sweets in the kitchen: chili

It's been over a week since my last post (really?  where does the time go?), and I must apologize for my absence.  There's been this flurry of new activities in my life, as you may know from my last post, and the adjustment to new responsibilities and schedules has taken me a quick minute.

But I'm here! I promise.  And while I've been listening to lectures and working on my health coach certification plus planning recipes and hanging out in other people's kitchens for my new job as personal chef and gluten-free baking instructor, Sweets has been killing it in the kitchen at home.

She really knows how to rise to the occasion. 

She's been whipping up dishes like chipotle quinoa salad with roasted chicken and eggs baked inside avocados (my breakfast this morning).  When my GF French roll dough somehow came out a little liquidy, she turned the resulting flattened-out loaves into flat bread pizzas topped with proscuitto, fontina, and cilantro sunflower seed pesto (recipe coming soon!).  

Like I said.  That girl is killing it.

She also came up with this chili recipe a couple of weeks back.  We took containers full of the spicy beef and bean goodness with us to the grocery store for our early morning "lunch" breaks, where the entirety of our crew drooled and begged for bites. They all wanted the recipe and praised my sweetheart for her culinary prowess.  

I'm so proud of her.

And I'm excited for the start of soup season.  Expect more steamy bowls of satisfaction, coming your way soon.  Stay cozy, friends.

Chili

serves 6

gluten-free

2 T. olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 1/4 lb. ground beef

1/4 C. chili powder

2 T. ground cumin

salt & pepper

1- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, no salt added

1- 15 oz. cans dark red kidney beans, drained

Garnish:

shredded cheddar cheese, optional

fresh cilantro leaves, optional

sour cream, optional

1 small ripe tomato, chopped, optional

• Begin by heating the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.  Add the onion, and saute until beginning to turn translucent, about 3 minutes.

• Add the ground beef, and continue cooking until the beef is mostly browned, about 5 minutes more.  Add the chili powder and cumin, season with salt and pepper, and stir well.

• Add the diced tomatoes and kidney beans, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Taste and adjust salt, as necessary.

• Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with shredded cheddar, fresh cilantro, sour cream, and chopped tomato, if desired.  Serve steaming hot.