cream in making homemade ice cream!  For those of you who don't live in my area, check your local health food stores and/or Wegmans.  Perhaps your Wegmans has the unsweetened MimicCreme.  Also, you can order it online or through your local food co-op.  I know it's cheaper through my food co-op than at the store.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole (DF)
4 chicken breast halves, cut in small, bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 lbs. broccoli florets
1 batch "Cheeze" Sauce

dashes of celery salt
1/4 - 1/2 c. blanched almond flour
3 c. uncooked brown rice, cooked in rice cooker with 1 bouillon cube and 5 1/2 c. water

Mix the chicken pieces, florets, rice*, and cheeze sauce in a big pan, then spread it in a cake pan or casserole dish.  Lightly dash some celery salt across the top, being careful not to use too much since it is strong.  Sprinkle blanched almond flour on top.  Cover and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 5 more minutes.  Try putting together the ingredients and freeze it.  Thaw and bake it when you need it.

*Update 4/27/10--I will be making this casserole by keeping the rice separate from now on.  I will mix the sauce, chicken, and broccoli, baking them with the bread crumbs on top.  Then I will put rice on each individual plate, topping it off with the chicken and broccoli casserole.  This will prevent the rice from soaking up all of the sauce.
Note:  There are variables in this recipe, like the size of the chicken breast halves, if you are using frozen florets, if you use white rice instead of brown, etc.  You will have to gauge whether or not you have enough sauce for all the rice, broccoli, and chicken you intend to use.  You may want to set aside a couple of cups of the mixture before you add the sauce, and then just add as much of the reserved mix as you want.  You want the casserole to have enough sauce because as it bakes the rice will absorb some of it.  If you want to make a little more sauce, you could just add a little unsweetened rice milk and a little more sweet rice flour, but you might need to add a little more of the seasonings, as well.

                                           Mmmm.  Brownies!

Sarah's GF Whole-Grain Sandwich Rounds

This week starts the big cram for the kids' homeschool co-op history play.  Cassie and Nathan are participating in the grand event this year, so I have been busy with a lot of sewing (history costumes and also 12 dance skirts for Moriah's dance team) over the last couple of months.  I only have 2 costumes left to make, and then I have all the little stuff to do (button holes, buttons, trims, etc.).  I am so glad it's almost done.  The play is in 3 weeks, so the kids will be having practices a lot more than usual.  This week they'll practice 2 days, 4 hrs. each practice.  Next week they'll practice 3 days, 4 hrs. each practice, and the following week they'll practice every day, 5 hrs. each day, culminating with the play Friday night and Saturday afternoon.  Then they'll have a showing the following Saturday, as well.


Also, with Elijah's baseball practices starting up this week, things are going to be very hectic.  That being said, I will have little time to do a lot of cooking.  To start things off well, I decided to make some sandwich rounds.  I have a dozen hard boiled eggs just waiting to be turned into egg salad, and I have canned tuna for those who prefer that.  This sandwich round recipe comes from my sister, Sarah.  These are whole-grain, so they are heavier than white bread.  They kind of remind me of some of the whole-grain breads I used to eat that I really loved.  They weren't light and airy.  They were substantial and filling, as well as delicious.  I shaped these buns into flat (maybe 1/2" thick), round discs.  They turn out similar to the sandwich rounds that you see in the stores now.  These make delicious and filling sandwiches, and my sister says she likes to toast them like English muffins, as well.  I haven't tried them that way, yet.  I can't stop eating them as sandwiches!  I make 22 sandwich rounds with this recipe because I make them fairly small (they are filling), but you can make them a little bigger if you like.  I will be making more either tomorrow or Friday, so I can freeze a bunch.  Sarah freezes them whole and thaws them in her wide-slot toaster before slicing them.  I will probably slice them before freezing since I don't have a toaster and don't like to use the microwave too much. These sandwich rounds are not all crumbly like some other gluten-free breads I have tried.

                                          (Please excuse the fine china!--Look at the texture!)

Sarah's GF Whole-Grain Sandwich Rounds
6 1/3 c. Sarah's GF Whole-Grain All-Purpose Flour Mix
6 Tbs. evaporated cane juice
5 t. xanthan gum 
2 Tbs. instant yeast
3 t. salt
1/3 c. + 3 Tbs. egg whites (OR 2 eggs + 2 egg whites)
2 1/4 c. club soda or water, warmed (or seltzer water)
2 t. raw apple cider vinegar, warmed with the club soda
1/2 c. light-tasting olive oil (I used regular pure olive oil)

Turn your oven on warm and turn it off just before putting the rounds in to rise.

Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In your mixer bowl lightly beat the eggs.  Add the warmed club soda mixture, vinegar, and oil, beating until mixed.  Slowly pour in the dry ingredients and beat on medium speed until it forms a smooth dough, then beat on high for 2 minutes.  Dip a spatula in water and scrape 1/2 of the dough onto a counter that has been dusted with brown rice flour.  The dough will be sticky, so you should flip it over a couple of times on the floured counter, lightly covering the surface of your dough with rice flour.  Pull off a piece of dough maybe a little larger than a golf ball and a little smaller than a tennis ball (bigger if you want large sandwich rounds).  Pat it into a round, flat disc about 1/2" thick, or thicker if you want your rounds to be thicker.

                                          (Before rising)


Place the disc on a parchment-lined cookie sheet (or greased cookie sheet) and put in your warmed oven to rise for 45 minutes.  Pull out the rounds and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

                                             (After rising)

While your oven is preheating, brush the tops of your rounds with olive oil, or spray with olive oil.  Bake for around 20 minutes, until internal temperature is 205 degrees.  My sister checks hers with a meat thermometer.  I don't bother checking.  Mine still turn out fine.  Cool on wire racks.  

Dinner tonight was egg salad sandwiches (a real treat since I rarely bake bread), DF Nacho Cheeze Dip with organic yellow tortilla chips, and fresh fruit.  Yum!

Black Bean and Lentil Soup (Taco Soup)

My family loves this soup.  It tastes kind of like tacos.  You can add ground beef if you like, but it tastes great without it, too.  I serve this soup with tortilla chips that we like to break up and sprinkle on top of the soup in our bowls.  You could also serve it with corn bread and/or some shredded cheddar cheese and sliced jalapenos.


Black Bean and Lentil Soup
2 c. dry black beans
splash apple cider vinegar
6 c. cold water
1 Tbs. olive oil
6+c. additional water
2 bay leaves
1 c. dry French green lentils
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapenos, chopped OR a can or 2 of chopped green chilies
6 carrots, sliced
1 (28 oz.) diced tomatoes in juice
2 c. GF vegetable broth (we like Wegmans brand)
1/4 c. + 2 Tbs. Mexican Seasoning
3 Tbs. raw Apple Cider Vinegar (plus a splash in the bean soaking water)
1/4 c. Frank's Red Hot
1 lb. frozen corn
juice of 1 lime (about 3-4 Tbs.)
additional water as needed (I added about 4 c.)
2 c. raw rice, cooked separately
     (will yield about 5 1/2 - 6 cups cooked rice)

Sort and rinse dry black beans.  Soak in 6 c. cold water with a splash of raw apple cider vinegar overnight.  When ready to make soup the next day, drain and rinse the soaked beans.  Cook them in enough fresh water to cover the beans 4" deep with the 2 bay leaves (in a large stock pot with a heavy bottom to help prevent sticking and burning--and add the olive oil to cut down on foaming and boil-overs).  After about 45 minutes, add lentils.  Also add garlic, onion, bell pepper, jalapenos, carrots, tomatoes and juice, vegetable broth, Mexican Seasoning, lime juice, vinegar, hot sauce, and frozen corn.  Add additional water as needed.  Cook the soup until vegetables and beans are tender.  Add the cooked rice at the end.  You don't need to add all the rice, it's up to your individual preference.  Some may decide to put the rice in each person's bowl and ladle the soup over it.  I sometimes like to do the latter since it seems like the rice soaks up a lot of the broth as it sits in the pot.  Remember to remove the bay leaves before eating, storing, and/or freezing the soup.  If freezing the soup, I recommend freezing the rice separately or making the rice fresh on the day you will be serving the soup.

