East side of San Elijo Preserve

Coming up Slot Canyon in the one way portion of Annie's Canyon Trail

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

There are few vistas more striking than the wind- and water-etched red-tan cliffs at Torrey Pines. Although the state beach attracts a lot of visitors, filling up the parking lots, to me the true beauty of this area requires a walk or drive up to the top of the cliffs. 

Red sandstone cliffs from the Beach Trail

Torrey Pines is named for the most rare type of pine tree in the US -- Pinus torreyana, with its big pine cones, long thin needles and leaning, twisted wind-sculpted branches. I believe at our last visit, I read that the few remaining pines are genetically identical, contributing to their fragility. The Torrey Pine grows only here and on Santa Rosa Island in the Channel Islands National Park. 

Torrey Pine

Nov. 2023 update: The Torrey pines in La Jolla are genetically identical, but the groves on Santa Rosa Island are slightly different, with larger cones and denser branches. Click here for our hike to see them. 

The reserve also includes one of the last natural salt marshes in the state, but we did not have a chance to visit this area.

On this trip, we brought my 89 year-old mother, who was limited to walking among the benches along the top of the ridge and a short segment of the Guy Fleming trail before we had to return for a Zoom call with other family members. So we limited our main hike to a single loop with high yield views.

West Overlook

Red Butte and a distant Torrey pine from lookout near parking area

A riff on Chipotle Black Bean Chili with fresh garden fennel fronds and pickled peppers

Chipotle Red and White Chili with sausage and toppings

Vegetable Chili                                   (Vegan except for optional toppings)

Vegetable Chili using dried kidney and pinto beans

2 1/2 cups dried kidney beans, soaked overnight in 2-3" of water to cover

2 Tbs olive oil

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed

3 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 Tbs fresh lemon juice

1 Tbs Penzey's Chili 9000

2 Tbs Penzey's Medium Hot Chili Powder

2 tsp salt (adjust down if using chili powder with salt in it)

Optional, crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican)

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Up to 1 small can tomato paste

1 1/2 green or yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped

Toppings (see above, or step 4 for suggestions)

Soaking half a pound each of dried red kidney and pinto beans

1. In the morning, add more water to beans if necessary to keep them submerged. Test for softness. Drain and rinse when just tender, or they will start to fall apart during cooking. Transfer to a large, heavy saucepan with water to cover. Bring to boil over high head, then lower heat and continue boiling the beans, partially covered, until tender, about 1 h. Watch the water level carefully and add to keep beans in liquid.

    OR add unsoaked beans to Instant Pot with 1 inch of water to cover. Cook at high pressure for 30 min in an Instant Pot, let sit for 20 min for natural release.  (Cook 20 min if soaked overnight).

Mise on place for Vegetable Chili

2. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic until translucent. Add celery, carrots, tomatoes, lemon juice, and all the spices. Cook, covered, until the vegetables are nearly tender, about 10-15 min. Add the bell peppers and cook another 10 min.

3. Add the beans and the water in which they cooked. Stir thoroughly and simmer for 30 min over low heat, adding tablespoons of either tomato paste or water as necessary to achieve desired texture, stirring to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot. 

This batch of Vegetable Chili was a bit soupier due to use of Instant Pot. Next time will use less water in Instant Pot, or reserve the cooking water and not add it all to the chili.

4. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with tortilla chips, chopped red onion, chopped scallions, avodaco slices, and lime to keep it vegan; add shredded cheddar and jack cheeses, plain yogurt spiked with lime juice or ranch seasoning for vegetarians. Add crumbled bacon or cooked sausage for the carnivores. 

Vegetarian chili using red kidney and yellow-eyed beans from Rancho Gordo.

The next three chili recipes were modified from Superfast Suppers by Cooking Light magazine, which was published in 2002. I almost always substitute fresh garlic or onions, and it is pretty easy to use dried beans if you have time. See Love2Chow tips, below.

 

Chipotle Red & White Bean Chili              Omit sausage for vegan.

This is one of my favorite quick chili recipes. It looks pretty, tastes great, and is simple to make. While it calls for crumbled sweet Italian sausage, I have also made it as a vegetarian chili. I had some fresh poblano chiles, cubanelle chiles and carrots from a friend's garden, which I added in with the the bell peppers, and served it with optional sausage on the side for toppings. 

Shortcut to the printable recipe.

Chipotle Red & White Bean Chili with sausage

Chipotle Red & White Bean Chili.  Serves 4, total time 20 min. 

