Twice in the last month I have felt like eating chili! The weather had finally cooled off, it was raining, and I had Spiced Orange Harvest in my Scentsy warmer. I HAD to make a winter dinner to complete my seasonal mood. (Note: This has nothing to do with the fact I am 15 weeks pregnant and moods tend to swing in any direction at any time.)
So here is my fast chili recipe. Since the point is making the chili with what you have and not with accurate measurements or even ingredients, this recipe may seem a bit scattered, but stay with me.
First - Call your mom and ask her to come over and make it. If your mom is like mine, she make any one-pot meal with whatever you have in the frig or pantry - fast and delicious! But if she is unavailable go for option two.
Two - Find some basic ingredients.
Cans of beans
Meat (optional of course)
Canned Tomatoes
Vegetables
Spices
Stock or broth
I love adding any kind of vegetables just to get rid of them and throw some healthiness to what I am eating. (I add homemade blended spinach and carrot baby food to my spaghetti for that reason).
I added 2 cans black beans, 2 cans pinto beans (juice and all), ground turkey meat, a jar of spaghetti sauce (I didn't have any tomatoes), fresh onions, garlic, Better than Bouillon and some water. I searched my freezer and found some corn and green peppers so I added that too. For a different chili I just added a frozen vegtable mix of corn, peas, green beans, and carrots.
Now for the spices... I pretty much know nothing of spices except they make things taste better. So sometimes I just add a little of everything, but since I don't want people hating me for messing up their dinner, I will be simple. Whatever spice you use will direct your chili so Chili Powder is a must. I also have this blend in a grinder from Trader Joes called South African Smoke Season Blend. It's smokey, and so flavorful. If you have other blends (which of course I can't think of any right now) you can add that. I have a 21 herb blend I added to my chili. I tend not to add ANY salt since most seasonings and food already have salt added. The KEY is to taste, taste, taste and remember if you are making for the next day or day ahead, it will taste different as the flavors meld and mix overnight.
I hope your adventure with "make it fast chili" is awesome! I like to serve mine with homemade corn bread (or course) or biscuits.
Enjoy! and thanks for reading my FIRST blog!
