ArcaMax

It's the Chili Chowdown

Chile is the pepper. Chili is the concoction.

And now that we’ve got that straight, let’s talk chili. It’s chilly outside these days so now’s a perfect time.

The history of chili is long and varied. Even the International Chili Society debates the origins of chili. (Yes, there IS an International Chili Society). Chili has been around in one form or another since cooking began.

The origins of Texas chili seem to have come from a range cook who was working along the cattle trail, feeding the hungry men at the end of a long day of rustling steer. Here’s his original recipe...

Read the full article at PlanZDiet.com

Chili Con Carne

This is a meaty chili with some veggies tossed in for crunch factor. Makes a satisfying lunch. You can take chili to the office and heat in the microwave for a perfect "Zola To Go" meal. You can also freeze individual portions for later retrieval and then heat them.

Servings: Serves 6 – 8. Each serving is 1.5 cups

Ingredients:

2 lb of ground sirloin
1 cup of diced onion
1 cup of chopped red bell pepper
1 cup of chopped celery
15 oz of diced tomatoes (In a can.  Find a variety with no sugar added)
8 oz of no sugar tomato sauce
1 Tbl of diced green chilies (in a can)
1 Tbl of ground cumin
1 Tbl of chili powder
2 cups of water
sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a soup pot brown the ground sirloin in a gentle spray of olive oil with the temp set at medium high. Continually break up the meat into bite-sized chunks. When the meat is almost browned through add your onion, pepper and the celery. Cook one more minute. Stir regularly. Turn heat down to medium. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce. Then add the chilies and the spices along with the water. Stir.

Bring the mixture up to a boil and then turn back again to medium and let it bubble gently for 15 minutes to meld the flavors.

Serve in a bowl. Each portion is 1.5 cups. This includes your veggie portion for the meal, but you can still eat salad greens with it.

If you want your chili spicier you can add more green chilies or sprinkle on some hot sauce.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola