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.