Monday, October 7, 2013

Chili


Been a while since I last posted a recipe here. We had been busy with the move to the new house. The hubby is retiring next year and the plan is to retire in San Antonio. We had been busy looking at houses since June. We finally closed on one in September and moved in 3 weeks ago.. and yes we are still very busy trying to get to the new house in order.

We were eating really bad during the move as we had to close down the kitchen. Lotsa of fast food and unhealthy stuff. 

Last week was the first week that we get back to the healthy eating routine... at least for dinner. The hubby had been spoilt with the fast food we had and could not stop eating them. Well, at least we are back to making health dinner. 

We had a cold front came in on Saturday night and the temperature dropped 30 degrees from 92 to 57... gosh its cold for our Texans blood. The first food that came to my mind was Chili. We saw this recipe from Martha Setwart's site and decided to give it a shot as it look easy. And gosh... this recipe is potently good. The use of Chipotle chili pepper with adobo sauce makes a big difference. It blends really good with the beer. and gosh.. its spicy.  This is my new GO TO chili recipe....

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil ( I use coconut oil)
3 medium onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
3 tablespoons chili powder
 2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 pounds ground beef chuck ( I use 1.2 pound of ground turkey and 1.2 pound of ground beef)
3 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes in juice
1 bottle (12 ounces) mild lager beer ( I use shiner bock)
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained ( I omitted this)
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional) ( I omitted this)

DIRECTIONS
1. In a Dutch oven or large (5-quart) heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
2.  Add tomato paste, chili powder, chipotles, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, until mixture has begun to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add beef, and cook, breaking it up with a spoon until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
 3 Add tomatoes with their juice, beer, and beans. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a rapid simmer. Cook over medium heat until chili has thickened slightly and beans are tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired.