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Flexible Chili recipe

Chili is a versatile.  It can be a meal of its own or a side dish.  Also, it can be just a fun food to have, and to that end, occasionally my family asks me to make chili.  Since I am not much of a chef, unless it is boiling spaghetti or an egg, I look to the internet for “step-by-step” instructions and recipes.  The problem is that not everyone has the same taste buds or preferences.  The below recipe that I am sharing with you now is very flexible.  You choose how to make it.  It can be mild, medium, or very spicy.  It can be chunky or regular.  Finally, you can choose fatty, low fat, or even fat free.

With this ability to alter the recipe to your time constraints, whether the chili is the main attraction or the sideshow, and to mold it to your family’s taste buds, I hope you find this recipe a keeper.

Have fun and use your creativity.  

Please let me know if you like the recipe, how you altered it, and which options you chose!  

I hope your family likes this one too!  Happy Cooking!

Important highlights:

Servings: 6

Prep time: 5-15 minutes (depends on you)

Cooking time: 20 minutes 

Tools:

large saucepan

chopping board and good knife

 several small bowls or plates to place your ingredient

spatula or other stirring cookware

Ingredients: 

 1.5 – 2 pounds ground beef, chicken, and/or turkey (You choose the fat content and quality of the meat to use.)

Onions : 1 – 2 large Onions (we like 2)

 Green pepper: 1 large or two small peppers.  (option: Substitute Red Pepper or use ½ and ½ green and red)

 Garlic: 1 pinch garlic powder OR Garlic cloves to taste (we like about 10 cloves)

 Tomatoes: 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes OR Fresh tomatoes (we like 5-8)

Tomato Sauce: 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce (optional – if you like lots of tomato flavor and your chili more loose)

 Beans: 1 (15 ounce) can chili beans (pinto) and 1 (15 ounce) can chili beans (black)

Water: 1 1/2 cups water 

 Olive Oil: 1 tablespoon (option: coconut oil)

 Chili powder: 1 pinch chili powder (option: for more of a chili flavor)

 Crushed Red Pepper: 1 – 2 teaspoons hot crushed red pepper (like the kind you sprinkle on pizza)

 salt and pepper to taste 

Directions

1. Onions : Chop 1 – 2 large Onions.  Put ¼ of them aside for the end.  Put the rest (3/4)  in the cold saucepan.

2. Garlic: Either chop your garlic cloves into thin slices or round segments, or both if you have time and want the dish to look more varied and place in cold saucepan.  Or, just add 1 pinch garlic powder into your pan.  

3. Peppers: Finely chop peppers of your choice and place in the cold saucepan.

4. Tomatoes: if using Fresh tomatoes chop and place all but one tomato into the saucepan.  If using tomato sauce and canned crushed tomatoes, save until later.

5. Add Oil: place 1 tablespoon into the saucepan on low and begin to heat the pan.

6. Add: salt and pepper to taste to saucepan

7. Add: crushed Red Pepper to sauce pan if you want the chili spicy

8. Add: Chili powder: 1 pinch chili powder (optional addition for more of a chili flavor

9. Sauté the onions, pepper, garlic, salt & pepper, and crushed red pepper (if you are using it) on medium to high until the peppers appear soft and the onions clear.  Stir frequently so nothing burns

10. Add beef: Sprinkle /pull apart the ground beef, chicken, or turkey it apart with your fingers so that you do not have clumps of meat as you add to saucepan

11. Brown: the ground beef, chicken, and/or turkey by stirring frequently – continuously on medium-high.

12. After the meat is browned, add Water and allow the mixture to simmer for 5 minutes

13. IF using canned tomatoes and canned tomato sauce add now and simmer 5 minutes

14. Add beans: add one can and stir, simmer for 2 minutes and then the other can and simmer 3 minutes

15. stir

16. Add remaining tomatoes in center and onions around the tomatoes and serve from pan.

ENJOY!!!