Cook the rice according to package directions.  I usually use long grain brown rice.  If making 2 c. brown rice, I add 3 1/2 c. water and cook it in my rice cooker.

Crock Pot Barbecued Beef

     My son, Nathan, and I went for a check-up and blood work last week.  There is some concern that Nate does not have enough nutrients and is not growing enough.  He is always tired and sometimes needs to take naps during the day.  He has fallen to the 5th percentile for growth/size.  (He had stopped growing for awhile, but since going gluten-free this past July, he has grown about 3" although he has not gained any weight.)  He actually would have been lower than the 5th percentile if he hadn't recently started growing again.  The doctor feels that he may still have time to catch back up, but he needs a lot of protein in his diet. We do eat a lot of protein between all the nuts, beans and whole grains, seeds, chicken, and some grass-fed beef that we eat.  I even do most of my baking with blanched almond flour and coconut flour instead of all the starches traditionally used in gluten-free baking.  Our chiropractor told me that the best source of protein is beef, so I am making an effort to add some more beef into his diet to see if that helps.  So, tonight I made a delicious crock pot barbecued beef.  We had baked potatoes and green beans with it. 
     Incidentally, the nurse called last night with the test results.  She said that everything for both of us is normal except that we are both very low on vitamin D.  I guess that was to be expected since we don't drink fortified milk or eat fortified foods.  We also live in NY, so we don't get a lot of sun for at least half the year.  So, we are both adding a D3 supplement to our diet.  I did a little research and found some interesting information on D deficiency and celiac disease by doing a google search.  It's fairly common for people with gluten intolerance to have low levels of vitamin D.  I also found that symptoms of deficiency in adults can mimic fibromyalgia, which is also a common issue in people with gluten intolerance.  I highly recommend that if you have an issue with gluten and have not been checked for nutritional deficiencies that you have your doctor order some tests.  We will be getting rechecked in 3 months, so hopefully the supplements will help raise our levels.

Crock Pot Barbecued Beef
4 lbs. beef roast
1 3/4 c. ketchup
1/4 c. dijon mustard
1/4 c. pure maple syrup
2 Tbs. honey
1/4 c. + 2 Tbs. raw apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs. worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. Frank's Red Hot
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic powder

Trim the fat off the meat and put in the crock pot.  Whisk all the other ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl and pour over the meat in the crock pot.  Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-5 hours until the meat is tender.  Take the meat out of the crock pot and shred it with 2 forks.  Add it back to the crock pot.  Note:  I check my meat about an hour before we expect to eat.  If it is not tender enough to shred yet, I will sometimes cut the roast into several smaller pieces to ensure that it will be done in time.

You can serve this on gluten free buns (recipe should be coming soon), or with rice or potatoes.  You might like to warm up some rice tortillas, add a little shredded cheddar while the tortilla is heating up in order to get the cheese melty, then add some beef and roll it up. 

This recipe makes just enough for 2 meals for my family of 6 and freezes well.  Enjoy!

Note:  I use gluten free/dairy free/soy free/high fructose corn syrup free ingredients when making this.  I made a slight exception tonight since I have had a hard time finding Worcestershire Sauce that fits all these criteria.  I used the regular Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce that I found at Wegmans.  It was GF, DF, SF but had high fructose corn syrup.  I have found a recipe online to make my own sauce, but I haven't had a chance to try it, yet.  Use whatever you need to.  I also get my grass-fed beef from a local farmer friend.

