Texas Chili

Texas Chili

I never liked chili growing up because my mom would make enough to for her family of six to have to eat it all week. That's a lot of chili and probably the reason I don't like leftovers even today. As I've gotten older I have learned to like chili and make enough to freeze for later meals, being careful not subject my husband to 5 straight nights of chili. 

I found this recipe when I was in my 30's and on a low-carb diet. It doesn't have beans or tomatoes and is loaded with beef. I will caution you that it is high in fat, but could be made with ground turkey or chicken. Nutritional info is at the bottom of this blog.

I know it's a strange time of year to make a large pot of chili, but it's been a little cooler than normal in Chicago over the past month and fall will be here soon.

FYI, it makes a great chili for hotdogs and hamburgers if you find gluten-free hot dogs and buns. Boars Head has great gluten-free products like hot dogs, bacon and luncheon meats.

Texas Chili

Ingredients

3 tbsp. Olive Oil, divided

1 large white onion, chopped

4 lbs. ground beef, lean

1/2 cup ancho chile powder

2 tablespoons cumin, ground

2 teaspoons oregano, dried

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1/2 cup coffee, strong brewed or 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

3 cups water, as needed

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste

4 oz. can green chili pepper, diced

2 tablespoons cornmeal (Bob's Red Mill gluten free)

Method

1. Heat: 2 tablespoons olive oil in large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until onion is soft.

*2. Add: Another tablespoon of olive oil and 1 pound of ground beef along with the ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano and paprika. Brown the ground beef and remove from the pan. 

*3. Continue: Browning the ground beef 1 pound at a time removing each batch from the pan. When all beef is browned, add back to dutch oven.

4. Add: The vinegar, coffee and just enough water to cover the beef (2.5 - 3 cups of water).  

5. Add: The salt, red pepper flakes and 4 oz can of diced green chili peppers along with juice.

6. Cover: And simmer on low for 2 hours. Stir occasionally.

7. Remove: The lid and simmer for 1 more hour. Stir occasionally.

8. Skim: Any visible fat from top of chili, add cornmeal and stir well to combine.

9. Simmer: An additional 15 minutes.

10. Serve: Hot with optional garnishes of sour cream, cheeses, chopped tomatoes, cilantro and jalapeños. 

Servings: 8

*I have found it is easy to use the lid of the dutch oven to transfer cooked meat to while the other batches brown. You won't lose any of the juices or meat when you cover the chili in step 6. And…you won't mess up another dish.

Nutritional Info for Texas Chili

Margarita Flatbread

Margarita Flatbread

I don't know about you, but I love anything with mozzarella, basil and tomatoes.  They are probably my 3 favorite ingredients, with mozzarella being number 1 in my heart.  I have started buying it at the farmer's market and it is much fresher than what you could find at the supermarket.  I always buy the fresh stuff and stay far away from the cheese that was on our pizza growing up.

Anyway, I finally found a good recipe for flatbread and layered it with my 3 favorite ingredients along with proscuitto and parmesan cheese.  Technically this is not a margarita flatbread because of the added toppings, but the Italian part of me needed the proscuitto. Some deli workers don't know how to slice it., so just make sure you tell them to slice it paper thin. As my dad used to say "I wanna be able to read the newspaper through it"

I found this flatbread recipe in a gluten free magazine, but when I originally made it, it was too moist in the center from the juice from the tomatoes. To fix that, I pre-heated the pizza stone and also put a layer of parmesan cheese between the tomatoes and the flatbread.

Flatbread with Italian Herb Blend from Spice House

Flatbread

Ingredients

50 grams Egg  , beaten (1 egg)

160  grams Brown Rice Flour, Organic GF, Sifted (1 cup)

84 grams Quinoa Flour, Organic GF, Sifted (3/4 cup)

1.4 grams Salt, Sifted (1/4 tsp)

300 milliliter Water, (1.25 cup)

Method

1. Sift: Brown rice flour, salt and quinoa flour together in bowl

2. Mix: Egg and water in bowl and add to dry ingredients.  The final constancy should be that of pancake batter. If more water is needed, add by teaspoons being careful not to make batter too thin.

