Chili...

Fall means the return of all things hearty, spiced, cinnamon-y, pumpkin-y, and/or apple-y. But don't just start grabbing the first seasonal items your hungry eyes fall upon... BEWARE some of these are way out of line for your waste line!  I had my indulgence the other day, I couldn’t resist, but I did run 9 miles that morning!  I admit it - I had a pumpkin, caramel shake!  Now that I got that out of my system, let’s move on to something healthy and hearty like chili!

I wish I could give you a detail recipe for this fall time staple, but it changes all the time!!  Bob made a huge batch of what I think is his best batch of chili, ever!  But, I probably say that every time!  He made enough to feed an army!  OK so we will be portioning if off for future meals!  

Here are the basics...

Bob soaked the mixture of our favorite beans overnight, then drained them. He sauteed onions in a few spritz of olive oil spray, added lean ground turkey to the onions, stirring until the turkey crumbled.  Add as much garlic as you like, diced tomatoes in juice, chicken stock or water and of course his secret chili sauce (a labor of love that he makes sure of making a huge batch for such an occasion)!  He also added cumin, tons of fresh cilantro and chili peppers. He let this concoction simmer for hours, until the beans were nice and tender.  This chili was so good all we added was some jalapenos and some avocado!  Sour cream, cheese and tortilla chips weren’t missed!

The great thing about chili is that it has so many variations.  You can go completely vegetarian, use ground beef instead of turkey, beans, no beans, more vegetables - just go for it!  Chili goes hand in hand with the fall and football!

Until Monday - keep thinking veggies and protein!