3/28/10 Edit--We had this last night with some friends, and one of them felt that it would be even better with some Louisiana Hot Sauce, but he likes things very hot and spicy. The Frank's Red Hot in this recipe is more for flavor than spice. If you like hot, spicy foods, you might like to add some hot sauce to this. Also, if you find that the juices from your meat make this sauce a little too runny, you could take a little cornstarch or arrowroot, mix it with a small amount of water to make a slurry, and add it to your sauce/juices when you take your meat out to shred it up. As you are shredding your meat, put the lid on the crock pot, and allow the sauce to simmer and thicken. It really is your choice. My husband assures me this is the best barbecue beef he has had, and he thinks it's perfect just as it is.

Fresh Salsa

I just love fresh salsa.  My husband prefers the canned stuff you buy in stores that has been cooked until it's soft and that flavors are all melded together into a jar of mush.  My favorite salsa is bursting with flavor and has texture.  I first realized what salsa could taste like when I bought a container from Sam's Club in their refrigerated section by the meats.  I had never had salsa like that before.  So good.  Then I went to Moe's and had their green salsa.  Never knew salsa could be green.  I loved the flavors, the texture, the smell.  I just knew I had to try to make my own.  Now, Nathan can't have this because raw peppers give him hives, and Chuck just plain hates the texture of peppers and onions.  They can have the canned stuff.  More power to them.  All the more of the good stuff for the rest of us!  What I have learned is that salsa is forgiving, and different people have different tastes.  So, taste this as you go along.  Some of my children thought it wasn't spicy enough.  One thought it was too spicy.  I thought it was just right.  You will have to go by your own gut with this and make it how you like it.  Also, if you want your salsa to be all green, omit the tomatoes and use all tomatillos.  If you want it red, do the opposite.  I might try to make a double batch and freeze it in ice cube trays for individual serving sizes.  I'll update this post to let you know how it works out if I do.

Fresh Salsa
4 tomatillos
4 medium tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
2 jalapenos
2 small onions
1/2 bell pepper
juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 cup)
fresh cilantro to taste

Allergy-Free Eating on a Budget: Tip 4 and Chili con Carne

Tip 4 is to cook in bulk and freeze meals.  This cuts down on time and money.  If I'm gonna make a batch of chili, it doesn't take any extra time to brown 3 pounds of ground beef than it does to brown 1 1/2 pounds.  It may take a couple of extra minutes to open a few extra cans of beans and tomato sauce (if I'm using canned), but it would save me a ton of time when we want chili again.  It's worth it to me to wash an extra pan or two in order to save all the extra time later.  Isn't it nice to be able to just take out some chili from the freezer, thaw, and reheat?  All you would need to add is some shredded cheddar, sour cream, and possibly some sliced jalapeno peppers to garnish your bowl of chili.  My husband likes to scoop up his chili with tortilla chips instead of a spoon.  Great!  That saves washing a spoon.  :-)

I have been trying to used dry beans instead of canned because of all the additives in the non-organic cans of beans, not to mention the leeching of chemicals from the actual can into the beans.  However, I will break down and use cans when in a pinch (like if I have to make chili for a dish to pass dinner that I forgot about or something).  So, I have two recipes I'll share here, one with dry beans and one with canned.  Both have a similar taste, so you won't lose in flavor either way.  I will say that cooking with dry beans is an adjustment that I am still working on, but I think I have it right for this chili recipe.  Try it and see.  Let me know how it turns out for you.

Chili con Carne (canned beans)
2 (40.5 oz.) cans kidney beans
1 (29 oz.) can black beans
2 (16 oz.) cans pinto beans
3 lbs. ground beef
1 1/2 lbs. frozen corn
4 (28 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
1 1/4c. + 1 Tbs. Mexican Seasoning
2 Tbs. basil
2 t. oregano
1/8 c. raw Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 c. lime juice (about 1 fresh lime)
1/2 c. Franks red hot

Brown the ground beef.  Drain and rinse the beans.  Dump all the ingredients into a large stock pot and thoroughly mix everything together.  Split the mixture up between 2-6qt. crock pots* and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.  My husband and oldest son do not like onions or peppers, so I don't add chopped onions or peppers to this recipe.  Feel free to add them if you like.  I will sometimes add some chopped garlic.  If you do add some chopped onions or garlic, keep in mind that there is already onion and garlic powder in the Mexican Seasoning.  If I want it spicier, I will add some chopped jalapeno peppers.

*If your stock pot is large enough and heavy bottomed enough, you can cook your chili on medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.  However, I like to cook it in my crock pot, so I don't have to keep a close eye on it.

Chili con Carne (dry beans recipe)
2 c. dry kidney beans
1 c. dry black turtle beans
1 c. dry pinto beans
3 Tbs. pure olive oil
bay leaves, if desired, added to pots of cooking beans
2-3 c. bean cooking water
2-3 lbs. ground beef, browned with 1/4 c. Mexican Seasoning
1 1/2 lbs. frozen corn
3-4 (28 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
1 c. Mexican Seasoning
2 Tbs. basil
2 t. oregano
1/8 c. ACV
1/4 c. lime juice
1/2 c. Franks Red Hot

Sort and rinse your dried beans. Soak them in clean water with a splash of raw Apple Cider Vinegar overnight. Remember to keep your types of beans separated since they will vary in cooking times from each other. You should soak them in 3 parts water to 1 part beans.

In the morning, drain and rinse your beans, keeping them separated from each other.  (I made the mistake of mixing mine all up and cooking them together the first time I made this.  The black beans were done long before the kidney beans and were practically mushy by the time the kidney beanse were soft enough to make the chili.)  The pinto beans and kidney beans have a similar cooking time, so you can try cooking them together, if you would like.  I prefer to keep them separated until I am ready to make my chili. 

Cook your beans in pots with enough water to cover your beans by about 4" and bay leaf, if desired.  Add a tablespoon of oil to the pots to help prevent foaming and boil overs.  You want to make sure you cook the beans at a simmer, not a boil.  If you cook them over too high of heat, the skins will burst and slip off the beans.  Black beans should take between 1 and 1 1/2 hours to cook.  Pinto beans should take between 1 1/2 and 2 hours, and Kidney beans should take between 1 1/2 and 2 hours, though sometimes they may take a little longer.  If you are using beans that are a little old, they may take a little longer as well.  When your beans are tender, they are ready to use. 

Something to keep in mind is that tomato sauce will make your beans take longer to soften, so you want to wait until they are soft before making your chili.  You also want to add water to your chili, so the beans can soak it up and finish cooking by the time your chili is done.

When your beans are done, reserve 2 -4 c. cooking liquid to add to the chili as needed, then drain the beans.  Discard the bay leaves.  Mix the beans, at least 3 cans crushed tomatoes, ground beef, corn, seasonings, herbs, vinegar, lime juice, at least 2 c. bean water, and hot sauce in a large stock pot.  Once the ingredients are mixed well, you may decide that you want to add up to a 4th can of crushed tomatoes and/or more bean water.  That's fine.  Everyone has different tastes.  I used 2 c. bean water and 3 cans tomatoes.  If you want your chili more liquidy, you can add more, but you may need to adjust the seasonings accordingly.  If you used closer to 3 lbs. of ground beef, you may need a little more water and tomatoes than I did.  You should wait until your chili has been cooking a little while before tasting to see if you need to add more seasoning.  If you want a spicier chili, feel free to add some chopped jalapeno peppers.  I cook my chili in crock pots on high for around 4 hours.

Chili freezes well.  It would be great to freeze in single portions to take to work for lunch on cold winter days.  I have 6 people in my family, and I can get 3 good family-sized meals out of this (they're big eaters).  You may get more meals out of it if you add a salad and have less people in your family.  I find that my family will eat less if I portion out the food that I am freezing ahead of time.  They don't realize there is more food, so they won't feel the need for 3rds or 4ths!