The Best Kept Secret About Chili {Mexican Chili}

Have you ever met a cattle rancher?  One that is late to the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (annual national conference for dietitians as part of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) all because he needed to take care of his cattle?  Yes, to a rancher, his cattle are really more important than standing with a bunch of registered dietitians.  Cattle are his livelihood and part of his family.  I walked into the Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner booth with a sense of awe as I met this cattle rancher (who was significantly taller than me!) and I thanked him for all he does to provide safe, nutritious and wholesome food for our families.  More on cattle farming in a future post.

Another stop in the booth revealed a something that I had to try.  Chili.  You might think “Yes, I’ve had chili a million times, what’s so special about another recipe for chili?”  Let me tell you the secret.  This chili starts off with only five (yes, I said five) ingredients.  And wait for it – you can make it into five different recipes with this five ingredient base!  Why I love it?  It’s easy – of course, moms and dietitians love easy.  It’s so, so tasty – and dietitians and moms love tasty!  And my favorite part – it’s versatile.  I could make chili each night of the school week and have different flavors and meals each time.  Can this idea get any better?

Mexican Beef Chili
Source: www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com
Serves 6.

Ingredients
1 pound 93/7 lean ground beef
1 (14.5 ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (14.5 ounce) can reduced sodium beef broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Toppings: pumpkin seeds (pepitas), chopped cilantro, shredded reduced-fat cheese

Preparation
1. Cook beef over medium heat until browned. Break apart and crumble beef during cooking.
2. Add black beans, broth, tomatoes, chili powder and cocoa powder.
3. Simmer 10 minutes over medium heat. Serve with pumpkin seeds (pepitas), chopped cilantro and shredded reduced-fat cheese.

Quick tip: The pumpkin seeds, cilantro and cheese are a must for toppers.  Don’t exclude them in this recipe!

Four more versions of chili – including Italian, Moroccan and more?  I’ve got it right here.

Happy Veteran’s Day to all the farmers that served our country including both of my grandfathers.

 

2 Comments

  1. Neva Cochran on November 11, 2013 at 3:50 pm

    Love it! That chili was good.

  2. Karli on November 13, 2013 at 4:25 pm

    Love this post! Thank you for sharing the recipes!

Leave a Comment





Similar Posts