Thursday, December 06, 2012

Chilly Days Call for Chili (& Onion Crunch)



As you know, I married a beef farmer.  I've been living on a working beef farm since 2006. Both Hubby and our four year old daughter love their beef.  One of their favourite meals to eat on a chilly day is...You guessed it! CHILI!

I love my chili loaded with veg from the garden.  In the Fall or Winter, if we  have any of our veg in cold storage or in the freezer, I use them.  If not, I buy it at the local grocery store.  Some may think it odd for me to go heavy on the veg in chili, but I love the texture and nutritional value of those brightly coloured vegetables!

{ C's Chili }
Ingredients
2 to 3 lbs ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
4 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, diced
2 - 3 tomatoes, diced (or a can of diced tomatoes)
1 large carrot, diced (sometimes I shred the carrot because Little One now claims to not like cooked carrots)
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 large red pepper, diced (you can add orange and yellow peppers too. So pretty and tasty)
1 - 2 cups corn (I use corn from our farm, blanche, cut the kernels off the cob, store in Ziploc bags and freeze)
1- 2 cups kidney beans (soaked overnight OR 1 can kidney beans)
1 -2 cups chickpeas (soaked overnight OR 1 can chickpeas)
1 -2 cans tomato sauce, depends how thick you prefer your chili (if you don't make your own, you can use store bought)
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili or cayenne pepper (I don't make it too spicy)
1 tsp thyme
a few splashes of vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar (optional)
oil to brown beef

As you can see, I'm not one to follow a specific recipe and don't give exact measurements. "Just go with how you like it or with what tastes right to you" is my motto.  People hate it when they ask for one of my recipes and I tell them I don't really have one!

Instructions:
In a large pot, heat oil and brown the beef, making sure to break it up into small pieces.
Add onions and cook until soft. Add garlic, spices, veggies and cook over medium heat.
Add sauce, vinegar, sugar, beans, chickpeas, and reduce to low. If you let simmer for 2 hrs+, the result is yummy, great-on-a-cold-day chili!

Just to be different, we added a sprinkling of Onion Crunch on top of our chili. I was trying to be fancy without having to fuss with cooking up crunchy onion rings to add on top! The Onion Crunch added an extra depth to the chili.

Curious about Onion Crunch?

Onion Crunch is a new, crunchy onion condiment that can be used to add a little "Je ne sais quoi" to your family's favourite meals. I've used it in casseroles, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and on vegetables, homemade pizza and burgers!

It's also the only all-natural kosher (parve), vegan, non-GMO crunchy onion topping in the U.S.

I'm a big fan of onion and garlic (in pretty much everything)! Love the crunchiness of Onion Crunch.

Disclosure - I received the above product to facilitate this honest review. All the thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.

15 comments:

Mom vs. the boys said...

I can totally see how crunchy onions would work on top of chili!

Paula Schuck said...

Wow! Unbelievably this is something I have never made. Now I am inspired to do so.

Unknown said...

MVTB:
I'm totally diggin' the Onion Crunch! LOL! Putting it on everything these days! LOL!

Unknown said...

Paula:
Really? :) It's my go-to dish. Super easy and yummy. I do mine in my Dutch oven or if you want to leave it to cook on its own, you can do it in the slow cooker!!! Hassle-free meal!

Shayna Murray said...

I love lots of veggies in my chili too. My daughter loves "onion cookies" as she calls them and will put them on anything!

Anonymous said...

I love onion crunch it goes great on everything!

i put it in my Gumbo and red beans and rice down here in New Orleans.

Sometimes in my bloody mary too!

Everything Mom and Baby said...

I'll have to check them out. What stands out the most for me in this post is learning that it is GMO free.
Awesome. I'll look into the brand.

Journeys of The Zoo said...

We're big chili fans, especially the kids. I love all the spices you add to yours. Really makes it pop. Onion and garlic in (almost) everything in this household. It would be handy to have around. Thanks for sharing.

Besos, Sarah
Zookeeper at Journeys of The Zoo
journeysofthezoo at hotmail dot com

Just Us Girls said...

Oh that chili looks delish! We love onion crunch in our house, we've been using ever since we found it at Costco's. We put it on everything, it's especially good on hot dogs. I'll have to try it on chili! :)

Unknown said...

This chili sounds amazing! I also put lots of veggies in my chili but usually make mine with turkey in place of beef to keep calories and fat down. And onion crunch is perfect to go on top! It's also like a healthier, lower carb alternative to shredded cheese. Long live the crunchy onions1

Country Mouse, City Mouse said...

I love to make a big pot of chili on a cold day, it warms up the body and the house too.

I know I would love Onion Crunch for sure.

Kelly @ City Mom said...

Mmmm! That sounds so good! I'm so curious about this Onion Crunch...I will have to try it out :)

Unknown said...

Sounds delicious. I never thought of putting onions on top of chili but now I will! Have only used these on green beans. LOL

Paul said...

I get chili from my favorite hot dog place, River View East, and I find that adding Onion Crunch gives it that extra flavor and crunch. It's a great compliment to any meal and I would recommend it to everyone!

Anonymous said...

It sounds great on a cold day

From Our Farm to Your Table

Blog Archive

Farmers Feed Cities

You Can Find Me Here!




Affiliates

Brand Ambassador for

For Fellow Bloggers

Connect With Advertisers - Sign up for SocialSpark!
A Reliable Blogger

Proud Recipient

© 2006 - 2012 Life on Manitoulin. All Rights Reserved. Powered by Blogger.

About the Blog Author


City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
Contact Me

Les Boutons!

Life on Manitoulin: Just a bunch of ramblings from a city girl gone country!

Life on Manitoulin: Just a bunch of ramblings from a city girl gone country!

Let's Connect

Members

Support


Photobucket


Related Posts with Thumbnails