It's cold and rainy today so I thought I would make a fiery chili to warm me from the inside out. This is not your typical Texas style chili. My chili is filled with healthy ingredients and a lot of spices used in Indian cooking to give you a taste explosion with every bite.
The spices:- 2Tbs of Chili con carne powder (do not confuse this with red chili powder)
- 1Tbs Cumin powder
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 1Tbs Garam Masala powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1Tbs or to taste of red chili flakes
- 1 tsp granulated garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- Salt to taste
Add 1 Tbs of canola oil to a large pan on Med-High Heat. Once oil is heated, add the 1/2 tsp of cumin seed and allow them to become fragrant for a few seconds without burning them.
Now add 1 chopped onion and 2-3 green chilies (seeded) and finely chopped. You can decide the heat level of the chili you want to use. I used serrano chilies, but you can use jalapenos or even green bell peppers if you want a milder dish.
I also wanted to bump up the veggies in the dish so I added 1 large zucchini diced small. I peeled my zucchini because I didn't want my very picky son to see all the "green" in the chili. But you can use it with the skin if you don't have a picky son like I do to cook for.... : )
Add a little salt to the veggies and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.
Now add the spices listed above. Fry until fragrant without burning about 1 minute.
My husband says he "needs" some meat in his chili so I added 1lb of ground chicken at this point. This step is totally up to you. You can either add another kind of ground meat (pork, beef or combo)
OR you can leave the meat out all together and make this
chili vegetarian. If you are going vegetarian, you can skip to the next step. If you choose to use meat, cook it through and season again with a little salt.
Add one (15 oz) can of diced tomatoes and 2 (15oz) cans of black beans.
Add 2 Tbs of tomato paste and mix well. Add 1 cup of water and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add 2 tsp of lime juice.
Now I like my chili to have a balance of flavors. The chili is already flavored well with
spicy, salty, sour so now for the
sweet. You can either add 2 Tbs of brown sugar (start with one Tbs and then taste before adding the second tablespoon) OR you can add one large 28oz can of vegetarian style Bush's baked beans that has a brown sugar flavor.
I recommend the Bush's baked beans for the chili because it not only gives the sweetness I want for the dish, but it also adds another bean to my chili. Now I am not affiliated with Bush's at all, but I compared their label with other baked beans and they use all natural ingredients and don't use high fructose corn syrup so that is the reason I pick them. Again, if you don't want to add any commercial products to this chili, just add some brown sugar. You can also add more cans of beans like kidney or chickpeas to the chili if you want more beans in your chili.
Simmer for another 3-5 minutes and taste for salt and seasoning.
Serves 6-8 people. Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread. Enjoy.
Ingredients at a Glance: - 2Tbs of Chili con carne powder (do not confuse this with red chili powder)
- 1Tbs Cumin powder
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 1Tbs Garam Masala powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1Tbs or to taste of red chili flakes
- 1 tsp granulated garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- Salt to taste
- 1 chopped onion
- 2-3 green chilies (seeded) and finely chopped
- 1 large zucchini diced small (optional)
- 1lb of ground chicken (optional)
- one (15 oz) can of diced tomatoes
- 2 (15oz) cans of black beans drained and rinsed
- 2 Tbs of tomato paste
- 1 cup of water
- 2 tsp of lime juice
- 2 Tbs of brown sugar or one 28oz can of vegetarian style Bush's baked beans
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I recommend the Bush's baked beans for the chili because it not only gives the sweetness I want for the dish, but it also adds another bean to my chili. Now I am not affiliated with Bush's at all, but I compared their label with other baked beans and they use all natural ingredients and don't use high fructose corn syrup so that is the reason I pick them. Again, if you don't want to add any commercial products to this chili, just add some brown sugar. You can also add more cans of beans like kidney or chickpeas to the chili if you want more beans in your chili.
