Rainy Day Chili

So I will be very honest with you all and let you know, I don't particularly like chili. It's just not a food that gets my taste buds excited, in fact its more likely to make me lose my appetite but then I have some really weird and random food put offs. Like steak, I don't know why but sometimes the smell of steak cooking makes me feel ill. Other times, it makes my mouth water. 

Anyway, non of that is really important because today, I'm sharing with you a recipe for Chili that I do like to eat and every now and then make. I usually only want chili or soup if its very cold out and even more so if its a rainy day! Call me a Hobbit, I really am!

So yesterday it was very cold out and perhaps because I had walked our little yorkie Fritz twice that day I just wanted something warm and filling and hearty.  I also didn't want to slave over a stove for very long to get it. This recipe is simple and takes less than 30 minutes to throw together because it uses precooked canned beans! Bonus- you only need one pot! You can eat it right away or leave it on low heat for an hour or three til you're ready to eat!

Rainy Day Chili:

Serves- 4

Prep Time- 5 min

Cook Time- 30 or less

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 small yellow onions (if you like raw onion to put on top cut up extra)

1 lb lean ground beef or turkey if you prefer

1 can diced tomatoes (I used italian seasoned but feel free to use plain or spicy)

1 can chili beans (these are kidney beans that come in a chili sauce)

1 can cannellini beans

1 can black beans

1 can navy beans

1 large enamel cast iron pot (like this one) if you don't have one, use a large stock pot!

Spices:

2-3 tbsp cumin (I might have a slight obsession with cumin!)

1 tsp chili powder (or more, whatever is most to your spice level)

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp season salt or regular salt

1 tsp black ground pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1. dice onion however you like it for your chili, I kind of julienned mine- then heat pot on stove over medium heat and add 1-2 tbsp olive oil. 

2. cook onions til translucent and softened. Now its up to you on this but I just throw my ground beef in at this point to cook and let the onions continue to cook with it but if that weirds you out, then just scoop out the onions and set aside in a prep bowl to add back once the beef is cooked. To the beef while it is cooking, add your spices (reserve 1 tbsl cumin)

3. Once beef is cooked add back your onions. Also add the can of diced tomatoes and the can of chili beans- don't drain these just add them directly to the pot. 

4. Open your other cans of beans and drain and rinse those ones thoroughly. No need to have extra sodium when you have enough in your recipe already. I usually rinse and drain them with some good shakes 3-4 times for each can- you can always throw them in a colander too but thats an extra item to clean. 

5. add drained beans to pot. Stir to incorporate it all together and add that last 1 tbsp of cumin. 

6. Try it.. if its not spicy enough or seasoned enough- add what you like to make it your own. I'm going off an approximation of what I used and probably ended up adding a little more paprika and chili. I also  sprinkled in about 8 drops of Tabasco sauce. 

7. Cover and put on low heat, let heat through and serve whenever! 

We put some fresh grated cheddar cheese over ours and my dad added some crushed up tortilla chips. 

 If you use lean ground beef and just enough olive oil to provide a non stick coat to the onions, you shouldn't really have any grease to drain. There'll be just enough to add a little more flavor to your chili!

 Yum! I love how colorful this chili is by using the different types of beans. It provided a nice textural difference and makes it more appetizing than just using kidney beans. 

It heats up for some tasty leftovers too!