Simple Chili with Kidney Beans (Sort of)

Tasty! And abundant.

This is a great recipe, I make this for lunch all the time. It's a little time-consuming to make but not difficult, and it makes a giant amount.. perfect for lunches throughout the week. And next!

A lot of chili recipes focus on beans and I can't (or shouldn't) have many as they are a starchy veggie and in the 'no' column for my food plan.  I therefore lowered the amount in the recipe but I will mention the amount it called for in case you lurves teh beans.

I had most of the stuff for this around with the exception of ground coriander - I need to get some at the bulk spice section next time.  This time, I used a pepper mill and ground up some coriander seeds and it worked just fine.  It was also a giant pain in the ass and took forever - I need an electric spice grinder. ;)

Prep Time + Cooking for this took me about 2.5 hours - good to do on a Sunday and have for the week.

Ingredients + Prep (20 minutes)

• 2 pounds of lean ground beef or turkey (I used turkey)
• 1 8oz. can of dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed. (The recipe calls for 2 16 oz. cans, I altered)
• 1 28oz. can of tomato puree (low or no salt)
• 1 28oz. can of diced tomatoes (low or no salt)
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
• 6 garlic cloves (or more.. bahahHAHAHAHA) - minced or pressed
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (You could use less. I did.)
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I used more, but that's me)
• Pinch of salt (if you want. I added it, the chili tasted flat without it and that isn't much salt)

I doctored the cooking process very slightly and will explain below.

This large metal pot with a lid was ideal. I shall call it "Steve."

Cooking: (2 hours)

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, Stir together and cook for about 10 minutes, it should get thick and the veggies soft.  Then stir in the chili powder, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt and cayenne. 
2. Add both packages of ground turkey/beef to the mix.  Stir frequently as you brown the meat, breaking it up into smaller pieces.. you don't want to burn anything at this stage or the chili will be bad. No need for a really hot burner here - it's gonna cook for hours yet.
3. Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato puree and stir well, bring up to a boil.

5. Reduce heat to low or medium low, cover, simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (Every ten or so minutes)

6. Remove lid, simmer 1 additional hour, stirring a little more regularly. You can add a tiny bit of water if things are too thick/sticking to the pot - mine didn't have this issue.  I would recommend NOT adding water - it'll seem thicker at the start but while simmering, this changes.

Serving size for this 1.5 cups.  If you make with all the beans, it's 260 calories, 7g fat, 26g carbs, 23g protein.  Removing 3/4 of the beans like I did, you'd cut down the carbs quite a bit.  If you like - just add more!
Anyway - this stuff is delicious, and it made enough for me to eat for 2 weeks worth of lunches. I divided it up until tupperware for 4 servings (but made mine 2 cups) - then froze the other half so I can eat it next week.

Nom nom nom. Serve with fat-free sour cream, lime wedges, etc.. or eat plain!