Not Chili

Well, I call it chili. But the husband insists that if it has rice in it, it can't be chili, no matter how good it is (and it is good!). This is how my ma always made chili at home - served over rice - and it's still my favorite (and it might soon become the husband's, too).

1 1/2 cups white rice
2-3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Olive oil
A little salt
A little ground pepper
1 lb ground beef, thawed
1 tbsp chili powder, plus more
1/2 tsp ground cumin, plus more
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 can red kidney beans (you know, whatever the size is between 8 oz and 28 oz - the regular size), drained and rinsed

Cook your rice.

Meanwhile: drizzle a healthy amount of olive oil into the bottom of the pot, then add your garlic and heat over medium, adding a little salt and ground pepper. Just let that get hot and aromatic, then mix in the ground beef, red chili powder, and cumin. Let the beef brown.

Once the beef is browned, add your tomatoes and tomato sauce. Break up the whole tomatoes well with a wooden spoon. Bring the sauce to a boil, then turn to low and partially cover, simmering for about 1/2 to a 1 full hour. You can sprinkle more chili powder and cumin in at this point, according to your taste.

15 minutes before the sauce is done, add the kidney beans and cook another 15 minutes.

Serve over/mix into rice - yes, RICE! - and enjoy!

White Bean Chicken Chili

(concept from Eating Well)

Chili in June? Yes, if it's in the low 60s and raining! The husband and I were totally on the same page today - he came home thinking of soup, I came home thinking of chili, and here we are!

I grew up with chili made with kidney beans, ground beef, and tomato sauce - served over rice - which was always delicious. This is a nice variation on that - plus, I believe it's what the pros call a "one-pot meal". (Look at me, using the lingo.) It's also really easy to vary - spiciness, veggieness, etc. For example, tonight I added yellow bell peppers for the first time, which turned out pretty good.

So, here's what goes in your one pot:
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped baby carrots
1 bell pepper, halved and sliced
1 medium onion, diced
2 4oz cans chopped green chiles
1 15oz can great northern beans, rinsed
2 15oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Cumin
Cayenne pepper
1.5 habaneros
1 cooked rotisserie chicken (thighs, breast, drumsticks - skin removed), torn up/chopped (which is great, because you can eat it as you go...er, I mean...)
1 lime

In a dutch oven or stew pot, drizzle olive oil into the bottom of the pan and turn the heat to medium-high. Add carrots and cook for a few minutes, then stir in onion and cook until softening, adding a pinch of the cumin and cayenne pepper, and a little squeeze of lime juice. Once softened, stir in the chiles, the bell pepper (add the bell pepper earlier, with the onion, if you want it softer), the beans, and the chicken broth. Sprinkle on more cumin and cayenne, and crush in one habanero with a garlic press. Add another squeeze of lime juice. Bring to a boil then turn low to simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and the .5 habanero, if it needs more spice. Squeeze in half a lime. Stir and cook for about 5 more minutes.

(Also, this dutch oven, which I love, was a wedding gift from my Thrive crew! Woo hoo!)