3. Rest: 1 hour at room temperature

4. Heat: Non-stick, 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat

5. Pour: 1/2 cup of mixture into hot skillet and cook on 1st side for 2-3 minutes (until golden brown), flip and cook other side for about 2 minutes.

Servings: 4

Flatbread mixture in non-stick skillet   

Flatbread after flipping

Margarita Flatbread

Ingredients

Flatbread

Toppings Group

4 tsp. Italian Seasoning

4 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese, grated

4 small plum tomatoes, sliced

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, sliced, thin

4 slices Proscuitto

1/2 cup basil, whole leaves

Method

1. Prepare: Flatbread with 1 teaspoon of italian seasoning or herb blend sprinkled on each while cooking

2. Preheat: Oven and baking stone to 350 degrees

3. Transfer: Prepared flatbread to plate

4. Generously: Cover flatbread with parmesan cheese

5. Layer: Tomato slices over parmesan cheese

6. Place: Thin slices of mozzarella cheese over tomatoes

7. Bake: On pre-heated pizza stone for 12-14 minutes (until cheese is melted and beginning to turn brown)

8. Top: With proscuitto and basil

9. Serve Hot

Servings: 4

Nutritional Info for Flatbread Only

Nutritional Info for Toppings Only

If you ever need good spice blends I would highly recommend The Spice House in Chicago. They do a lot of mail order business and occasionally do free shipping.  When you can get it, take advantage of it.

http://www.thespicehouse.com

Oven-Fried Eggplant Stack

Oven-Fried Eggplant Stack

Being gluten-free limits going to italian restaurants and quite frankly, this sucks.  I am half italian from my dad's side of the family and love anything with tomato and mozzarella cheese. 

I first had this at a great italian restaurant in Chicago and knew I had to figure out the secret to eggplant without frying it.  I mastered it using flour, but didn't take the time to figure out a good gluten-free version.  Turns out, it wasn't as hard as I imagined. I added the figs as a special twist, because my husband loves them and they are in season right now. You can leave them out if you don't like them or can't find them.

I had found that corn meal was a great addition to the kitchen for corn bread and a few mexican dishes, but hadn't used corn flour.  It was really fine and easy to work with. I recommend Bob's Red Mill, Gluten-Free Corn Flour.  Personally, I like most of the gluten-free options from Bob's Red Mill.

Ingredients

Oven-Fried Eggplant

1 large Eggplant, peeled and slice, 1/4-1/2 inch thick (you will need 12 slices)

1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning, I use the Italian Herb Blend from The Spice House

1 cup corn flour, Gluten-Free, Bob's Red Mill

1 oz. Parmesan Cheese, Grated

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon Salt

Balsamic Reduction

8 medium figs, cut in half

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar

Assembly

2 cups Arugula

8 oz. Mozzarella cheese, Fresh, Whole Milk, 8 slices

2 large Tomato, beefsteak, 8 slices

Method

Eggplant

1. Coat rimmed baking sheet with olive oil

2. Peel and slice the eggplant into 1/4-1/2 inch slices (you will need 12 total slices)

3. Sprinkle eggplant slices with a little salt and let stand for 15 minutes to remove some of the moisture from the eggplant.  Pat dry with paper towel.

4. Blend corn flour, parmesan cheese, italian seasoning in bowl

5. Whisk eggs and heavy cream together in separate bowl

6. Dip eggplant slices into egg mixture, turning to coat

7. Transfer to flour mixture, coating well and place on baking sheet

8. Place baking sheet in oven and bake for 20 minutes at 325 degrees, turn to brown the other side and bake an additional 20 minutes

Balsamic Reduction 

1. Heat Balsamic, sugar and figs in saucepan over low heat.  

2. Remove Figs when soft (about 6-8 minutes)

3. Simmer Balsamic while eggplant continues baking. Stirring occasionally.

Assembly 

1. Put a small handful of arugula on plate, drizzle with about a teaspoon of balsamic reduction, place eggplant slice on arugula, top with mozzarella cheese slice, followed by tomato slice, repeat with eggplant, mozzarella, tomato and ending with eggplant.  

