Sugar Turned On Me

Chili, in some parts of the country, is not merely a dish but a subject of controversy argued with the same fervor usually reserved for gun control or religion. Purists will argue that there are no beans in chili. Others will differ on whether chili is a side dish, main dish or topping. There is difference of opinion as to if it should be ground meat or chunks of meat. The issue is complicated.

None of this mattered the day I decided to try my hand at chili because I was hungry and wanted to cook. Also, I was looking forward to something that was high protein, low carb. So here’s the recipe I used:

1 pound Ground Sirloin (90% lean, 10% fat).
1 large can (28 oz) Crushed tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
1 can of pinto beans, liquid drained
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt
Pepper

• In a medium skillet, brown your beef. Add salt and pepper here and maybe about half of the chili powder.
• In a medium sized pot, put a little olive oil in the bottom of the pan, heat up to medium and add the onions. Stir every once in a while and when the onions start to turn clear, add your garlic. Give it about another minute or so.
• Put your beef into the pot with the onion and garlic. Add the tomatoes, beans, the rest of the chili powder and more salt and pepper.
• Cover, simmer for about ten or fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. Produces four servings of almost two cups each.

The spices are a suggestion only. The above will produce tasty but not terribly spicy chili. You can add additional chili powder to make that happen. Also, check your chili powder to get an idea of what’s in it. I like mine to contain a little cumin.

This recipe is really a base. From this platform, it’s easy to experiment adding additional spices, whole chili peppers, soy sauce, peanut butter… the possibilities are manifold and varied.

But don’t take this as written to a chili cook off. The beans might get disqualified if you’re lucky. If you’re not, they might get you lynched.

This recipe on NutritionData.com
Note: This recipe does have about 1g of trans fat per serving, so if you’re avoiding that, keep this in mind.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS