Poblano-Jalapeno Beef Chili

This week is going to be chili week on Fig & Rose.  I had friends over for "The Great American Chili Tasting" - I made three completely different chilies and we all ate our body weight in food.  Voting was tied for favorites, and quite a few liked this one best.

The first of the trio was traditional chili.  This was a melt-in-your-mouth kind of dish - everything just melded together wonderfully.  I thought it was lacking in an oomph of some sort, but maybe that was just in comparison to the other two, which were so dynamic.  I also burned it a little, which didn't help.  But I'd definitely make it again.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 pounds Ground Beef
2 Jalapenos, seeded + diced
2 Poblanos, seeded + diced
1 Onion, diced
8 Garlic Cloves, diced
1 12-oz Corona
2 tbsp Chili Powder
1 tbsp Cumin
2 1/2 cups Tomato Sauce (1 jar)
1 Cup Vegetable Broth (or 1 cups Water and 1/2 Bouillon Cube)
2 14-oz cans Kidney Beans, rinsed + drained
2 14-oz cans Diced Tomatoes
Salt + Pepper, to taste

Toppings:

Cilantro, chopped
Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Green Onions, sliced

1. Cook beef in large pot for 10 minutes or until done, stirring continuously until brown and separated. Remove from pan, drain, and wipe pot clean.

2. Seed and dice jalapenos, poblanos, garlic and onion.  Cook over medium heat in pot for 10 minutes, until onion is tender.

I used the food processor to do all the chopping - saved a lot of time and effort.  Not great if you want large onion chunks, though.

3. Add beer, and scrape pan to loosen browned bits on bottom.  Allow to reduce by half, for about 10 minutes.

4. Add chili powder, cumin and salt, and stir for 1 minute.

5. Add in beef, tomatoes, drained beans, and vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, or until thickened.

Don't go nap and forget about it, like I did.  It will burn on the bottom.

6. Take off heat and serve.  Heap on the cheddar, cilantro, sour cream and green onions.

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Original Recipe:

Cooking Light

Tomato, Roasted Corn + Crab Salad

This recipe used the leftover corn from the side I made to pair with the BBQ Chicken Skewers.  And I added in bell peppers for more crunch, which was a good call.

Ingredients:

12 oz Canned Crab Meat
1 Avocado, cubed
1 package Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups Corn, roasted (or 2 corn cobs, sheared)
1/2 Red Onion, diced
2 Jalapenos, seeded + diced
1 package Cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp Lime Juice
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt + Pepper, to taste

Didn't have cherry tomatoes, so used 3 regular ones.  I think cherry would have been better for a different texture, though it was still good. Also didn't have jalapenos, which would have also been great.

1. Dice onion and put into a small bowl.  Cover with lime juice and olive oil, to mellow flavor. Set aside.

2. Chop tomatoes, cilantro, jalapenos and avocados.  Place first three into a large salad bowl, and set aside avocados.

3. Roast corn in a large pan until browned.  Season with salt + pepper as you go.

I used leftover corn on the cob, so first I sheared the kernels off the cob with a serrated knife.  When you cook the corn, you can break it up with the spatula easily.

Apologies for the terrible pictures! Didn't realize until it was too late.

4. Combine all ingredients except avocado in salad bowl and mix well.  Add avocado and stir through.

Otherwise, the avocado mushes into everything.

I ate this with salad dressing, but you can also just add more olive oil and lime juice to taste.

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Original Recipe:

Skinny Taste

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

This was great - filling, but super light and healthy.  The leftovers keep for days and days in the fridge, too, and are good cold.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

3 tbsp Fish Sauce
3 tbsp Lime Juice
1 tbsp Light Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Coconut Oil (or Grapeseed or Peanut)
1 Onion, diced
1 bundle Green Onions, chopped
2 inches Ginger, peeled + grated
4 Garlic Cloved, minced
1 package Lean Ground Chicken (or Turkey)
1 tbsp Chile Powder
1 Jalapeno, seeded + diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/3 cup Cilantro (or Basil), diced
1 head Lettuce, washed

I added a red bell pepper for some crunch, which was a good call - this could use celery or something else crunchy too.  Also - use hearty lettuce or the wrap falls apart easily.. I made the mistake of not doing that.

1. In a small bowl, whisk brown sugar, fish sauce and lime juice.  Set aside.

2. Heat coconut oil in a large pan and add onion and white parts of the green onion (save the green parts for later).  Cook for 1 minute, then add garlic, ginger and jalapeno.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add ground chicken and use a spoon or spatula to break it up into little pieces.  It will start out mushy, but as it cooks, it becomes easy to separate. Cook meat until brown, for approximately 5 minutes.

4. Stir in the sauce thoroughly and cook down for 1 minute.  Take off the heat, and stir in the red bell pepper, the rest of the green onions and the cilantro.

5. Wash lettuce and spoon mixture in! Serve hot or cold.

Don't break up the lettuce like I did - the more to wrap around the filling, the better it will stay together. Mine totally fell all over the plate.

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Original Recipe:

Aida Mollenkamp

Avocado-Yogurt Dip

This is a great way to make your avocados stretch further, if you want a dip and can't make enough guacamole.  My preference is still guacamole any day, but this is yummy too.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Greek Yogurt
1/4 Red Onion
3 Avocados
1 Garlic Clove
3 tbsp Cilantro
1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded
2 tbsp Lime Juice
1 tbsp Cumin
1 tsp Salt

1. Place all ingredients into blender and process until smooth.

Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the result, but I can assure you that it was green and beautiful. And makes a lot.

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Original Recipe:

My Recipes (Cooking Light)

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 70
• Calories from fat: 76%
• Fat: 5.9g
• Saturated fat: 0.9g
• Monounsaturated fat: 3.6g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.7g
• Protein: 1.3g
• Carbohydrate: 4.6g
• Fiber: 2g
• Cholesterol: 0.0mg
• Iron: 0.4mg
• Sodium: 83mg
• Calcium: 21mg