2. Drizzle with additional 1-2 teaspoons of balsamic and add a little more arugula

3. Place 4 fig halves on the plate

4. Cover entire plate with freshly grated parmesan cheese

5. Serve 

Servings: 4

Oven-Fried Eggplant Stack

Beef Enchiladas

Beef Enchiladas

I love mexican food, but it can be tricky finding a good restaurant that won't cross contaminate you with the chips alone.  They have a bad habit of using the same grease/oil for flour and corn tortillas. If you live in Chicago, Adobo Grill has a good gluten-free menu and will go out of their way to ensure you're having a good meal.  But, we can't go out every night, so I'm taking on the challenge of fixing it at home. 

This original recipe used flour tortillas, but I made a simple switch of corn tortillas. However, corn tortillas don't brown when you heat them in the skillet. They get crispy if you heat them too much and can be difficult to roll after filling them. Just lay them in a hot skillet and flip once to heat.  

The store where I normally shop was out of my regular corn tortillas, so I had to use the Food For Life Sprouted Corn Tortillas and will not go back to the other brand. These tortillas have a ton of fresh corn taste and can be found in the refrigerator section of your market.

Ingredients

Enchilada Sauce

1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced

2 whole jalapeno chile, diced

2.5 teaspoons ancho chile pepper, powder

15 ounces tomato sauce, Woodstock Organic

1/4 teaspoon cumin

Enchilada Filling

1 lb. Ground Beef, lean

8 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded, divided, Tillamook

.5 cup green onions, diced

.5 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons parsley, fresh, chopped

.5 teaspoons salt

.25 teaspoon pepper

8 whole Food For Life Sprouted Corn Tortillas, Wheat Free, Organic

Method

Prepare Sauce 

1. Combine tomato sauce, jalapeño, green pepper, chili powder and cumin in small saucepan

2. Cover and heat on low heat while preparing filling

Prepare Filling 

1. Brown ground beef in large skillet

2. Remove from heat and stir in cheese, parsley, green onion, sour cream and salt and pepper

Assemble 

1. Spread about 1/4 cup of sauce in bottom of 9x13 baking dish

2. Warm tortillas one at a time in small skillet

3. Drop spoonful of filling in center of each tortilla, roll and place in baking dish fold side down

4. Repeat until all tortillas are in the dish side-by-side

5. Pour sauce over tortillas and top with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated throughout

Serve warm

Servings: 4

Beef Enchiladas

Food For LIfe Sprouted Corn Tortillas

Beef Enchiladas Nutritional Information

If you happen to be in Chicago and want a good meal and margaritas I would highly recommend Adobo Grill on N. Wells     http://www.adobogrill.com

Roasted Corn & Potato Soup

Roasted Corn & Potato Soup

This is a wonderful soup to make on the weekend after a trip to the farmer's market.  We got the potatoes and corn from the local farmer's market on Saturday and I prepared it Sunday while the vegetables were still fresh. If you're lucky, you can also get good peppers and onion there too.

I originally found this recipe in a vegetable cookbook and thought it was a little to soup (or watery), so I decided to add the potato to add a little starch/bulk and make it creamier. If you don't want the potato, just take it out and reduce the olive oil to 2 tablespoons.

Ingredients

3 ears Sweet Yellow Corn, husked, reserve cobs

.5 lbs. Potato, Yukon Gold, peeled and diced

1 Poblano Pepper, diced

1 small Pepper, Red Bell, diced

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup red onion

1/4  tsp. chipotle chili powder

3/4 teaspoon salt, kosher, course

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Remove corn from cob (reserving cob for later use) and place on rimmed baking sheet with diced poblano pepper, diced red bell pepper and diced potatoes toss with olive oil and bake in preheated 375 degree oven

3. Bake 25 minutes stirring a few times until corn is light brown

4. Break reserved corn cobs into 3 pieces and put in medium sized pot with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. Strain broth into bowl when liquid is flavorful

5. Melt butter in large saucepan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until onion is tender (5-7 minutes)

6. Add chili powder, salt, roasted corn mixture and corn broth to onion and let simmer for 5 minutes letting flavors blend.

