One Pot Chili Mac!

One Pot Chili Mac

This is similar to something you could maybe make from Hamburger Helper, but its HOMEMADE not processed and SOOOO much tastier! AND its all in one pot, so hardly any dishes to wash!

Ingredients:

-1 tablespoon Olive Oil

-1 lb lean ground beef or turkey

-4 garlic cloves minced

-1 onion, diced

-2 tablespoons flour

-1 tablespoon chili powder

-3 to 4 dashes of cayenne depending on how much 'kick' you want

-1/2 teaspoon paprika 

-sprinkle to taste of Oregano (im not a huge herbs person, so this is totally up to your tastes)

-8oz tomato sauce

-2 cups beef broth

-2 cups dry macaroni (or any of your favorite small pasta)

-1 can corn, drained

-cheddar cheese for topping

Add olive oil to large pot over medium high heat, and add your diced onion and ground beef. Mince garlic while that's cooking. Cook until brown and drain fat. 

Add garlic to beef and onion mixture. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add your flour. Stir constantly and cook for a minute or two. Don't let the flour burn. 

Add your spices, tomato sauce, and broth. Combine.

Add the dry pasta and corn. Bring to a simmer, not quite a boil. Place lid on top and turn down to medium-low. Simmer for around 15 minutes. Stir a few times while its cooking so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.  

Check pasta, once its done, serve with shredded cheddar cheese on top!!

Enjoy!

Chili, Vegetarian Style!

So first, I apologize for the cell phone pictures. AND that these are from the next day when I warmed some over for lunch. I totally forgot to take a picture after I made the dinner, but you get the idea of how it looks. But how it TASTES is what matters right? My husband kept sneaking into the kitchen to eat more, does that tell you it was a hit? lol! 

Ingredients:

1 Onion Chopped

1 Bell Pepper

Few cloves of garlic, however many you liked. I did about 4

Handful of pickled Jalapenos, chopped

1 can of corn

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 can drained and rinsed black beans

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

10oz of Brown Rice, I used a packet of Trader Joes frozen Brown Rice (SO good! My go to rice) cooked

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1/4-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, optional, but its oh so good! :)

Directions:

If your cooking your rice from scratch, start that first. 

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Dice your veggies. Add the onion, bell pepper and jalapenos. Cook until they soften. I never add the garlic right away, Ina Garten from Food Network taught me to only add it the last few minutes of sauteing to not burn the garlic. But if you prefer to add it while the other veggies cook, you can. 

Once softened, add the garlic and the corn. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the spices, beans, crushed tomatoes, and stock. Stir well, and bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat and simmer for around 20-25 minutes. 

Add rice to the pot, you can add pretty much as much of this as you would like. I added the whole pack of the Trader Joes brown rice (found in the freezer section) and it was the perfect amount for us. But you can add more or less for the thickness your going for. 

Top with your desired toppings. We did a little sour cream and shredded cheese. 

YUM. Seriously...YUM. Definitely going to be a new favorite in our house! I plan on making a huge batch of this and freezing some for when Baby R arrives (in about 60 days SAY WHAT!?, I know time is flying) so I can defrost and cook real fast.

Enjoy!

Chicken Taco Chili

This is a simple, easy, yummy crock pot dinner.

There really isn't any steps to show you. Basically you add them all to the crock pot and let it go! :)

Ingredients:

*1 onion, chopped
*1 16 oz can, rinsed black beans
*1 16 oz can, rinsed kidney beans
*8-10 oz tomato sauce
*1 package frozen corn kernels
*2 14.5 cans diced tomatoes with chilies
*1 packet taco seasoning
*1/2 tbsp cumin
*1 tbsp chilli powder
*Chicken breast (I just used one, but for every two people add another, so for 2 people one should be fine, for 4 people, add another chicken breast, or add 2 if you want a lot of chicken)
*Optional Toppings, Chopped Cilantro, Cheese, Sour Cream etc.

Combine onion, beans, tomato sauce, corn, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning and spices in crock pot. Once combines set chicken on top. I also sprinkled the chicken with a little pepper and chilli powder.




Cook on high for 5-6 hours, or on low for about 10 hours. Every crock pot is different, mine cooks fast, so if something says 6 hours, mine might only take 4-5. So just keep an eye on it. Once its done cooking, shred chicken and add it back to the crock pot and combine.

Taste the chilli and add salt if needed. Serve, and top with desired toppings! Enjoy!