On a cold winter day, there is no better way to warm yourself up than to eat a delicious bowl of steaming hot chili. Chili is an extremely versatile dish that you can experiment with in many different ways until you get the taste that you desire. You can vary both the spices and the ingredients. Chili is originally a Mexican dish, full of tomatoes, a variety of beans, ground beef, and hot spices. Although chili is usually made as a meat dish, there are also vegetarian variations. Let’s explore several different ways to cook chili:
Chili Con Carne Recipe:
This chili is not too spicy, which is a good thing if you have children who will not try anything too “hot”.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of dried kidney beans
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 2 tablespoons of canola oil (or other vegetable oil)
- 1 diced onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 a green pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon of chili pepper or less, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- salt to taste
- four cups of water
- a 1 pound can of crushed tomatoes
Steps:
Soak the kidney beans overnight if possible. This will allow the beans to soften. If you do not soak them overnight, soak them for at least half an hour before cooking.
In a 3 quart saucepan, heat the oil and brown the beef along with the onion, garlic, and green pepper. Add all the spices, beans, and water. Cover the saucepan and bring to a boil. When boiling, lower the flame so the chili can simmer and leave simmering for one hour.
After cooking for one hour, add the crushed tomatoes and allow to simmer for another half an hour, until you are certain the beans are soft. Taste the chili and add spices or salt as needed, to taste. Serve hot over rice.
Chili Soup Recipe:
This is a soupier version of chili and can be served as an appetizer.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef or ground chicken
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 medium sized carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 stalk of celery, chopped
- 1 red pepper finely chopped
- 1/4 cup of canola or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of coriander
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of chili powder
- 1 can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups of frozen corn kernels defrosted
- 1 16 oz can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 16 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 teaspoon of hot sauce
- 6 cups of water
Steps:
Put a little oil in a frying pan and brown the beef over medium heat. In a large pot, saute all the vegetables in the canola or olive oil for at least five minutes until soft, but not browned. Add the seasonings to the vegetables and simmer another minute, then add the beef, tomatoes, corn, beans, hot sauce, and water. Cover the pot, bring to a boil and simmer until done. You can serve the soup with taco chips as a garnish in each individual bowl.
Vegetarian Chili Recipe:
Vegetarian chili is great for those who do not eat meat or chicken, or for those days where you do not have it on hand.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons of chili powder
- 1 tablespoon of paprika
- 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 small jalapeno pepper minced
- 2 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes with basil
- 3 cups of unpeeled sweet potatoes, cut into small pieces
- 1 15 oz can of black beans
- 1 15 oz can of white beans
- 1 15 oz can of chickpeas
- 1 15 oz can of kidney beans
- 2 zucchini cut into chunks
- fresh cilantro
Steps:
Mix the spices in a small bowl and set aside. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onion and red pepper for about seven minutes until soft. Add the jalapeno pepper and saute another five minutes until brown.
Add the spices and cook another couple minutes until darkened. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir frequently for another seven minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups of water and the sweet potatoes. Add all the beans, after draining and rinsing, to the pot. Simmer on low for half an hour. Add the zucchini and continue simmering until the zucchini are cooked through. Garnish with cilantro.
Chili can also be made in a crockpot in the morning and left on low or medium until dinner time. Ideally it should be slowcooking for at least six to eight hours. No matter how you make your chili, it can be garnished with cilantro, sour cream, taco chips, tortilla strips, salsa, avocado, or anything else that you think goes with the taste of chili. It can be served with rice, fresh bread, or in a taco or tortilla. Get cooking and enjoy!