Tuesday, September 29, 2009

A healthy chili recipe, my way

I enjoy cooking. Over the past 2 years I have become quite good at making meals fast and creatively. Though not fancy, here is a household favorite.. "Throw and Go Chili". I will list for you the cookbook's version AND my modifications.

Throw and Go Chili (American Heart Associations healthy version)

This recipe serves 4

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil spray
12 oz. lean ground beef
1 16oz can no-salt-added dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with onions, celery, and bell peppers
12 oz frozen bell pepper stir-fry mix (bell peppers and onions)
1 tablespoon chili powder (I use Ancho chili powder)
1/2 tablespoon instant coffee granules (I do NOT use the coffee for goodness' sake! I don't need my 2 year old to be any more bouncy than she already is.)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fat-free or light sour cream

Step 1.) Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and lightly spray with vegetable oil spray, being careful not to spray near a gas flame. Cook beef for 3 minutes, or until browned, stirring frequently. Pour into a colander and rinse under hot water to remove excess fat. Drain well. Wipe skillet with paper towels. Return beef to skillet. Increase heat to high.

(This is how I cook step 1.): "Lightly brown meat." Saves a lot of time if you don't have much, like when a two year old is pulling on your shorts and is "cooking" on the floor at your feet and by walking around too much for the extra steps in step 1 it would cause you to trip on her and you are stirring the meat with one hand and holding a barfy two month old in your other "free" arm and trying to wipe some barf from that "free" arm before it falls into the meat and adds extra flavor.)

Step 2.) Stir in beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, chili powder, coffee granules (again, I do NOT use the coffee for Pete's sake!, in my version), cumin, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Step 3.) Stir in salt. Let stand for 10 minutes to absorb flavors.

Step 4.) To serve, ladle chili onto bowls. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream.

(In the interest of saving time, this is how I combine steps 2 and 3 and 4.): Stir in remaining ingredients, except sour cream and the coffee are you crazy? Let it boil over medium heat while you set the table, taking care that baby does not barf on clean plates and toddler does not grab spoons. Get everyone seated and serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream on top.)

Sooooo, basically my version is Brown meat, Add remaining ingredients (except the coffee for crying out loud!), Top with sour cream. Done. A delicious, nutritious, and easy dinner with only 259 calories per serving! I'd add a picture, unfortunately it's all been eaten and I didn't think of it while it was cooking.

2 comments:

Jenn Ann said...

You have definitely mastered the art of hiding vegetables in stuff to get the hubby to eat them...I'm assuming this works for Maddie too ;)

Anonymous said...

Ha! Maddie's version would be to eliminate all ingredients EXCEPT the veggies!
Chili was very tasty!
Love you!
Mama