Rooibos Tea and Black Bean Chili

Recently a friend and I were talking about cooking, and I told her not to forget to treat her tea bags as an extension of the spice cabinet. I believe I first read that idea in a Celestial Seasonings cookbook, which suggested tossing in a cinnamon tea bag when cooking carrots.

I've used tea in dozens of recipes over the years, and one of my favorite ways is to use tea as the liquid whenever I'm cooking chili each fall and winter. I've used green tea, black tea, oolong tea, and lately, I've added a slight touch of sweetness to my chili by using rooibos tea! Here's the recipe if you're up for a new chili recipe yourself.

Rooibos Tea and Black Bean Chili

1 pound turkey or ground beef (I like turkey)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 small sweet red peppers, chopped fine
2-3 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can black beans
3 teaspoons rooibos tea steeped for 5 minutes in 1 cup boiling water


Over medium-high heat, brown the meat, then add garlic and red peppers and cook until garlic and peppers are softened. Add chili powder, salt, and pepper, stirring well. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and black beans and bring to a boil. Add steeped tea and again bring to a boil, stirring well. Turn heat to low and let chili simmer for one hour. Yields 12-14 servings.