This recipe is very high in nutrition, fiber, antioxidants, and a good source of protein,
but your family doesn’t need to know - they'll just love it! It's easy, quick and you can freeze extra servings for future "fast food" meals! This recipe is more of an art than a science, but here’s how I make it.
Brown 1 1lb ground meat or meat substitute in a large pot and drain off excess oil.
Now for the fun “dumping” part! Dump in:
Canned Tomato Sauce (appox. 30 oz.)—I prefer “Hunt’s” brand because it has no High
fructose corn syrup (like Contadina does) or MSG
Chicken broth (approx. 30 oz. - I make my own and freeze it ahead of time)
1 can rinsed Kidney beans
1 can rinsed Northern beans
1 can rinsed Pinto beans
1 can rinsed Chickpeas
1 can Black beans with fluid
1 can (15 oz.) “Veg-All” with fluid (adds nutrition and flavor)
Any chopped veggies bits you like (I freeze leftovers from various meals & add them into this mix.)
Optional: cooked left over brown rice, farro (avail at Trader Joes/nutritious and doesn't get mushy), or barley.
Bring to a boil then turn down to lowest setting to simmer for at least 45 minutes.
Seasoning to taste with:
Turmeric (antioxidant power house! One tablespoon minimum - its a fairly benign taste)
Black Pepper (at least a teaspoon to release the healing power of the Turmeric)
Chili Powder
Garlic Powder
Paprika (I like smoked)
Salt to taste
Other herbs to taste.
You can also alternately use something like McCormick’s Chili Mix (or Tex-Mex Chili mix) which does not contain MSG. Do not dump the entire packet in, however. Add to taste, rarely use more than ½ packet.
To jazz it up. If you want it thicker you can lower the broth portion and up the tomato sauce portion and/or add arrow root to thicken. (Arrow root is better for you and blends better than thickening with flour, but you can use flour or masa flour.) Optional Yummy toppings: Chopped Cilantro, green onions, avocado, cheese, light sour cream, or guacamole.
Notes: This recipe doubles or triples easily. We let it cool, and then put enough for our family for a single night's supper into a freezer bag, push the air out and freeze for those hectic nights when I don’t want to cook. I generally triple the batch and for ½ hour of cooking, we get four family meals!!