Prime Cuts

Everyone has their secret recipe. It’s their “go-to” for drop by/quick dinners, and always a grand slam with family and friends. I have to tell you, I’m really bad at keeping secrets. So, prepare yourselves folks. I’m about to share an all time fav, and it’s just in time for the cooling weather — chili.

Really, chili, Jessica? Well. I’ve been to enough chili cook-offs to know that everyone has their preferences, but I will happily boast that my soon-to-be-not-so-secret chili has never received a negative comment from vegetarians or carnivores alike (many of them were surprised it doesn’t have real meat).

Here’s REALLY great news: it only takes 15 minutes and you can keep all of the ingredients on hand (I strongly believe you should always have your go-to meal in your pantry for surprise guests). It cooks up a hearty batch which is more than enough to feed eight people, and if you’re a calorie counter this will be sure to please.

Ingredients

* Morning Star Soy Crumbles – I always keep a few packs in my freezer, they serve as a great ground beef substitute
* Small/Medium white or yellow onion, chopped
* 14 oz can kidney beans, drained – if you have black beans on hand those will work
* Two 14 oz cans diced tomatoes – typically I pick one flavored one like Italian herbs or garlic and onion
* 28 oz can diced tomatoes
* Chili packet –  taco seasoning can work, too. NOT fajita seasoning, I made that mistake once. Ew.
* 14 oz can unsalted yellow corn, drained
* Salsa – Pace will work fine, just something to add a kick
* ½ cup Splenda or sugar

You could add:
* Shredded cheese
* Sour Cream
* Rice (sometimes put my chili on top of rice to bulk it up)
* Fresh Spinach (it will wilt with the warm chili, but it’s a great way to add in some greens)

Preparation

You only need one pot to make this recipe, so pull out whatever large-ish pot you prefer. Spray cooking spray or a splash of olive oil on the bottom of the pot over a medium heat. When heated, add in onions and soy crumbles. Cook until soy crumbles are completely warm throughout, stirring frequently (otherwise they’ll stick to the bottom of the pot).

Add in chili packet and reduce heat to medium-low. Throw in tomatoes and beans and mix well let simmer until warm, stirring occasionally. Add in sugar and corn and add salsa to taste. Should only take 15 – 20 minutes to heat up this incredible dish!

Feel free to add over rice and/or spinach, add sour cream and cheese. Feel really cool for scoring a hot chili recipe? Hope you enjoy and go ahead, I give you permission to share with your friends!

For this week Joe shares his Grandma’s special chili recipe which took a little convincing as you’ll read below so make sure you try this recipe and leave a comment below.

After receiving several requests for a chili recipe, I have decided to give my Grandma’s chili recipe, just in time for football parties.  This is a special recipe to me because it is one of the first things I ever learned to cook that people thought actually tasted good.  And I learned a valuable lesson when I made it,  you don’t need a long list of ingredients or complicated techniques to make delicious food.  This recipe is a study in the “less is more” philosophy that I use when I cook.  This recipe will be pleasing to many because the ingredients work well together and there aren’t a lot of differing flavors or textures here.  The right combination of a few ingredients is often far better than something that is overly complex.  Chili powder has always been one of my favorite spices, and as the key flavoring ingredient in this recipe, pays homage to the flavor from which this food gets it name.