Chilly Day Chili

Pretty sure I’ve mentioned before my weather related anxiety? It basically goes like this – on beautiful days I feel that I must spend hours outdoors and if/when I’m prohibited, I feel as if I’ve “missed out” and will never experience those moments in exactly the same way again. On cold or rainy days, I feel no pressure and love being inside, cozy and getting things done. This past weekend, “things” meant chili. There was a fire, there were sweatpants, and there were children who still want to be cuddled. It was a great day. I made this chili from what I had on hand and took down my ingredients as I worked, just in case it came together well. Trust, I do this often and there are more than a few recipes lists crumpled in the trashcan, but this wasn’t one of those times. My mom popped in for a bowl and demanded the recipe – when I told her I’d made it up she said, “I HATE when you do that. “I took it down, though”, I said, and here it is!

When I told my preschooler he had to eat the chili for dinner, I was prepared for a battle. When he realized I was going to crunch up tortilla chips and mix them in, his furrowed brow smoothed and he ate the WHOLE BOWL. Tonight I’m going to crunch up chips over his salmon and green beans (just kidding).

Chilly Day Chili

Serves 6-8

1 1/3 lb. grass fed ground beef

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 yellow or orange bell peppers, diced

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

6 oz. tomato paste

2 1/2 c. chicken broth

28 oz. (canned) diced tomatoes, drained

28 oz. (canned) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 c. frozen corn

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

2 avocado, diced

Tortilla chips for serving

1. Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add meat, 1 tsp. salt and pepper and saute until browned. Transfer meat to a plate.

2. To oil in pan (from meat), add peppers, onion, and garlic. Saute several minutes.

3. Add brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Stir and let cook until vegetables are softened.

4. Add tomato paste and stir frequently, about 1 minute. Add broth and stir to combine. Increase heat to high.

5. When mixture reaches a boil reduce heat to medium and add tomatoes, beans and corn. Add meat back to pot. Let simmer at least 25  minutes on low heat.

6. Add scallions and stir to combine. Serve, topped with avocado and chips.