The Chili!

The chili I made yesterday was by far the best chili I have ever made. It was rich and flavorful with just the right amount of spicy kick. It took a lot of restraint to wait while it simmered away all day. But patience often pays off and in this case, the payout was a fantastic dinner. I made some corn muffins to accompany it, but they were nothing extraordinary so use your own favorite recipe for those or serve it over nutritious brown rice to amp up the fiber value of this meal (get those 25 g/day!). I also made some kick-ass kale blanched in garlic and vegetable broth and finished with lemon. Those powerhouse greens are so easy to prepare! All in all it was a great Sunday night dinner and I can't wait to try the leftovers.

Slow Sunday Chili

Ingredients

2 cups black beans (1 can)

3lbs of top round or boneless sirloin beef

1 can diced tomatoes or 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes with juice

1 can of tomato sauce (no added flavorings)

1 jalapeno

1 medium yellow onion

1 Tbs Chili powder

1 Tbs Tumeric

3 Tbs blackstrap molasses

½ Tbs coconut oil (or olive oil)

Flour

Steps

Cut the meat into bite size cubes. Coat in flour and shake off any excess before cooking.

Dice the onion

Heat a 4 quart (preferably cast iron) pot. Add the coconut oil and let melt. Add the meat and cook until brown (about 3-5 minutes). Push the meat to one side of the pot, add a little more coconut oil and the onion. Cook until the onion is soft and then mix with the meat. Add the spices and mix around again.

Drain the black beans but save the liquid. Add the beans and the jalapeno to the pot, then the can of tomatoes and the sauce. Stir all the ingredients together while adding the molasses. Put the top on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Let the mixture simmer on low heat for at least 5 hours. Stir occasionally and taste the sauce. If it is too spicy a little brown sugar can be added to mellow it out.

Top with cheese if desired but it really was great by itself!

Serve with brown rice or corn muffins.