Chili with a Twist

I’m a big fan of chili this time of year. There aren’t many things that go as well with a cool fall day, or even a cold winter day, as well as chili. I mean it’s even called chili, maybe spelled differently but the word’s associated with being cold! I guess coffee, goes pretty well with a cold day too, but coffee doesn’t fill your belly! Today, we are focusing on filling your belly with warm goodness!

You can ask my college roommate, we lived on three things throughout our years at Purdue. Chili, chips and salsa and…. well we won’t talk about the third. Let’s just say we’ve grown up a lot and into our faith even more.

I was the chili master and my roommie was the queen of salsa. I’ve since mastered new versions of both. Back then my chili involved a taco seasoning packet, rotel tomatoes and venison (which my roommate to this day is probably still mad about…. I told her it was beef).

Keeping it Clean

After the birth of our first daughter I really got into examining my spice cabinet and the ingredients in the foods and spices I cook with. Upon examination we were consuming a huge amount of preservatives, MSG, sugars and other extras that were non essential to the food we were preparing. We still cook nearly everything we used to, but now use fresh ingredients and skip the, who knows what’s in it, spice packets. We use real spices to flavor our food.

The Twist

This recipe is going to be just a touch different than the normal run of the mill chili I make. Since we have been making chili with fresh ingredients it hasn’t been quite as thick as the old stuff. I was pondering a remedy for this and came up with several but the idea that popped into my mind mid grocery store sent me running back to the produce section for a sweet potato. I’ve made what I call sweet potato chili before with cubed sweet potatoes but this was a completely different idea. I planned to cook it first and puree it just to sweeten and thicken it up a bit. That’s exactly what I did.

Here’s how I made it.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Ground pork (you may sub venison or beef)
• 1 lb Bag Dry Red Kidney Beans
• 4 pints Grape Tomatoes
• 1 or 2 Sweet Potatoes (if you use 2 it will have a slight sweet potato flavor)
• 2 green bell peppers chopped
• 1 large red onion chopped
• 1/4 Cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 1-2 Tbs garlic powder
• 1-2 Tbs Chili powder
• 1-2 Tbs Cumin
• 1-2 Tbs Pink Himalayan Salt
• 2-3 Cups water

Toppings:

• Chopped green onion
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Chopped fresh jalepeno
• Shredded or chunked cheese
• Chili Powder
• Cayenne Pepper

Prepare the beans, there will be directions on the back of the bag. I often do the quick soak method. I rinse the beans then place them in a large pot covered with water. Bring to a boil for a minute or two then cover, remove from heat and let stand for an hour. Then rinse the beans thoroughly.

Brown the ground pork or meat of your choice. I like to add a dash or two of all the spices to the meat as it cooks (in addition to the amounts in the ingredient list) it helps meld the flavor into the meat.

Puree all four tomato pints, a food processor works well.

As you complete each step add each ingredient to the crockpot and stir it in. At this point also add 2-3 cups of water (just make sure its enough for your beans to absorb and soften), chopped onion and bell pepper as well as the spices, minced garlic and apple cider vinegar.

Bake your sweet potato. Use a knife to poke several slits in the potato then place in the microwave or oven until soft. (should take 4-5 min in the microwave). Cut in 1/2, scoop out the potato. Puree in food processor. Make sure it’s pureed very fine, no chunks. You will have to add a little water to allow for pureeing. Add to the crock and stir in well.

Cook on high for at least two hours. Turn to low and cook 3-4 more hours. In a crockpot your chili should cook at least 5-6 hours so the beans are cooked completely through and soft. Cooking chili longer is A – OK too!

Make it your own.

You may cook in jalepeno peppers or other hot peppers. If I had it my way mine would have plenty of heat. My girls however say otherwise. If I want hot chili I must dress it up after the cooking process. You can omit the sweet potato for a different texture and taste.  To serve I’ve added toppings our family likes, chopped green onion or cilantro jalepeno and cheese. You can add your own details here too!

Chili is a super healthy dish when made with great ingredients.  It can be easily changed to meet your specific tastes too!  However you like it, this recipe is a great base to start from.  I look forward to hearing how you made it special for your family!

Enjoy!