- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
- 1lb 90/10 ground beef
- 1 yellow onion
- 3 stalks celery
- 2 large carrots
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 anaheim chile, seeded (sub in jalapeno or poblano if you prefer)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz can kidney (or aduki if you don't like kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz can fire roasted diced tomatos
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatos
- 1 28-oz can stewed whole tomatos
- 2 Tablespoons each: Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, chili powder, ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon each: basil leaves, cayenne, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon each: chipotle chili powder, smoked paprika
- 3 bay leaves
- Chop vegetables 3-7 in uniform size so they will cook evenly, set aside in bowl
- Heat 1 Tablespoon evoo in a large pot over medium heat
- Mince garlic and add to bowl of vegetables
- Add items 3-8 to heated oil
- Sauté vegetables for 8 minutes, then remove vegetables from pot and set aside in a bowl
- Heat 1 Tablespoon evoo in the same large pot (now empty)
- Add ground beef to heated oil and brown the meat, about 5 minutes
- Season meat with items 15-17
- Add bowl of cooked vegetables back into the pot
- Add items 9-14 and 18 to pot, stir
- Bring chili to a boil
- Reduce heat, simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every so often
- If needed, add more salt and/or pepper to taste
- Remove bay leaves
- Spoon into bowls, garnish with low fat shredded cheese, fat free sour cream (it's still good, I promise!), and chives, and enjoy!
If I have the whole afternoon and know I will be in the kitchen, I will add a couple cups of beef or chicken broth (whatever I have), and cook with the lid off to allow the chili to reduce over a few hours for another layer of delicioso.
With all the flavors and spices in this chili, your taste buds will never know it is low fat. The 90/10 beef keeps this cozy dish waistline friendly, and if you are adventurous and have access to a greater variety of meat than say, an urban girl such as yours truly, I highly recommend subbing in ground buffalo or bison (both of which are naturally lean). I have even made this chili with 94/6 beef, and it was still very tasty--albeit more pricey. The three bean combination adds more protein and lots of fiber for a filling and satisfying meal without any of the guilt. I love the three different colors and sizes of beans in the chili. I used aduki beans rather than chili's favorite kidney bean simply because PJB doesn't care for them, but any will work. If you have a taste for spice like me, I recommend kicking up the cayenne or leaving in some seeds from the chile.
Heaps and heaps of chili...yes, I always make this much. It really is the perfect dish to make on the weekend and take in to work for lunch during the week, or perhaps reinvent for weekday dinners by spooning over steamed rice, or over turkey dogs. The longer the chili melds together, the more lively the flavors become. This is one leftover that may actually get better overnight. Vegetarians out there, skip the meat--there's enough power-packed legumes in here to stand on their very own.
Lots of ingredients, yet a very easy meal. Let me know how much you love this chili and how you made it your own. Chili cook-off anyone?
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