Chili Recipe

Well it's cold, rainy, and there is a lot of ice here in central Indiana and I am in the mood for one of my cold weather favorites.

It's chili night!!

 As much as I love chili, my youngest son and I both have somewhat sensitive tummys so I have specific ingredients I have found to be perfect for our chili while still keeping the spice and being easy on us.

1 lb grass fed beef

1 cup of vegetable juice

1 large can of Brooks Chili Hot Beans

1 can Italian style diced tomatos

1 can crushed tomatos

1 onion

chopped garlic 

1 box of pasta {I like rotini}

grated Parmesan to top with

ground cumin, onion powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, sea salt, ground pepper

{I don't use measurements on the spices, I just shake it in until it tastes about right. In fact most of my cooking involves just tossing things in until it looks or tastes about right.}

Brown the ground beef, then add garlic and onion and stir until the onions begin to look translucent. 

Cook pasta according to ingredients on box. 

I like to drain mine while they are still very firm so they don't get mushy once the chili is all put together.  

Toss everything together in a large pot and let simmer on low so all of the flavors blend together nicely. 

Top with Parmesan and enjoy!

As you can see, I am not a professional chef {I'm not even a very good blogger about food}. I like to relax when I am in the kitchen and just experiment until we find what works for us. 

This recipe is not exact and I've been known to change it up.

We use as much organic as we can because it works for us, but you can cut costs by using non organic. 

You can use tomato sauce or juice instead of vegetable juice. I use vegetable juice to cut back on the acidity of using too many tomato's and because it's always nice to have ways to sneak extra veggies in!

Switch out Parmesan for cheddar, ground beef for sausage, add different noodles or no noodles at all...it's up to you and how your family prefers it, there are plenty of choices and ways to customize your chili. 

Sometimes we add cut beef cubes, chicken and bacon instead of ground beef for an extra meaty meal. The bacon adds a delightful smoky flavor.

I'll be having a bowl of left over chili for lunch today!