Sweet Bee's Treats

Okay, so if you’ve read my introduction, or even just looked at the name of my blog, chili is probably not what you were expecting for the first real food entry. Consider it a practice entry . . . I needed some practice getting pictures of my food as I cook, writing about my cooking, and all that stuff. And I could write my entries for some yummy baked goodies, but I wouldn’t have any pictures to post yet. If you’re looking for the baked goodies, don’t worry, I have plans for some of those coming up too. (Think cookies, gingery pumpkin bread, and brownies.)

As much as I like baking, I still have to cook regular old dinners. Since I work full time, I like quick and easy. This chili is a nice one-pot meal, with protein, carbs, and veggies all right there; no need for a side dish. The thing that makes chili easy is that all the amounts listed are approximate. Don’t have exactly 16 oz. of the beans? That’s okay, as long as it’s kind of close. A little short on tomatoes? Throw in a little extra salsa to make up for it. This recipe is nothing fancy, but it’s a good hearty meal and requires very little prep time.

Assembled ingredients for quick & easy chili

Quick & Easy Chili

• 1 lb ground meat (I’ve used bison and turkey with good results)
• 1/2 of a medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 16 oz pinto beans (drained & rinsed)
• 16 oz kidney beans (drained & rinsed)
• 28 oz chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 a red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 a jalapeno pepper, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 cup salsa
• a little olive oil, for sauteing

Browning the meat, with garlic and onion

In a large pot, over medium heat, saute your onion and garlic until the onion starts to get soft. Break apart your ground meat and put it in the pan to brown.

While the meat is browning, dice & mince your peppers, and drain and rinse your beans.

Add beans, tomatoes, peppers, chili powder, cumin and salsa. Cook until hot, and then let simmer for as long as you feel like, to let flavors mingle.

Pot of Quick & Easy Chili

Here’s the finished product. If you don’t have much time to let it sit, it’s still good – but you’ll have even better leftovers. 🙂 If you like, top with shredded cheese or sour cream.

*A note on the ingredients: I hate BPA. I use Eden Organics because their can linings are BPA-free. My tomatoes are in a box, instead of the more typical can, for the same reason. Canned tomatoes have some of the highest concentration of BPA in them, because the acid in tomatoes leeches the BPA out of the can lining. If you can get tomatoes in a BPA-free box, as shown above, or in a glass jar, then you don’t have the bPA. Of course, you could also use fresh tomatoes and chop them all up yourself, but this recipe is supposed to be quick and easy!