Will-approved Chili

Will is a hard sale on chili. But, last night I made one that he really enjoyed! That already speaks volumes about it! I took my sister-in-law's 3-Bean Chili, combined with some other ideas and came up with this:

- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, diced
- 2 cherry peppers, seeded, deveined and diced
- 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1 small can green chiles
- 1 can white beans, undrained
- 1 can red beans, undrained
- 1 can black beans, undrained
- salt and pepper
- cumin
- chili powder
- seasoning salt
- chicken broth (if desired to make a little soupier)

Brown the ground beef. Put in crockpot. Saute the onion, garlic, and cherry peppers. Put in crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients. Season to taste. Add broth if you like a little more soupy (like Will does) or ignore if you like it thick (like me). Stir everything together. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Vegetable Chili

This yummy dish was inspired by several things: 1) the anticipation of fall that brings beautiful colors, cooler temperatures, and comfort foods like chili; 2) trying to trick a toddler into eating more vegetables; 3) trying to avoid turning vegetables too soft for this pregnant woman's tongue; and 4) Rachael Ray's Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole found HERE.

The verdict, if you like one-pot meals as I do, is two thumbs up! The toddler's opinion is yet to be determined; one no-go does not mean a dislike. The husband, who is not a huge fan of one-pot dishes, did say that he enjoyed it and it had good flavor. So, I say, "Try it!"

- 1 medium squash
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp cumin (as usual, I don't actually measure seasonings, so this is a good idea of what I did)
- 2 tbsp chili powder, or 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder with 1/2 tbsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder (I had intended to use fresh chopped garlic but forgot)
- 1/2 tbsp ground coriander seed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 (4oz) can diced green chiles
- 1/2 bag of frozen, shredded hash browns
- 1 cup (or more :) shredded cheddar cheese

Grate, using the large side of the grater, the squash and zucchini into a collander. Toss with a tsp of salt. Allow to drain (30-40 min), squeeze to remove excess water.

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in pan. Add ground beef to brown, season with salt and pepper. Add the onion and other seasonings. Cook, stirring, until the onions are soft, about 5 min. Add the beans, tomatoes, and chiles with their juices and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or more. (When assembling before putting in oven, either leave in iron skillet like I did, or transfer to a 8x11 baking dish.)

Combine hashbrowns, cheese, and grated zucchini and squash in a large bowl. Scatter the mixture over the chili. For good measure, I sprinkle a little extra cheese on top. Bake until the potatoes are cooked through and the chili is bubbling, approx 25-30 min.

I loved the colorful presentation of the final product in the pan as well as once plated. Love getting some green in my chili! If I compared it to the Rachael Ray dish that I made before, I would say that you can't beat adding some veggies to cut down the carbs and to sneak in the veggies. The husband and I both agree that the flavor of the vegetables was not overwhelming, therefore not a distraction. (Someone who didn't like squash/zucchini would probably not taste them.) The squash and zucchini really did just add to the health of the dish and the colorful appearance. I used her chili as my starting place but then played with the spices and added the chiles.

Hope you like it!

Cheesy Hash Brown Chili

If you like chili and you like cheesy, you are going to love this!! This is from Rachael Ray's Yum-O collection (her family-friendly recipes); I served it to my 7, 11, 13 year old cousins and they loved it! Definitely worth trying. I think it would also be a great hosting dish.

- 2 tbsp EVOO
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 lb ground beef
- salt and pepper
- 1 can red kidney beans (15 oz), drained and rinsed
- 1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)
- 1 bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes (1 lb)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large saucepan, heat the EVOO over medium heat. Add the beeef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the onion, chili powder and cumin, and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Transfer to an 8x11 baking dish (or you can see from picture, I used only the one iron skillet for the entire process).

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and cheese. Scatter the potato mixture over the chili. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet until the potatoes are cooked through and the chili is bubbling, about 35 minutes.