My Favourite Chili

I admit that some mornings, I just can't do it all in under an hour.

I am out of bed by 5:20 and out of the house by 6:20 at the LATEST.

In this time, I have to shower, make myself look presentable, hope I can dress in clean clothes that look ok in the dark, feed the birds, go downstairs and feed the dogs, make lunches, let dogs out, remember pants, and take my vitamins.  

I usually remember my pants.

And normally don't have matching socks.

And yes, I know I should make lunches at night, I just don't always have the enthusiasm after biking, making dinner, possibly working out with my man (Shaun T), and having some R & R time with my other man (aka Husband).

So I have a back up plan for morning that don't include an extra 5 minutes.

Beef Chili with Beans!

I revamped the original recipe a bit (*) and cook it in the crock pot, as I generally cook spaghetti sauce at the same time (ingredients are fairly similar).  Two of our stove burners don't work, so I can only cook in one big pot at a time.  It's called kitchen compromise.

Gather

1 pound lean ground beef (I use 1/2 to 3/4 of a family pack)

1 Tbsp. oil

1 medium onion, diced

*2 sweet bell peppers, diced (red, yellow or orange)

1 12 ounce can or bottle of beer (lager, pilsner or pale ale) ***BEER IS A MUST!

1 to 2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. coriander

*4 Tbsp. chili powder

¼ tsp. chipotle chili powder (I use this instead of black pepper)

1-½ tsp. salt

*1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes

1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce

*2 cans pinto, kidney, and/or black beans, and/or chick peas, drained and rinsed

* 1/2 cup Sliced mushrooms 

Step by Step

1. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add the oil and the ground beef to the hot pot allowing the meat to brown and caramelize slightly before stirring.
2. When meat has finished browning, remove it with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. The paper towel will absorb any excess grease and oil.
3. *Put everything in the crock pot on low for 4-6 hours.
4. Eat with nacho chips. You'll never eat Chili without them again!

Nutrition

WW PP 8; Calories 342; Total Fat 8.0g; Saturated Fat 2.2g; Trans Fat 0.0g; Cholesterol 68mg; Sodium 968mg; Total Carbohydrates 31.3g; Dietary Fiber 7.8g; Sugars 5.7g; Protein 32.4g

I'm making this today, as Friday I was in a rush, and realized I had no chili as a quick lunch back up and had no time time make my salad medley.  

I'm thinking of adding some of our garden items, like green onions and spinach, but am not sure if that's too weird or not.  We'll see how I feel in an hour.  

More great recipes to come from my old school binder cook book.  I got rid of the cookbooks I had, and just print out recipes I will use, and keep the recipes I like in plastic pages - to prevent ripping and splashes.  If I don't like a recipe after eating it, I just recycle the paper.  

My old school binder from when I had a personal trainer in...2002?