Friday, September 28, 2012

Beanless Chili

I've mentioned before that we to try limit our carbs during dinner. We began doing this because we were trying to lose a little weight and get in shape for our wedding. I found that Louis's body especially responds very well to a low carb diet, and while I don't cut anything out completely, I feel much better when I cut down on carbs toward the end of the day. Limiting starchy carbohydrates doesn't necessarily mean you can only eat meat. All of our meals contain a lot of vegetables. In fact our breakfast, lunch, and dinner always include fruits and/or vegetables. Here is the recipe for beanless chili, a staple dinner in our home during the fall/winter.

Here's what you need:
lb ground turkey
lb ground beef
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup corn
28 ounces diced or crushed tomatoes
5 stalks celery
1 small yellow onion
1 bundle green onions
1 bell pepper (i used orange)
garlic - however much you prefer (*We are serious garlic lovers. I chopped about 7 cloves for this and also added a few cloves at the end.)
salt, pepper, oil, cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon), 1/2 packet taco seasoning mix (or make your own with cayenne pepper and chili powder)

Here's what you do:
Chop vegetables
Sautee yellow onion and garlic in oil until fragrant
Add meat and cook thoroughly, pour out fat if needed
Add the rest of the vegetables including the corn, and diced tomatoes
Add broth slowly until chili the thickness that you prefer
Stir, then add spices.
Cover and cook on low heat for 45 minutes (We ate this batch a little sooner and it was still great, but chili is better the longer you can wait.)
Top with cheddar, avacado, and/or sour cream

*While the chili is cooking prepare a salad. We try to have salad with as many dinners as possible. I add as many vegetables that we have to make it more filling.

 
 
 
 
 
 
he approves.

3 comments:

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  2. I have a Texan friend who says if you put a bean in "chili" you will be shot as you are being told the law: if it has beans, it it something, but it's NOT chili. Same Texan, won a chili cooking contest deep in the heart of texas. Shorthand version of her chili begins with small CUBES of beef, never ground (since Carter Girls don't really like to TOUCH meat, WBA hands the package of beef to the butcher and asks for "COARSE GRIND, 1 X ONLY, PLEASE". Add all sorts of things YOU like. "The Texan" says the secret to a delicious Bowl of Red is to add a SQUARE of Baker's UNsweetened Chocolate half way through the cooking, I use a square per 1 1/2 lb of beef. This is the choc you use in German Choc Cake. Gives a rich color & flavor. UNsweetened, si? Cook with the lid to marry the flavors. To thicken (i take the lid off the last half hour) but Miss Texas does this: at the end, mix 1/4 cup of masa harina (corn meal) with some of the hot liquid (or hot water), gradually add to the pot of chili & cook with lid OFF to thicken. Try it!

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