Saturday, April 20, 2013

Chili con Carne

Yum

A chili made with any kind of meat, beans, and chili pepper sauce.


Chili con Carne:  A chili made with any kind of meat, beans, and chili pepper sauce.



(Updated 1/24/16 new pictures, tweet-ables, new recipe, editing)
Cool rainy days are great for chili.  We had a little cold front here in Honolulu a few weeks back.  I'm sure everyone who is still experiencing real winter weather is probably going to roll their eyes, but it got down to 58 F at night here.  That is chilly when you are used to mid 70s all the time.  And it was cloudy and gray for a few days, so perfect chili weather.  I made chili again, but this time, I added meat.  (Update starts)Chili con Carne is just chili with meat.  You can use any kind of meat you prefer beef, chicken, turkey, pork, whatever you have.  Experiment and have fun.

#Chili con Carne is great #coldweatherfood  [Tweet this]
Chili con Carne:  A chili made with any kind of meat, beans, and chili pepper sauce.

I love chili.  I could eat it all the time.  It's warm, hardy, and hearty.  I am always tweaking my chili recipe.  Adding a little of this and a little of that until I make the perfect chili.  The things that remain constant are plenty of beans and lots of chili peppers. The beans help stretch the meat, help you feel full with fewer calories, and add great fiber and nutrition.  Chili peppers are also known for many nutritional benefits and impart wonderful flavor and heat to the dish. I like to see how spicy I can handle it.  My husband can take a lot of heat so it will never be too hot for him and I can add more cheese to help cool it if needed. 

A warm, hardy, and #heartymeal | #ChiliconCarne  [Tweet this]
Chili con Carne:  A chili made with any kind of meat, beans, and chili pepper sauce.

I don't like to make tomato based chili.  I think chili should be made with mostly chili peppers and spices.  One way I like to make chili is with a puree of roasted or dried chilies.  Using dried chilies (softened in hot water then pureed) is probably my favorite but I have a hard time finding them at my local grocery.  So instead of dried chilies I've started using enchilada sauce.  Some enchilada sauces use a tomato base too but I avoid those for ones made with just chilies like this one.

Drop the tomatoes make #Chili w/ #chilipeppers [Tweet this]
Chili con Carne:  A chili made with any kind of meat, beans, and chili pepper sauce.

Chili con Carne


Cook time: 45-90 minutes
Servings:  6

Ingredients:

1 onion diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound ground meat (I used turkey in the pictures)
6 cups of beans (about 2 cups dry, cooked)
28oz can of red enchilada sauce
3 roasted jalapenos, pureed (optional)
1 packet chili seasoning (I used McCormick)
1 Tbsp garlic powder (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Chili con Carne:  A chili made with any kind of meat, beans, and chili pepper sauce.

For this recipe, I used my rice cooker/slow cooker but you can also use a large stock pot.

Pour the oil into the slow cooker and add the onions.  Turn the slow cooker to high and with the lid open cook the onions until they are soft, stirring occasionally (10-15 minutes...while waiting prepare all the other ingredients).

Meanwhile, cook the ground meat over medium heat (in a large frying pan) until browned.  Drain off grease (if any).

Add the meat, beans, enchilada sauce, jalapeno puree (if using--alternatively you can use diced fresh jalapenos just add them to cook with the onions), and seasoning.

Close the lid to the slow cooker and let cook for 30-60 minutes or until heated through.

Or turn the slow cooker to low and cook for longer. I like to start it early and let it cook for a few hours until my husband gets home.  It makes the house smell great.

Taste and adjust seasoning.  I cooked my beans from dry and didn't salt them while cooking so I added a few dashes of salt when I added the beans.

Serve warm with cheese, green onions, and/or sour cream.

Makes about 6 servings.

Enjoy.

Chili con Carne:  A chili made with any kind of meat, beans, and chili pepper sauce.



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