7. Gently add heavy cream, stir and serve

Servings: 4

Roasted Corn & Potato Soup

Corn Broth

Roasted Corn & Potato Soup Nutritional Information

Apple & Onion Chicken Burger

Apple & Onion Chicken Burger

I think I have stated before that I really don't like chicken.  However, it is a staple in my diet and I have to find ways to make it not so boring.  When I was eating gluten, I would top this with bacon and jalapeño jack cheese and serve on a bun.   If members of your family don't have gluten issues or you can eat gluten-free hamburger buns, I would still recommend that.

I have allergy issues and don't tolerate Xanthan gum (a staple in most gluten-free baked goods) so my alternative to the bun is to serve it on a bed of creamy, mashed potatoes, tomato slices and a vegetable It's a wonder change from the everyday grilled or roasted chicken and the apple adds just a little sweetness.

This is a burger that requires being fried because the chicken, apple mixture is too sticky for the grill.  I would recommend if you don't have a splatter screen for your frying pan that you purchase one. I didn't realize how much of a mess I was making in the kitchen until I got one a few months ago.  OXO has a really good one that is durable and has a folding handle for storage. It's about $20 at Sur La Table.

Necessary Tools...

Large frying pan (I use Lodge cast iron)
Mixing bowl
Cheese grater
Sharp knife
Cutting Board
Spatula
Measuring spoons (1/4, 1/2 tsp and 1 tbsp)
Splatter screen (if you have one)

Ingredients…Makes 4 servings
     1 pound ground chicken
     1 gala apple (grated)
     1/2 yellow onion (diced)
     1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
     1/2 tsp cinnamon
     1/4 tsp nutmeg
     Salt and pepper to taste
     2 tbsp olive oil

Prep...

• Combine all ingredients (except oil) in a bowl and mix well
• Divide mixture into 4 patties
• Heat frying pan on high heat and add oil
• When the oil is heated, add the burger patties and reduce heat to medium
• Cook burgers for about 5 minutes per side until well done and no pink is in the center
• Remove from heat and let stand 3-5 minutes before serving

  

  Apple & Onion Chicken Burger

Caramelized Pineapple with Vanilla Ice Cream

Caramelized Pineapple with Vanilla Ice Cream

I have a fascination for kitchen gadgets. Over the years I have acquired a lot of them and my most recent acquisition is a handheld device that cores and slices pineapple. I love pineapple and within the past week have purchased 2 just so I can use the gadget.

I first had roasted pineapple a few years ago and make it a few times a year. It's great, muddled with basil and topped with bourbon or, if you're not gluten-free, as a topping for pound cake or left-over biscuits with homemade whipped cream.

Generally, I will buy a whole pineapple that has already been peeled from the produce department and roast it whole.  It takes about an hour and a half though, so it can't be a spur-of-the-moment dessert.   Since I have this nifty little device that takes all the work out of coring and slicing, I was able to fix this in about 15 minutes.  If you don't have one of these tools, just ask the produce department to slice a pineapple for you.

Necessary Tools...

10-inch skillet
Silicone spatula or wooden spoon
Tongs

Ingredients…Makes 2-4 servings
     4 pineapple slices
     4 tablespoons unsalted butter (60 grams)
     4 tablespoons brown sugar (60 grams)
     2 tablespoons water
     Your favorite vanilla bean ice cream

Prep...

• Melt the butter and brown sugar in skillet over medium-high heat. Stirring often.
• Add the pineapple rings to melted butter and sugar
• Turn pineapple rings every 3-4 minutes to soften both sides
• Add water to pan, as needed in small increments, if butter and brown sugar begin to burn or thicken too much
• Remove from heat when pineapple is soft on both sides and golden brown (about 12-15 minutes)

  

  Caramelized Pineapple Slices

To serve...

• Place 1 pineapple on plate
• Top with vanilla ice cream
• Pour remaining caramel sauce from pan over ice cream
• If only serving 2-3 people, use the extra pineapple as garnish

  

  Caramelized Pineapple with Vanilla Ice Cream