I love, love, love autumn! Football games, crunchy leaves, pumpkin patches, seasonal allergies (just kidding), apple picking. With this great season, comes good food. Unfortunately for me, and for many of us that means comfort food which means carbs galore. For those with no worries regarding carbs or for me gluten sensitivity, kudos to you. But a lot of us have to really make sure we do the whole healthy carb thing.

Fortunately, one of my fave foods is chili! Done properly, it can be pretty healthy and it is super filling. And you know the whole adolescent saying: (that I am not so fond of) ‘beans, beans they’re good for your heart the more you eat them the more you… Besides magic beans and their one-two bunch of protein and fiber, there are delectable seasonings, cancer-fighting tomatoes and immunity boosting garlic. At least that is how I roll when it comes to my chili making.

Now I am no Julia Child. For those of you who live under a rock and aren’t familiar with her, insert Rachael Ray.:) But, I have a few things that I am good at making and chili happens to be one. I will give a brief rundown of my recipe meaning there are no exact measurements, but you will get the gist and the great thing about chili is you can make it your own. It is hard to mess it up. So here goes:

-1 can of garbanzo beans -1 can of kidney beans -1 can of pinto beans

Drain the beans thoroughly and set aside

-1 large can of diced tomatoes.

-1 med to large can of tomato sauce (depends on how soupy you want it to be)

-Basil, oregano, chili powder (I generally cover the top of the mixture with each spice and then stir it in until it disappears) -it takes a lot of spices to give chili its flavor because it can get lost in the ingredients.

-1 to 2 cans of tomato paste (If I don’t have diced tomatoes and have crushed, I put more paste because I like chunky, not soupy)

-1 cooking onion diced finely

-1 clove of garlic

-7 or 8 dashes of Tabasco

-A few shakes of cayenne

So, that is my basic chili. I also add ground turkey or ground beef sometimes. Last time D added veggie sausage links, diced and veggie crumbles. I also threw corn salsa in at the last minute. There is so much that can be done with this hearty dish. For instance, we always eat it with brown rice. D likes it layered with cheese and sour cream. Add whatever your heart desires! I was really hankering for jalapenos last time but D and the kid were happy we didn’t have any.:)

One important thing to remember: let it simmer! After it boils, let it cook for an hour or so on 1 or 2 on your stovetop. If it starts to stick add a little water. This may mean you need to add more seasoning. D kept turning it off, like he is a chef or something, lol. But it really is much tastier the longer it simmers. And honestly, it is at it’s best flavor on day 2 or 3.

Hope today’s whatnot post inspires you to make some chili for the first weekend of November and beyond. Have a Happy Halloween and eat some chili for me! Please reply and let me know what you add to yours, or if you have never made it, how it turns out when you’re done!

~simply

Dee