Chili Secrets

Hola Amigos :)

Recipe time... but first was lunch.  I found a soup mix at Giant (minestrone)...Mmmmm  Just add water

I was able to get lunch for the whole week out of that little package of soup mix and 10 cups of water :)  

Be excited...I'm about to divulge all of my most prized Chili secrets to you...hehe.  I actually made 2 pots of Chili today.  One veggie and one ground turkey.  

I'll point out the differences as necessary..

First I started with a big green pepper, a big yellow onion, 2 jalapenos, 1 pablano pepper, 1 zucchini and 1 yellow squash sauted in 2 tablespoons of EVOO

In a second pot I started the ground turkey for DJ's man version without the beans :)

After the meat was ground I split the veggies by adding half to the meat, I added one can of black beans and one can of kidney beans to the veggie pot.

Secret #1: I add 1/4 C of Cocoa Powder to my chili...  adds a very deep and rich flavor.  Similar to the Mayan chocolate concept of chilies in chocolate.  I added a 1/4 C to each pot...

I also added 1 packet of chili seasoning to each (I like Old El Paso Brand)

Next I added one and a half cans of diced tomatoes to each pot.

Secret #2: I add beer to my chili.  I added 1/2 a beer to each pot and let it reduce till there was very little liquid left.  about 20 minutes on medium.

to boost the veggie value I added a half bag of baby spinach to each pot

at the very end I added 2 tablespoons of brown sugar to cut the acid in the tomatoes.  

To the veggie pot I added brown rice

And there you have it!!  I let it simmer for a few more minutes then served with a little low fat cheddar cheese and a scoop of non fat plain green yogurt.  YUM!!!

I also made a little pan of corn bread :)  

After our chili eating we chilled and watched Pocahantas...Livie is currently obsessed with it.

Livie and I had 2 cuties (those little oranges are addictive)

Then I hit the gym for about 35 minutes of walking and elliptical with the girls.

I'm not feeling so hot (other wise I would have done C25k today)...and now I'm watching Twilight: Breaking Dawn 2.  Ready to start a new week :) 

Good night Moon...TTFN