Last night, I made my first pot of chili for the season! Even though this is an awesome comfort food, our family is really health conscious, so I thought I'd share with my blog readers my recipe for my super yummy, super nutrient filled chili that even my kids love! So here goes:
Dawn's Super Chili
(makes enough to feed a party or a family of 4 and freezes well)
2lbs of extra lean ground sirloin/beef (97/3)
1 large sweet onion
Chili Power to taste
Ground Cumin to taste
Garlic Powder to taste
Salt to taste
1 large can of red kidney beans
4 cans of pinto beans
2 cans of diced tomatoes with chilies
1 Fresh Jalapeno for additional heat (optional)
1 large bottle of V8 vegetable juice
In a large stockpot get the super lean ground beef browning. Do not add additional oil, cook the beef on medium heat to it releases its fat and creates its own non-stick fats and oils. Cook it too fast and it will burn and not use its own fats.
After breaking up the beef, toss in the chopped onion, a palm full of chili powder, a palm full of ground cumin, approximately 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, and approximately 1 tsp of salt to season the beef. If you like your chili hot, add a diced Jalapeno now (optional)
Open up the cans of beans over the sink and put them in a pasta strainer and drain and rinse them! Packagers pack most beans in corn syrup and nobody needs this extra SUGAR!!!!!!! uGH!!!!!
After the meat is browned, do not drain. There should be no more than a teaspoon of liquid left in the bottom of the pot if your beef is super lean. If you have more, drain. Do not rinse your meat. You loose ALLLLLLL of the seasoning you put in the pot when browning.
Return meat to medium low heat, add tomatoes, drained and rinsed beans, and pour in enough V8 juice to just cover the beans in the pot. You'll use all but about 1 or 1/2 cups of the V8. Bring to a simmer and simmer for approximately 5 minutes on medium low. Stir and taste. Add more spices to your liking. I usually add about a tablespoon of chili powder and a half a tablespoon of cumin and a dash of salt toward the end of simmering. Simmer an additional 10 minutes on low and taste again. If you have seasoned enough, you will not taste the V8 juice at all. (I don't like V8 juice on its own, so this is how I gauge a good pot O' Chili) Simmer on low until ready to serve. The longer it warms on low the better it is.
Garnish with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, and corn chips....all optional, but my kids love the garnishes and I know that they are getting a ton of V8 juice, so I don't mind!
I hope you give my Super Chili a try!
