Well people, it was the first day of fall this past Monday. Summer is officially over… 🙁 I don’t dislike fall. In fact, I love crisp sunny fall mornings, but it just means we are that much closer to winter. Winter on the west coast means grey, gloomy, and wet for the most part. Not really looking forward to that. But for now, Ill enjoy the sun we have left and look forward to all the yummy comfort food recipes that food bloggers are going to be posting shortly! Like this Chili!
Kevin has been working out of town for the past year and a half or so. Mostly across the country in Saskatchewan, and Im not gonna lie, its tough sometimes for him to be gone so much. But he is a hard worker and he busts his butt for our family and its not forever so we deal with it. Most recently hes been working in Princeton, which is nicer because he can come home every weekend and also convenient for camping this summer because he lives in our trailer there and then we can just come up for the weekend instead of him coming home. However, the plan for the next few months is for him to work at home, which will be nice for us both.
One of his current local jobs is to renovate the barn of our good friends for their daughters wedding. The barn was pretty old, but its going to be amazing when hes done! I cant wait to see it finished. He is in a time crunch now for the wedding and had to work there this past Saturday so I told him I would bring him some lunch. I like cooking for my man and I like to be able to bring him lunch once in a while. He requested some Chili and this is the Chili I made him. Its pretty good, if I do say so myself! Kevin and his friend, Brian, that works with him thought so too. Sweet my job is done!
I always used to make chili smoky and spicy, but I have learned that although Kevin likes spicy food, he likes his chili to taste meaty rather than smokey. So this chili has lots of meaty flavor. It has ground beef, ground pork and ground sausage. I think thats pretty meaty…
My chili powder has a good kick to it, its seriously spicy, so I didnt add any extra chilis or spice to this chili, but usually I would add a jalapeno or two or a chipotle pepper.
I love beans in my chili so this one has quite a few of those too. White kidney beans, red kidney beans, and canned baked maple beans. Kevins mom puts canned baked beans in her chili and I love them so I figured I’d give it a try in mine. They give the chili a hint of sweetness that I like so I think they will be a permanent addition.
When I make chili, I made a big ass pot of it! Then I can freeze a few freezer bags full as well as feed everyone for a couple meals. We like to take frozen chili camping because its such an easy meal once you thaw it out. All you need is some buns and toppings. Chili freezes really well and it doesnt really take any more time to make double what you need so its kind a no brainer. This recipe Im posting makes quite a bit, so if you don’t want to freeze any or you don’t have a big pot, maybe cut the recipe in half when you make it.
Another reason I love chili is that its so easy to make! Everything goes into one pot and a lot of the ingredients come from cans so all you have to do is open them and dump them in. Of course, if you don’t like canned things, you can always use chopped fresh tomatoes or dried beans that you have soaked overnight and mushrooms that you slice yourself, but that requires a bit more forethought, especially with the beans, and I didn’t have that luxury this time. Canned veggies are still nutritious and super convenient, just make sure to get the canned ingredients without added salt. You want to be able to add your own salt so you can season to how you like it.
You can top this chili with so many things… Cheese is a must for me, but you can use any combination of avocado, sour cream or any version of creaminess, chopped green onions, diced jalapenos, cilantro, diced green peppers, fresh diced tomatoes, and whatever else you can think of that tickles your fancy.
One of my favorite healthy ways to eat this chili is on top of romaine lettuce and then topped with diced veggies, sour cream and cheese like a taco salad. My favorite a-little-less-healthy way is to make a plain cheese quesadilla with cheddar and a tortilla and dip it in the chili before I take each bite. Oh man thats good! I think I might have to go make one of those right now. Heres the recipe so you can too!
Ingredients
- 1 kg ground beef
- 1/2 kg ground pork
- 1/2 kg ground sausage
- 2 onions , diced
- 1 or 2 cans beer (optional)
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp pepper
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 -2 chilis , peppers, or jalapenos (optional)
- 3 cans mushrooms , drained
- 2 large cans diced tomatoes
- 1 large can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cans maple baked beans
- 1 can white kidney beans
- 1 can red kidney beans
- 2 - 3 green peppers , diced
- 2 tbsp beef bullion (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, add the beef, pork and sausage. Add the salt and pepper. Cook and stir, breaking up the pieces well and mixing it together. Cook till the meat is nicely browned. Remember, brown equals flavor!
- Add the onions and cook till they are translucent. Then add the mushrooms and cook for a few mins.
- Add the beer and cook it down till the liquid is about half.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, and thyme.
- Add the diced and crushed tomatoes, all the beans, the green peppers and the beef bullion.
- Stir it well to combine, bring to a simmer and cook covered for at least an hour, stirring once in a while.
- After an hour, uncover the chili and taste it. Season to taste and then serve it up!
Leave a Reply