Now that it's turned cold, all I want to make is soup, stews and chili. I made 2 huge pots of chili on Sunday to feed everyone helping me with Christmas baking and we only had 2 bowls left over. My favorite way to eat it is with some chopped jalapenos, green onions and shredded cheese sprinkled across the top. You can also do sour cream and throw in some tortilla chips for dipping.
I have a few different recipes I like to play around with but the one I'm sharing here is the easiest and quickest. It also freezes well if you want to make an extra batch to have later.
2 lbs ground beef (I use ground round)
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes
Sea salt to taste
1/2 cup chopped green chiles
1 can dark kidney beans
1 can light kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
2 (28-oz) cans crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
In a large soup pot, saute your chopped celery, onion and garlic in 2 Tablespoons olive oil for about 3 mins. Add your ground beef and cook through, breaking into chunks with the back of the spoon. Carefully drain the beef without losing any of the onions or celery. :) Add the crushed tomatoes, water, chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, green chiles and a bit of sea salt. Stir together and then add the beans. Cover and simmer for 30 mins.
