What's for Dinner: Primal Chili

There's nothing better on a cold day than a hearty bowl of chili.  Yesterday was cold and rainy, so this pot seemed twice as good.  Chili is really easy to make; just cut up some ingredients, throw them in a pot and cook for an hour or two.  Done.

This recipe is called Primal Chili, and I got it from Mark's Daily Apple.
Note: this recipe is copied directly from Mark's website with a few minor substitutions/omissions.  All credit for the recipe goes to him.

Primal Chili

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, diced
3 pasilla peppers, seeded and diced (can't find pasilla peppers, so used poblano)
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes (I used course ground chuck)
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cinnamon stick (Have made with and without, can't tell difference)
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, crushed
1 dark beer, such as a porter or imperial stout
2-4 tablespoons canned chipotle chile, diced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (Have made with and without, can't tell difference)
Grated queso fresco, for garnish
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Lime wedges, for garnish

Method:

Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat; add 3 tablespoons olive oil, the onions, pasilla peppers, and red pepper. Cook until everything is soft and the onions are beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes.

Pat the beef dry and season it with salt and pepper. Add it to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until it has browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.

Add oregano, paprika, coriander, cumin, chili powder, garlic, cinnamon stick, tomatoes, beer and chipotle (add as little as one teaspoon to the whole can depending on how hot you’d like your chili).

Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the meat and shred it with a fork. (If you use ground chuck like me this shredding step is unnecessary.)

Return it to the pot, and cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered, to thicken. Right before you are ready to serve add the red wine vinegar to the pot and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with the queso fresco, cilantro, and lime for garnish.

Serves 6-8.  (Makes approximately 16 cups.)

Thanks again to Mark's Daily Apple for the recipe.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by.
http://180experiment.blogspot.com/

What's for Dinner: Pot Roast

As I've spoken about previously, a couple of my goals are to eat healthy meals and to eat at home more often. This is much easier said than done for someone who's culinary expertise extends to boiling spaghetti, and ordering a pizza is technically eating at home, but that doesn't count! Time to start experimenting in the kitchen...

It's not hard to find recipes on the internet. Some are simple and quick, other are more extravagant and can take hours to prepare. My skill level definitely puts me in the simple and quick category, which gave me the idea of making a "What's for Dinner" post. I'll post a recipe and a little about the luck I had making it, as well as a picture of the end result on my plate. This will be a, "if he can make it, anyone can make it" kind-of deal. So, here we go:

Pot Roast

with onions & carrots

2 lb beef chuck roast

1 onion

1 bag carrots

olive oil

salt & pepper

garlic powder

onion powder

1. Cut the onions in quarters so that the layers easily peel apart.

2. Line the bottom of the crock pot with a couple of the outermost edible layers of the onion.

3. Dice the remainder of the onion.

4. Drizzle a little olive oil on the meat and rub it around.

5. Season one side of the meat to taste with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder.

6. Put the meat in the crock pot seasoned side down on top of the onion slices.

7. Add carrots to the pot around the outside of the meat.

8. Olive oil and season top side of the roast and carrots.

9. Sprinkle your remaining diced onion over the top of everything.

10. Cook on low heat until the meat can easily be pulled apart with a fork.

I made this meal yesterday and it turned out great. It literally only took about 5-10 minutes to prepare, and I left it in the crock pot for about 11 hours. Yum! My mom always uses Lipton Onion Soup Mix on top of her roasts and it's really good, but I'm trying to use less processed and more natural ingredients. Maybe next time I'll make a homemade onion soup mix and give that a try.

The two pound roast made about four servings, enought for one generous serving at dinner plus three lunches. You could easily scale this up to make more if your crock pot or roaster had the capacity.

Thanks for stopping by.

http://180experiment.blogspot.com/