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In our effort to eat healthier, we tried a vegetarian chili recipe, but the ground meat always seems to sneak into the pot somehow. : )

Ingredients:

1 Pound EACH of grass-fed Ground Beef, Ground Turkey, and finely diced Pork Shoulder (Boston Butt) or Ground Pork

Remember, it’s Chili. Nothing about Chili is set in stone. Add or delete items as you see fit.


3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Sweet onions - diced

2 Tablespoons minced Garlic
3 Banana Peppers or Mini Sweet Peppers, seeded, sliced into strips. (Some hotter peppers like serrano may be substituted)

3 Small Zucchini, quartered lengthwise, then diced into 1 in. chunks. 1/2 Pound of Baby Portobello Mushrooms washed and thickly sliced or quartered.

4 Tablespoons Dark Chili powder
2 Tablespoons ground Cumin
2 Tablespoons dried Oregano
2 Tablespoons ground Turmeric

2 teaspoons Salt - more may be needed at end of preparation - to taste
1 teaspoon Coarsely Ground Fennel seed
1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
1 teaspoon Sriracha Sauce (or more) (
2) 15 oz. cans of diced Tomatoes
(1) 12 oz. can of Ro*Tel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies

(1 or 2) 15 oz. cans of Organic Black Beans (Not low carb and truly optional - especially in Texas) (1) 8-ounce can Tomato Sauce 


Topping Suggestions
1/2 Cup fresh Cilantro - finely chopped
Sour Cream
Grated Cheese
Tortilla Chips
Green Onion or Chives
Sriracha

Directions:
In a large covered pot with a heavy bottom; Le Creuset style French Oven or Dutch Oven, add a couple of Tablespoons of Olive Oil and bring up to Medium – Medium High on the stove top. Brown the diced Pork first, add a little salt, freshly ground Black Pepper and the Ground Fennel Seed, brown until the Diced Pork start to shrink a bit. Then add the Ground Beef and the Ground Turkey and finish browning together.

Remove the browned meat from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil and juices in the pot. Add the chopped Onion, Garlic and a Tablespoon of water and allow the Onion to soften slightly. Add the sliced Banana Peppers or Mini Sweet Peppers and stir-fry until the peppers soften. Add the Zucchini and Mushrooms, and continue to cook until the Zucchini looks like it is just starting to soften.

Add the Chili powder, Cumin, Coriander, Oregano, Turmeric, and Salt and stir well to season all the vegetables. Add the Diced Tomatoes and stir to combine. Add the ground meat, Black Beans, Tomato Sauce, and stir often as it returns to a bubbling Simmer. Once it does, reduce the heat to a lower simmer and stir once in a while it cooks for an hour or so. Do not let it return to a boil or even a heavy simmer.
(If you like your Chili a little thicker, add a 1/4 cup of Tomato Paste)

Allow individuals to garnish as they wish with grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, Sriracha, chives, Tortilla Chips

Tags: beef, Cilantro, garlic, hamburger, mushrooms, onion, Peppers, pork, Sriracha, Tomatoes, turkey