Make Ahead Sothwestern Chili with Cornmeal Dumplings (Crockpot Style)

I will be the first to say, that I am not usually a dumpling kind of girl. 

Don't get me wrong, I love carbs.  But I usually like my bread crusty and substantial.  Like this beer bread.  Or the bread at Italian restaurants. 

And dumplings usually just don't get crusty. 

They stay kind of slimey. 

Which a lot of people like. 

But these dumplings are nice.  The cornmeal imparts a nice texture and flavor to the whole dish.  The chili is quite spicy, so if you like things mild, feel free to cut down the spices.

The Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
salt and pepper
2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans mexican style stewed tomatoes
1 16 oz package frozen corn
1 7oz can chopped green chili peppers
5-6 cups chicken broth
2 heaping tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayanne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1 beaten egg white
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp cooking oil
cilantro
cheddar cheese
sour cream

At Ten O'Clock
In large pan over medium high heat, brown the meat with the onion.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drain and put in crockpot. 

Add beans, tomatoes, corn, chili peppers, broth, chilli pepper, cayanne pepper, cumin and garlic powder.  Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours. 

In small mixing bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.  Cover and set aside until ready to cook the dumplings.

In a small cup or bowl, mix together the egg white, milk and cooking oil.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook the dumplings.

Before Serving
To make the dumplings, mix add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  If soup was cooked on the low heat setting, turn to high.  Drop the dumpling mixture from a rounded teaspoon to make 8 mounds on top of the soup.  Cover and cook for 30 more minutes.  Do not lift the cover while dumplings are cooking.  Stir in cilantro to taste before adding the dumplings.

Garnish with more cilantro (if desired), cheese and sour cream.

Family Approval
I liked these dumplings.  I actually liked them a lot better than other dumplings I had.  My husband LOVED the dumplings.  I didn't add cilantro, but the soup would have been better with it.  The chili was good and spicy. 

I was worried that the soup was going to be too thin and watery, but once the dumplings were added, it was a good consistency. 

My husband did say that the soup was "pretty corny."  As in had a strong corn flavor between the corn kernels in the soup and the cornmeal dumplings.  But he liked it.