Beef & Bean Chili

Hello blog-o-sphere!  This is the first of hopefully many delicious recipes that I hope you will love and enjoy as much as I do.

A little bit about me… By day, I’m an Account Executive at an awesome advertising agency in Orlando, Florida.  By night, I’m a self-taught cook who loves to bake and prepare yummy food for my friends and family.  Growing up, my mom was incredibly talented in the kitchen, and inspired me and instilled my passion for cooking.  A little over a year ago I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and was forced to re-evaluate almost all of my recipes and go-to meals to accommodate my new gluten allergy.

My recipes are all from scratch, using fresh, gluten-free ingredients.  Don’t let that scare you away, because gluten-free doesn’t have to be weird!  Most of these recipes are naturally gluten-free, but for ones that involve baking and breading, you can always substitute regular flour or ingredients for gluten-free ones that I choose to use.

Now, back to the food.  Chili used to be a staple in our home growing up during the “colder” months in Miami, but my mom’s recipe used a seasoning packet that contains gluten ingredients.  So when I was diagnosed I had to create my own chili seasoning with a spice mixture from scratch.

This chili is so flavorful and delicious.  I love it over white rice with some fresh red onion, sour cream and jalapeños, but you can serve it any way you like!

Here are step-by-step instructions.  Easy-to-print recipe and steps are below.

What you’ll need: your choice of meat (beef, turkey or a combination of the two), chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic, two cans of beans, a big can of whole, peeled tomatoes and a small can of diced green chilies (if you like heat!)

First, cook the meat in a medium skillet on medium-high heat until browned.  This go around, I combined beef & turkey, hence the two-color meat.  Once the meat is browned, drain the fat out.  It can be tricky and dangerous because the pan and fat are hot, but I use one hand to hold the skillet over my sink, and use the lid of the pan to drain the fat into the disposal.

 

Once you drain the fat, add the minced garlic to the meat and mix around until it’s combined and starts smelling fragrant.  Mix up your spices in a small bowl and add to the meat and garlic mixture.

  

Combine until the meat is coated in the spice mixture.  The meat may start to sizzle a bit, because you’ve drained all the fat, but that’s okay and only starts to make your kitchen smell delicious.

Once that’s combined, add in the drained beans, whole can of tomatoes with the juice and the green chilies if you’re using them.  Take your spoon and break up the tomatoes into pieces so you don’t get huge chunks of entire tomatoes when you serve the chili.  Then mix everything up so it’s combined.  Now you can turn the heat down, cover your pot and let it cook for about 15 minutes.  You can’t really “hurt” the chili by over-cooking, so don’t worry, because the longer it simmers, the more the flavors will marry.

Season with salt and pepper, and taste to see if it needs anything else.  I usually find myself adding a little more cayenne pepper at the end, because we like things spicy in our house!  You’re ready to serve it up.  I love to have my chili over a nice bowl of white Jasmine rice, with some fresh red onions, dollop of sour cream and some fresh jalapeños.  My boyfriend likes it over mac n’ cheese, which is also pretty lip-smacking fabulous!  Let me know if you come up with any other fun ways to enjoy the chili, or cool combinations.

 

Beef & Bean Chili

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of lean ground beef (or you can use ground turkey or a mix of the two)
• 3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
• 3 Tablespoons Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (and more to taste)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 small can of pinto beans, drained
• 1 small can of red kidney beans, drained
• 1 large can of large, whole, peeled tomatoes (I like the Progresso brand with basil in it)
• Small can of chopped green chilies (optional)
• Salt and Pepper

(Note to wheat-eaters: If you aren’t allergic to gluten, you can replace the chili powder, cumin & cayenne with a packet of French’s Chili-O seasoning.  That’s what my mom uses and it’s delicious!)

Steps

1. Brown the meat in large skillet on medium high heat.  It will generate fat as it cooks, so once the meat is cooked, I drain the fat so it’s a bit healthier. (I usually hold the pot with one hand and use the lid of the skillet to hold the meat in while I drain the fat.)  You could choose to keep the fat in the pan and I bet it would add more great flavor.
2. Add the minced garlic cloves to the drained meat and stir until combined.
3. Mix the spices together in a small bowl, and add to the skillet.  It will start to sizzle a bit.  Stir the meat and spices until the meat is coated.
4. Add in the can of whole tomatoes with the juice, the two cans of beans and the whole can of green chilies, if you’re using them.
5. Stir everything together, and mash the big tomatoes with your spoon so you have smaller bites of tomato throughout the chili, instead of huge mouthfuls.
6. Cover the chili and let it sit and simmer on low for about 10-20 minutes (or an hour!)  It can sit on the stove and simmer for a long time with the lid on… this is when all the flavors marry together and become delicious.  The longer they cook the more flavorful it gets, so it just depends how much time you have on your hands.
7. Serve and enjoy!

I love to eat chili over a big scoop of white rice, with some fresh diced red onion, a little dollop of sour cream and some jalapeños!  But it’s super delicious on its own, or with some cheese on top, too 🙂 Post and share any other ways you like to enjoy your chili!

Hugs, kisses & yummy dishes… xoxo

Lauren