Loaded Chili

I don't know if it's just me, but for some reason, I have always been staunchly loyal to the recipes that my mother taught me growing up. Being part Japanese, many of the meals I grew up with were probably odd to... well, just about everyone! A favorite growing up? Rice and mashed potatoes with gravy and soy sauce. Sound gross? It looks it, too, but what can I say- I love it.





However, I don't know what changed, but over the past year or so, I have slowly been moving away from the tried and true and have tried making my own flavor combinations. Chili is one example. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my mother's chili. It is super meaty and very simple. It is not hot, but rather well-spiced and deliciously savory. This delicious, meaty concoction is always served over white rice.



So, after serving this to Caleb for several years, you can imagine the insult it was to hear him say that he's had better. Can you believe it?! As I'm sure you can imagine, being the perfectly sane and normal person that I am, my skin turned green and scaly and I started growling like a huge dragon. Someone insinuating that my chili is not the best? How dare he!! Luckily, before I had a chance to char him with my fire breath, I realized this was simply a challenge. Since then, I have made many different chili's, which I will chonicle from time to time. Some things worked well: ground turkey, ground chicken, and tofu. Some things didn't work out so well (tempeh tasted funny to me in this recipe).



Tonight, I decided to make yet another version of my chili, hoping to finally wow Caleb. Since I am trying to add more vegetables to my diet, I decided to add basically every veggie I had in the house- including frozen veggies. In the end, I made something that was more brown than red (I added the water from the black beans- not a good idea if you don't like you food a brown color) and a little thinner than my mother's chili (which I still think is pretty darn good!). However, it tasted great and I was able to use up some veggies that were laying around in the fridge.



Loaded Chili

1 1/4 Ground Beef
1 large Onion, diced
1 medium Zuchini, diced
1 Carrot, diced
2 Japalenos, diced
1 small package of Frozen Veggie Mix (grean beans, corn, and carrots)
1 bottle Beer
1 large can of Diced Tomatoes (18 oz?)
1 small can Tomato Paste
2 cups Beef Broth
2 cans of Beans (I used black beans, but I prefer kidney beans)
2 small cans of Mushrooms
1 1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Cheyenne Pepper
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Rosemary
1/2 tsp Thyme Leaves
1 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp Pepper

In a large pot, cook the ground meat. Once the meat is browned, add the rest of the ingredient. Let the pot simmer over medium-low heat for 25-30 minutes. Add more seasonings to taste.

And if you're like me, serve it over some white rice. Delish!

This batch was huge. It will easily make 8-10 servings. I ended up freezing half of it for later.