Staying Warm With Homemade Chili

Talk about comfort meals – when it comes to chili, this winning recipe will warm you to the core!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small green bell pepper, washed and finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, washed and finely chopped
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, washed and finely chopped
• 1 (14.75) can fire roasted corn
• 2 (15.5 oz each) cans red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. white pepper

*Optional toppings (see below)

Recipe instructions:

Cook the lean ground beef until no longer pink. Drain fat if needed and set meat aside. Gently sauté the onion over medium-low heat for a few minutes until soft but do not brown. Add the garlic to the onion and cook for more one minute until fragrant, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Add the ground beef to a slow cooker. Then add the softened onions and garlic. Then add all remaining ingredients, which include the bell peppers, the corn, the beans, the tomatoes, the chili powder, the cumin, and salt and pepper. Cook on high for about three hours or on low for about five. Recipe serves 8 to 10 meal portions.

Serve with your favorite toppings. Ideas include hot sauce, chopped olive, Mexican or cheddar cheese, crumbled queso fresco, tortilla strips, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, chopped avocado, diced red onions, chives, cilantro.

Chef’s tip: Be organized by putting the various toppings in a muffin tin so that people can self-serve what they’d like.

Chili fun facts: Chili is the state dish of Texas, officially adopted by proclamation on May 11, 1977. This is most fitting since the state has been the host of The International Chili Cook-off since 1967. President Lyndon B. Johnson once said that “Chili concocted outside of Texas is a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing.” Spoken like a true Texan!