Last week we had some unusual winter weather in Florida, with lows in the 40's overnight, which was perfect weather to enjoy some chili. I love making a big batch of chili to start the week off. Even though I'm only cooking for my husband and myself, I'll still make a huge pot of chili and it's enough for multiple lunches and meals throughout the week. It makes a busy work week so much easier in terms of getting something healthy and delicious on the table. I also usually freeze a portion of it for an easy meal weeks later.
Chili is also one of the best ways I know how to get a big punch of vegetables in one easy bowl. I never make the same exact batch of chili every time but my chili does tend to follow some basics. It always includes the following:
- Some sort of protein (usually chicken, ground turkey or beans)
- Vegetables (whatever I have to use up around the house or whatever is on sale/in season...this version had mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, onions, corn and serrano peppers)
- Liquids (I always add some tomato sauce, chicken stock and/or water and fire roasted tomatoes)
- Spices (cumin, coriander, cayenne, chili powder, paprika and sometimes even some cajun seasoning)
- Fun toppings (freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese, avocado, sour cream, crunchy bits of tortilla chips, scallions, Greek yogurt)
I enjoyed several meals from this batch of chili, and it's delicious each time, but it's nice to make it feel "different" if I'm eating it several times in a week, whether that means I mix up my toppings or how I serve it. The top picture was a beautiful bowl of chili that I topped with cheese, sour cream, avocado and crushed tortilla chips. The picture below was a new idea I had to serve it over a baked sweet potato. Yum!
You can use this as inspiration for your own favorite chili recipe. Mix up the basics I listed above and see what combination you find that you enjoy. After all, variety is the spice of life!
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