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 pound pork sausage (sweet Italian)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1-2 Tbs. Penzey's Bold Taco seasoning or 1 Tbs each Bold Taco (has salt) and Penzey's 9000 (no salt)

1 (14.5 oz) can Mexican style diced tomatoes, drained

1 (8 oz) can no-salt added tomato sauce

1 (15 oz) can no salt added red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (19 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, chopped, plus 2 tsp adobe sauce from can

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Toppings (see above, or step 4 for suggestions)

1. Cook onion, sausage and peppers, Drain and return to pan.

Sauteeing orange pepper and poblano chiles (instead of green) for this batch.

2. Add seasoning, tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, cannellini beans, and chipotle peppers

Our favorite seasonings for this chili

3. Bring to boil, cover and simmer at least 5 min.

Chipotle Red & White Chili right after mixing in beans

4. Serve with fresh cilantro, and optional corn bread, avocado, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

Chipotle Red & White Chili with toppings

White Bean Chicken Chili

This is my husband's favorite chili to make and eat. Part of the beans are pureed to thicken this delightful creamy chili.

Shortcut to the printable recipe

White Bean Chicken Chili

White Bean Chicken Chili.  

1 tsp olive oil

1 red onion (~150 g), chopped (~ 1 cup)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 (15.5 oz) cans cannellini beans - do NOT drain

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 cup of no salt added chicken broth

1.5 tsp Penzey's Arizona Dreaming seasoning (or other salt-free Mexican seasoning)

1 cup (4 oz w) shredded pepper jack cheese

~1/4 tsp salt, to taste

1. Saute onion and garlic in hot oil in Dutch oven until translucent.

2. Mash one can of beans with a fork.  Add both mashed and unmashed beans with their water and the next three ingredients to the pot. Bring to a booil and simmer 15-20 min.

3. Add cheese, stirring constantly, until melted.  Salt to taste.

4. Serve with chopped fresh cilantro, chopped green onions, plain yogurt, salsa, or crushed tortilla chips.

Chipotle Black Bean Chili (Vegan except for optional toppings)

This is my husband's favorite chili to make and eat. Part of the beans are pureed to thicken this delightful creamy chili.

Shortcut to the printable recipe. 

Chipotle Black Bean Chili

Chipotle Black Bean Chili                                                   (makes 6 2-cup servings).

2 tsp olive oil

10 oz (w) chopped onion

3 Tbs minced garlic

3 Tbs chili powder (Penzey's medium hot chili powder is salt-free)

2 canned chipotle chiles, minced, plus 1-2 Tbs. adobo sauce

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp salt or more to taste

4 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 2 cups dried, precooked)

4 (14.5 oz) cans no salt added diced tomatoes with juice

1 (4.5 oz) cans chopped green chiles with juice

Toppings (See below)

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender about 2 min. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 min, stirring occasionally.

    OR transfer sauteed onion and garlic to slow cooker, add remaining ingredients and slow cook for at least an hour. It can be kept warm and served out of the slow cooker.

A double recipe of black bean chili in slow cooker

Serve with toppings of choice (shredded cheddar, cilantro, scallions, onions, bacon bits, tortilla chips, hot sauce)

Freeze leftovers in 1 or 2 cup portions. As mentioned in Superfast Suppers, this can be used as a hamburger topper, or be incorporated into enchilada casseroles, turkey chili mac, chili pie with zucchini and corn under corn bread mix. 

A triple recipe of Chipotle Black Bean Chili with toppings bar

🐾 For each 15 oz can of beans, I usually get about 1.3-1.5 cups of drained beans. Since dry beans swell about 3x, substitute 1/2 cup of dry for each 15 oz can. Or just make a bit of extra and measure out the beans after they are cooked.

🐾 Freeze cubed leftover chicken or turkey in 1 cup portions, to be pulled out when you feel like chicken chili.

🍃 When you open a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, be sure to freeze the extra peppers in an ice cube tray, with the sauce spooned on top. They usually thaw pretty quickly for chopping, or puree the whole thing and freeze tablespoons that can be added directly to the chili.

Gluten-free chicken scallopine piccata

After browning the scallopini, a pan sauce is made. To finish the dish, rewarm the chicken in the sauce and top with parsley.

The Restaurant

Lidia's on May 21, 2019. This would have been my last time eating here before they closed in Sept. 2019, but unfortunately the broken water main down the road took out their water.

Flavor bombs: garlic, olives, caper berries, capers, lemon, dry white wine

On our second day at Acadia National Park, we enjoyed a bit of sunshine and seeing 3 of the "Big Four" for Maine kayaking wildlife sightings. We rounded out our visit with an afternoon stem-loop walk along the carriage roads, enjoying spooky, misty scenes along a string of ponds near Witch Hole Pond, before some rain from the tail end of Hurricane Henri finally caught up with us.

Kayaks on a Bartlett Island Beach

Passing Indian Point on the way to Green Island

Eagle Lake

View from an Acadia Carriage Road between Duck Brook Bridge and Witch Hole Pond

Day 2.