Chilly, January weather often prompts desire for good old comfort food, such as Chili. And why not, -Chili is easy to make. Aroma of cumin, and other spices, will instantly make one's house feel like home, sweet home again.
Basic Chili recipe (listed, below) is actually, not just beautifully aromatic and fulfilling, but also economical, and nutritious. Beans make excellent source of Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Zinc, and fiber. Amongst other benefits, they will keep heart healthy, stabilize blood sugar levels, and help manage body weight effectively.
Tomatoes, -good source of C, A, K, and other vitamins, and organic pigments, such as Lycopene, will help stay healthy, and prevent skin, and age-related degenerative diseases, and cancers. Bell peppers make abundant source of vitamin C, and A, too, and of course spices are great in aiding digestion.
Keep Chili simple, and remember, beef is a good source of protein, and (less desirably) fat. Always cook it separately, and drain the fatty juices off, before adding it to the rest of the Chili mix. If you are not a beef eater, try replacing it with minced turkey, it's leaner. Don't get tempted by adding cheese, -it will pile up fat content, and may bring heartburn.
Ingredients (Approx. 14 cups).
1 1/2 - 2 lb packet, lean, ground beef
1 lb packet, dry, red kidney beans
2 (15 oz.) cans, peeled, chopped tomatoes
2 cups, beef broth
1 tbsp, Olive oil
1 large, bell pepper, cut into strips
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves, garlic, minced
Seasoning Spices
2 tsp, crushed, red peppers
2 tbsp, ground cumin
1 tbsp, paprika
1/2 tsp, fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 tbsp, chili powder
1 tsp, dry oregano
2 tsp, salt
1 tbsp, cornstarch (optional)
Method
(1) Soak the beans. Either put them in cold water overnight or speed things up; -place dry beans in large pot, cover them generously with cold water. Bring all to boil, then reduce to simmer for 1 hour, then let all stand for another hour (use just beans, not liquid).
(2) Brown beef, then move it to a sieve.
(3) In the same pot, saute onions, garlic, and pepper. Add seasoning spices.
(4) Add stock and tomatoes, beans and beef to the pot, if liquid does not cover ingredients, top it either with more tomatoes, water or stock, till all is nice and on the thin side.
(5) Set the temperature on low and let all simmer until some of the liquid evaporates and chili thickens.
(6) Taste and adjust for salt and pepper and enjoy!
Serve with rice or garlic bread.
Chili freezes well, so don't forget to freeze the surplus!
Bon Appetit!
Other Notes
(1) If you are not familiar with cups, assume an empty, 15 ½ oz. size can to have 2 cups capacity (1 cup =8oz. =227g.),
tsp. = teaspoon,
tbsp. = tablespoon,
1lb = 453 grams
See, additional conversion help, below:
Ounces-to-grams conversions
Online Conversions
Temperatureconverter
Back to January Recipes page
Feedback - contact.tcg.now@gmail.com
References
Special Thanks
Special Thanks to Town & Country Gardens Contributors: bulabean, dive-angel (Karin), Jasmine&Roses, Rita Crane Photography. Rita Crane, daughter of LIFE magazine photographer Ralph Crane. Her work can be seen on Flickr at Rita Crane Photography or on her website., Joel Bez/CC 2.0, TMR Davies, W.D. Williams
