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So I made some chili tonight.  Chili is such a diverse dish to make.  It is one of those recipes where after you make it once and get the basics down, it’s really easy to make it your own.  Which is probably why there’s always tons of chili cook-offs…duh!  Anyways, since I’ve learned more about how to eat more of a plant-based, whole foods diet, I’ve been able to adapt a lot of the recipes I use to accommodate to that way of eating.  Most recipes call for:

Beans- Black, kidney, pinto, garbanzo, great northern…there are a lot of beans out there.  I’ve even seen some lentil chili recipes.  When it comes to nutrition, beans are such a GREAT source of protein!  It would take me a while to get the information together from what I’ve read and watched in some documentaries, but if given the choice between beans or meat for protein, I’d choose beans.  Not just good for protein, but also fiber and complex carbs.  I love beans!

In the chili I made tonight I used 1 can each of black, pinto and kidney beans.  I like the variety it adds to the meal.

Meat-  The blog is still in progress, so I haven’t really given much background to how I’ve changed my eating habits and why, but I’ll make sure it gets added on soon.  Mainly because it has greatly impacted how much meat Austin and I consume on a regular basis.  I’ll make sure to get the statistics put together before I post, but I’ve learned about the health benefits of eating less meat (I’d hate to say something without making sure I’m giving the right information) when I watched the documentary Forks Over Knives.  It was crazy to see the difference in the tests they did on rats when they changed their diets to have more and less meat.  I definitely recommend watching the documentary. 

When it comes to chili it’s hard to go wrong in the meat department.  Most recipes call for ground beef.  A healthier option, and a substitution I see a lot of people do is ground turkey or chicken since they have lower fat content.  They are different animals, so the flavors are different but when you eat a spoon full of chili, the textures of each are very similar. 

I went with ground beef tonight.  I used to use a whole pound of beef when I made this recipe, but like I was saying earlier, I’ve adapted it to use less meat and I add more beans instead.  Now for 8-10 servings of chili I only use half a pound instead of 1 pound.  I’ve seen people use a lot more beef for about the same size servings…it’s up to the cook 🙂

And of course there’s vegetables and spices.  Onion, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, there are so many options.  

The recipe I used as a “guideline” for my chili is from Whole Foods.  I thought it turned out really good.

Texas Chili.

My modifications:

Instead of 2 cups uncooked pinto or red kidney beans I used 3 cans of beans like I mentioned earlier…black, pinto and kidney.

Instead of 2 pounds of beef I used 1/2 a pound

Instead of 2 large green bell peppers I used 1 green and 1 red

Instead of 2 cups of water I used vegetable broth for extra flavor

And I made this recipe and combined it all in the crock pot so that it was ready once Austin got home 🙂

 

How do you like your chili?