The Best Chili Recipe
Not gonna lie. I’ve been a chili lover my entire life.
It’s a simple meal that you can make on a Sunday for example, and then store the leftovers in the fridge or freezer for the balance of the week. The next time you get home and don’t feel like cooking you’ll only need a few minutes to reheat the chili and dig in.
Growing up my major influence in the kitchen was my mom. Most can agree that nobody cooks as well as their mothers do. Splice in a few tricks I’ve learned along the way from my favorite celebrity chef Jaime Oliver and I’ve become pretty good in the kitchen.
Over the years I’ve messed around with a few different recipes until I finally settled on this one:
What you need:
2 Medium Yellow Onions, 2 Cloves of Garlic, 2 Carrots, 2 Celery Stalks, 2 Red (Green, Yellow or Orange) Bell Peppers, Big Handful of Mushrooms, 1 Small Zucchini, 1 – 24 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes, 1 – 12 oz Can of Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans), 1 – 12 oz Can of Black Beans, 1 – 12 oz Can of Kidney Beans, 1 pound of Ground Turkey (Chicken or Beef) and a 1/2 Can of your favorite Beer.
2 table spoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 heaping table spoons of Chili Powder, 2 table spoons of Balsamic Vinegar, 1 heaping tea spoon of Ground Cumin (or Coriander), 1 heaping tea spoon of Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of Red Chili Flakes (more or less depending how spicy you like it), Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper.
Whip it up:
Chop up all the veggies, pour 2 tablespoons of olive or coconut oil into a large pot and turn to medium/high heat.
Toss in all the chopped veggies and add in the following spices: 2 heaping table spoons of Chili Powder, 1 heaping tea spoon of Ground Cumin (or Coriander), 1 heaping tea spoon of Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of Red Chili Flakes (more or less depending how spicy you like it) and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Stir every 30-45 seconds for about 6-8 minutes.
Add the entire can of Diced Tomatoes.
Drain and Rinse the Chick Peas, Black and Kidney Beans and stir them into the pot.
Pour in the 1/2 Can of your favorite Beer (drink the other half).
With your wooden spoon slowly stir in and break apart the Ground Turkey (allowing it to cook in the chili).
Stir in the 2 table spoons of Balsamic Vinegar, and add another pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer for about an hour or more, stirring occasionally.
Serve garnished with a scoop of plain greek yogurt, some grated cheddar cheese and fresh cilantro. Sooooo Good.
Keep this healthy Chili recipe in your back pocket to use whenever you are stumped for ideas on what to cook or when you feel like a nice warm meal. It makes approximately 6 – 8 servings and is easy enough to store in the fridge or freezer to be eaten at a later time. Enjoy.
Yours in health,
Sean
PS. Beer and cinnamon are the secret ingredients in this recipe. What “secret ingredients” do you add to your chili to set it apart from the rest?
