Harvest Chili (Recipe) newly revised

New year's resolution to eat better? This one's for you.

Full of savory flavor and rich aromas, it’s guaranteed to delight your taste buds ands it’s perfectly comforting and warming on these damp, chilly days.

All while being chock full of the protein and nutrition you need to live your best life.

It also happens to be grain-free and dairy-free.

Plus I've included tips on using up all the odd bits of vegetables in your fridge (reduce food waste!) and sneaking in healthy ingredients (no one will know). 

Filled with hearty beef, vegetables, beans, and even fruit, it’s a one-pot meal you'll be glad to serve. And an economical one, especially if you save on ground beef by buying a multi-pack and cook your own dry beans rather than buying cans.

Trying to reduce food waste in your life? This flexible chili is also a great way to use up those random vegetables languishing in your crisper. That slightly wilted zucchini, a lone radish, the small amount of kale that's not enough to use on its own...

You name it, I've probably added it to my chili pot at some point. And it just gets better every time.

Must-know kitchen tip about jalapeños: One of the ingredients I've always had trouble with is jalapenos. I'd end up with part of a pepper languishing in the fridge until I finally, sadly, chucked it out.

Then I learned this super simple trick: freeze your jalapenos whole and fresh. No processing or blanching required. And they come out of the freezer just like they’re fresh.

Seriously, so easy. Throw them in a zip top bag in the freezer and pull one out when you need one. When you take it out of the freezer it’s completely solid – you’d need a chainsaw to cut it. But leave it on the counter for only a couple minutes – less than five minutes usually does it – and you can easily slice off what you need and chop it up.

Throw whatever part of the pepper you didn’t use right back in the freezer and use it next time. I’ve had peppers in a bag in my freezer for so many years I couldn’t remember how old they were (seriously, more than five), and they came out just like new.

Recently I revised this recipe to include my new secret ingredient - pumpkin! I call it a secret ingredient, because I add it to the pot in secret – my kids have absolutely no idea it’s in there. Pumpkin/winter squash has tons of vitamins and minerals I want my kiddos to have, but it's one of the few foods they absolutely don't like. So I include it in chili, spaghetti sauce, soups, and any saucy casserole.

Here’s a few tips for using pumpkin/ winter squash in your next recipes, whether you’re hiding it from your children or yourself.

• Cook it nice and soft. I take a whole squash, wash it, carefully stab a few holes in the top for a steam vent, set it in a baking dish, and cook at 350 for 1-3 hours (depending on size) until you can slide a knife into it oh-so-easily. Ere on the side of more done with a caramelizing skin. I usually forget it’s in there, and it comes out even better.
• Give it a quick puree with a stick blender (or whip it with an electric mixer or whatever you’ve got) – especially imperative if it’s a stringy type squash and you have observant squash haters.
• Freeze extras in 1 cup portions - I just use my stack of sour cream tubs. Then pop it out of the tub, still frozen, right into the chili or other saucy dishes. 1 cup usually disappears into a recipe so is a safe place to start.

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Harvest Chili Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb OSR Ground Beef

2 T olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 small apple (about 2/3 cup), diced

2 tsp jalapeno, finely chopped, or more to taste

*1/2 - 1 C additional vegetables (optional) see note

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 T chili powder

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp oregano

1 28 oz can fire roasted crushed tomatoes (about 3 C)

1 C cooked, pureed pumpkin or winter squash (optional)

3 C cooked dried beans (pinto, kidney, or black) (or 2 15 oz cans beans)

Directions

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.

Add onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften. If including optional vegetables, add hard ones now - like radish or turnip.

Add apples and jalapenos and cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If including optional vegetables, add softer or leafy ones now - like zucchini or swiss chard.

Add ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.

As ground beef cooks, add salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin and oregano, stir, and cook until ground beef is cooked through.

Stir in crushed tomatoes (and optional pumpkin) and bring to a simmer. Turn heat down to keep at a low simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

Stir in the beans and gently simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

Garnish with sour cream, chopped onions, and/or grated cheddar cheese.

*Optional additional vegetables: Make this chili special every time by adding whatever extra vegetables you have languishing in the crisper. I've successfully added zucchini, turnip, radish, kohlrabi, celery, swiss chard, collard greens and kale. What do you have in your crisper today? 

By the way, this recipe freezes beautifully -  so make a big batch now and put some away for later.

💞 Your future self will thank you.

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You can trust that One Straw ground beef is always:

• 100 % grass-fed and grass-finished – which means no grain ever
• Ground only from premium cuts of beef – no additives, no gross bits of re-purposed trim
• Dry-aged – for the absolute highest quality and flavor
• Small batch – one animal processed at a time by hand, unlike the industry average of 700! animals mixed into one batch
• Humanely handled – from animals that are raised with care and individual attention to quality, health and safety from birth to package

None of these things can be said with certainty of commercially produced feedlot ground beef. Even the stuff labeled "Organic" or "Grass-Fed" right next to ours in the grocery store case. Have we told you how misleading labels can be?

Which is why what we do is so different.

And why you can feed your body with true nourishment and peace of mind.