Mom's Chili

Of the recipes my mom used regularly when we were growing up, chili "con carne" is probably her most prolific. I, in fact, have made it so many times that I don't need the recipe anymore. Over the years, I have tweaked the dish to make it a little healthier, but the flavors remain the same. It is the chili against which I judge all other chili.

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Mom's Chili:

One pound ground beef (I use ground turkey/chicken or small diced turkey breast.)
One large can crushed tomatoes (I used tomato puree and usually prefer crushed.)
One regular can red kidney beans (B&M are, by far, the best.)
One regular can diced tomatoes (You want the texture.)
One small can tomato paste
One cup beef stock/bouillon (I omit the paste and stock)
Two tablespoons red chili powder
Two tablespoons garlic powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
Two tablespoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I use very little. Add more if you want.)
Diced onion (medium or large)
Diced green pepper (I omit because I do not like cooked green peppers.)

Mom's chili starts with onion and green peppers sauteed in a bit of oil. When they become translucent, add the meat. The original recipe calls for ground beef, but since Ram doesn't eat beef, this is not an option for us. For years, though, I've substituted ground turkey. It tastes fantastic either way. The picture above, though, features a finely diced turkey breast (because we recently saw a program on the additives and unwanted parts that can be ground into the ground turkey/chicken). It worked out fine in every case.

When the meat is cooked through, add a little bit of the stock (or just water, in my case) and the spices. Let the flavors cook together for a while. I actually like to let the base catch on a bit. At any rate, letting it work for awhile allows the meat and the veggies to absorb the rich spices. When you're ready, add all of the other ingredients. Let it cook for at least twenty minutes (the longer, the better), stirring occasionally.

I serve Mom's chili with bread of some kind: warmed up Italian bread or corn bread (seen in the background of the photo above). Frankly, it's delicious with or without the side of bread. And this time of year, when the leaves are changing color and the air is biting at our skin, this dish is the perfect, spicy comfort food. I hope you'll enjoy it with fork (and spoon!) in hand.

Vegetable Soup

As you know, I've made it my mission to squeeze as much fiber into our diets as possible, and one delicious way I've been doing that is be starting every meal with a bowl of homemade bean soup. It's super-easy, as all soups I've encountered are, and the variations are endless. And on those evenings when the entree is taking a little longer to cook than expected, the soup is a great way to pacify our stomachs. An added benefit: I've read several articles that cite research proving that starting a meal with soup fills our stomachs and encourages us to eat fewer calories when we dig into the entree. I do love to reap multiple benefits from one easy task.

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I start this soup by soaking (overnight) half a bag of a sixteen-bean mix. I choose to soak my own beans because a) it's cheaper than buying several cans and b) it's healthier! By soaking dried beans, I can ensure that no salt or preservatives have seeped into the beans before I get to them. For me, that gives me a level of peace of mind. And soaking the beans is as simple as it gets; remembering to do it the trick.

When I'm ready to assemble my soup, I always start by sauteing a diced onion and chopped carrot. If I regularly had celery in the house, I would use that too. It's the holy trinity of French cooking! But I am not generally a huge fan of celery, so I almost never keep it in the crisper. I saute the onions and carrot until both become a little soft. Then, I add spices. Remember that we're building a soup, so add enough spices to sufficiently flavor the entire pot when it's full of stock. I usually use black pepper, garlic powder, oregano, basil, and chili powder. By cooking the spices with the vegetables, I am deepening the flavor of the base of my soup. And since I'm going to reheat this batch of soup over the course of the week, the flavors need to be strong.

Once I've incorporated the spices, I add my beans and give them a minute to heat with the rest of the base. At this point, the kitchen smells fantastic; it's near-instant gratification! When the beans are heated up, I add six cups of water. Now here's the deal: I make one batch of soup for the week, ladling out two bowls each night, and reheating before we have dinner. Every night, I add more water to the pot order to stretch the soup. I also add more spices every night to make sure it doesn't taste watered down. Making a big batch on, say, Sunday afternoon lasts us until Friday evening. If you've got a larger family, you may want to make a bigger batch at the beginning of the week. Or, if you're more inclined, make a big batch of your base (minus the stock) on one day and just use it as needed during the week, adding stock as you go. Whatever works for your schedule and family is what works.

I let my soup boil for at least twenty minutes. I add a few chicken bouillon cubes to make the stock richer and because I like the slight saltiness that it adds. If you want to keep your soup vegetarian, add vegetable bouillon cubes. Simple.

You know how to serve up soup, so I won't get into the mechanics of ladling. But one thing I discovered that I love is adding a couple of croutons to the bowl. When they absorb the stock, I melt with them. It's such a delicious bite!

Adding soup to your menu (especially one packed with nature's miracle food: the bean) can stretch the rest of your food budget and will add fibrous nutrition to your diet. Besides that: it's delicious and comforting. Enjoy-- with fork (or spoon) in hand.

Butternut Squash Soup

I wish I had been able to get a better photo of this soup, but I think no photo could do it justice. If you are a fan of squash, you must try this super-easy pureed butternut squash soup. Here's how I made it.

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Boil one bag of frozen butternut squash (I used Hannaford brand) and half an onion (roughly chopped) in a couple cups of water. Add a chicken bouillon cube or boil in stock to deepen the flavor if you want. I also threw in a couple cinnamon sticks because we had them in the cupboard. Add a table spoon of cinnamon to the finished product to achieve the same flavor. When the squash is soft, remove the pan from the heat. Let it cool for a half hour or so.

When the squash is cool, use a slotted spoon to drop the squash and onion (without the liquid) into a blender. Puree for ten seconds. If it looks like you need a little liquid to make the squash move, add it by the tablespoon. It won't take much liquid (if any) to loosen up the squash. Add some black pepper and puree until you achieve a smooth consistency.

I packed this soup up in a Lock-and-Lock (which don't leak!), along with turkey burgers and veggies with hummus for an easy picnic dinner. The soup was filling, flavorful, and 100% satisfying. A lot of people add some kind of cream to their pureed soups. Forgo the cream to get a dense and honest flavor. I'm telling you, this soup is to DIE for-- and super easy! You will enjoy it with (or without) for (or spoon) in hand. Trust me.