Chili Recipe

So, I have made this chili recipe a half dozen times now and keep making small adjustments. But, I think I have finally gotten it the way I like it! The great thing about this crockpot chili is that it is so forgiving. So, I kind of dump whatever I have in the pantry in here. Since it has been snowing recently I haven't gone to the store as much so it is more of a hodgepodge. But, I think it turned out really well!

Ingredients:
1 pound hamburger meat (I use 93% lean)
3 cloves garlic (minced or grated)
1 small onion (chopped)
6 slices of bacon (chopped)
1 8 ounces can tomato sauce
1 can red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can lima beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can yellow corn (drained and rinsed)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 splash of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup flour
sour cream (for topping)
cheddar cheese (shredded from the block for topping)
tortilla chips (i like the lime flavored ones)

















Directions 

1. Chop onion and grate garlic and add to a skillet with a bit of olive oil over medium-high heat. 
    Cook until onion is translucent (about 8 minutes)
2. Add hamburger meat and brown completely (about 8-10 minutes)
3. Stir frequently so meat, onions, and garlic do not burn
4. In a separate skillet, add about 6 slices of bacon and cook (normally about 10 minutes on medium-high heat)
5. Add cooked bacon, meat, onion and garlic into crockpot
6. Mix in kidney beans, pinto beans, lima beans and yellow corn
7. Mix in brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, black pepper, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, 
    Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 cup all purpose flour and stir thoroughly (if it seems too thick add 1/4 cup water)
8. Allow chili to cook on low for 2 hours so all flavors can blend
9. Serve with sour cream topping, grated cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips!

Assuming you have the spices in the cabinet the meal costs about $12 for four servings!

Also, I sometimes omit some of the spices and the beans if I am out and throw in something else instead.

Thanks,
Kristin

Rice & Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers

This week Andrew and I got our first shipment of meals with Blue Apron! Currently, I am obsessed with this program. The food is really fresh (we weren't sure how that would work with it being shipped) and tastes amazing! You can see all of my thoughts on the company on my previous post.

Last night we made the Rice & Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers. The recipe was so easy and tasted incredible. Here is a picture of the finished product! There was so much in each serving that I had plenty of leftovers for lunch today.

What I really like about this recipe is that it only took 40 minutes to prepare and was 625 calories.

To get started, the following ingredients were needed (all shipped in the correct portion amount):

8 ounces ground beef

1/2 cup long grain white rice

3 cloves garlic

2 poblano peppers

1 lime

1 yellow onion

1 bunch cilantro

3 T dried zante currants

3 T roasted pepitas

2 T tomato paste

2 t ground cumin

1/4 c mexican crema

Here are the directions:

1. In a small pot add rice, 1 c water and a tsp of salt. Heat to boiling (on high) 

2. Once boiling, cover and reduce to low heat and simmer for ~15 minutes (or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender). 

3. Remove from heat and fluff the rice with a fork.

4. Simultaneously, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. 

5. Wash and dry the fresh produce  

6. Peel and mince the garlic.

7. Peel and dice the onion

8. Pick the leaves off the cilantro and discard stems

9. Quarter the lime

10. Place poblano peppers on sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper (make sure well coated)

11. Roast in oven for 7 minutes (or until skin is browned and blistered)

12. Remove from oven and set aside to cool; leave the oven on

13. When cool, cut lengthwise slit in each poplano pepper and remove and discard the ribs and seeds (wash your hands immediately after)

14. While the peppers cool, use a large pan and heat 2 tsp of olive oil on medium heat until hot

15. Once heated, add the garlic and onion and cook (stir frequently) for 3 minutes (until toasted and fragrant)

16. Increase the heat to medium high and add the ground beef. Season with salt and pepper

17. Cook, frequently break the meat apart, for 4 minutes (until browned and cooked through)

18. Stir in currants, pepitas, cooked rice and 1/4 c water for 1-2 minutes and season with salt and pepper

19. stuff each prepared poblano pepper with as much filling as possible and bake 4-6 minutes

20. while the peppers are cooking take a small bowl and combine the mexican crema, the juice of 2 lime wedges and half of the cilantro with 1 T of water

21. Divide the finished poblano peppers and any remaining filling between two plates

22. Top with lime-crema sauce and garnish with remaining cilantro and lime wedges

Let me know what you think!

Kristin